On the 12th of December 2017, Vilnius University (VU) Library’s White Hall hosted an event with a large audience dedicated to the 150th anniversary celebration of a famous scientist, two Nobel Prizes winner Marie Skłodowska Curie.

The event was organized by BASNET Forumas association in the framework of the continuing project “Gender Equality in STEM. At the boundary of knowledge” aiming at raising public awareness on gender equality issues in science and disseminating knowledge about the contribution of women scientists in development of “hard” sciences.

Prof. Rimantas Jankauskas, Vice-Rector for research of Vilnius University opened the event. President of BASNET Forumas, Prof. Dr. D. Satkovskiene, briefly presented M. Curie biography, stressing other research achievements.

She was the first woman scientist who was awarded two Nobel Prizes in two STEM fields (physics in 1903 and chemistry in 1911). Besides her outstanding scientific achievements she was the first in the world who began the medical tumor treatments and set up institutes in Paris and Warsaw. M. Curie encouraged women to pursue studies in physics and chemistry. In M. Curie laboratory at the Sorbonne University the number of women scientists increased significantly.  

Thanks to the French Institute in Lithuania the new book “Marie Curie. Une femme dans son siècle”, written and issued in 2017 by scientists of Musée Curie in Paris together with Marie Curie grand-daughter Hélène Langevin‐Joliot, was purchased and granted to the Vilnius University Library. To the granting ceremony participated Mr. Jean-Marie Sani, director of the French Institute in Lithuania; Prof. Rimantas Jankauskas, Vice-Rector for research of Vilnius University; Prof. Dr. Dalia Satkovskiene, President of BASNET Forumas and Mrs. Irena Krivienė, Director of Vilnius University Library.

On the 15th of January 2018, on the occasion of the 150th Marie Skłodowska Curie’s anniversary, the book “Marie Curie. Une femme dans son siècle” was also granted by the French Institute in Lithuania and BASNET Forumas to Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania. Prof. Renaldas Gudauskas, Director of the library, expressed thanks to the French Institute in Lithuania and to the BASNET Forumas, the initiator of the book granting event of such an interesting and unique book.