Geek of the Week: Rita Levi-Montalcini

Here we honor Muggle geeks who embody Ravenclaw spirit...
when they succeed, they soar, and when they fail, they fail spectacularly!

Rita Levi-Montalcini (1909 - 2012)

"Above all, don’t fear difficult moments. The best comes from them."

Imagine you're a Jewish Italian female born in 1909, just after Europe's worst earthquake; you witness two World Wars, both Italian-hosted Olympic Games, myriad changes in national government, and frequently shifting societal attitudes, before you die in 2012 at the age of 103.  Still with me?

Now imagine your barrier-breaking research work advances the study of neural growth disorders (cancer, Alzheimer's, etc.) through the discovery, isolation, and manipulation of nerve growth factor; your collaboration with colleague Stanley Cohen wins the 1986 Nobel prize for physiology and medicine.

This has been but a glancing glimpse at the life of Dr. Rita Levi-Montalcini -- may she rest in peace.

Please read more about Rita Levi-Montalcini...
from the Guardian.
from the New York Times.
on Wikipedia.