2. Facts about Rita Levi Montalcini Rita Levi Montalcini was born in Torino, in 1909. In 1936 she graduated in medicine. In 1938 she emigrated to Belgium, because of the racial laws promulgated by the fascist regime. In 1951-1952 she discovered the nerve growth factor known as NGF. In 1986 she was awarded by Nobel Prize for Medicine. She died in 2012, in Rome.

3. Why she is famous She was a member of the biggest international scientific acadamies, like “Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei”, “Pontificia Accademia Delle Scienze” (she was the first woman), “Accademia Nazionale delle Scienze”, “National Academy of Sciences” (american), Royal Society. She was a great scientist, a neurologist. She discovered the nerve growth factor known as NGF, because of this discovery she was awarded by Nobel Prize for Medicine, in 1986 She was appointed Senator for life in 2001 because of her scientific and social achievements.

4. Why and how she inspires people She was firm and brave. She was not discouraged by adversity…. …of history, like the racial laws …of life, she said that she was a woman grew up in a men’s world, and she knew that women and men are equal mentally … of time, she said: “The body does what he wants. I am not the body: I am the mind”.