September 28th, on the eve of the European Night of Researchers, Hélène Langevin-Joliot visited the Enrico Fermi Museum.

She particularly cared about this visit, she told us, to ‘retrace’ the steps of her famous grandmother, who to her was simply Marie.

Maria Skłodowska Curie visited the Royal Institute of Physics twice: in 1918, for a scientific trip organized by the famous mathematical physicist Vito Volterra, and then, in 1931, for the first International Congress of Nuclear Physics.

Hélène was particularly fascinated by the Museum’s modern installations,  ‘speaking the language of the younger ones’, and she lingered for a long time at the edges of the Goldfish Fountain, in the courtyard inside the building, chatting and sharing memories of her illustrious family. A family that has 5 Nobel Prize winners!

She too, like her grandparents Pierre and Marie Curie and her parents, Irène and Frédéric Joliot-Curie, is a physicist and
today, at 96 years old, she is more vital than ever! After a brilliant career at the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the University of Paris and the CNRS, today, she fights against prejudices and gender differences. She is dedicated to promoting STEM subjects among girls.

Thank you, Hélène, for your visit and for letting us share your love for research and knowledge that you continue to hear and follow!

Miriam Focaccia