Maria Artini (1894 – 2 August 1951) was an Italian engineer, the first female university graduate in electrical engineering in Italy and the second female graduate of the Milan Polytechnic.
Early life and education
Artini was born in
Milan, Italy
Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
, in 1894. She was the daughter of , who was a director of the Civic Museum of Natural History in Milan and professor of mineralogy at the
Polytechnic University of Milan
The Polytechnic University of Milan (, abbreviated as PoliMi) is a university in Milan, Italy. It is the largest technical university in the country, with about 40,000 enrolled students. The university offers undergraduate, graduate, and higher ...
where Maria enrolled In 1912. In 1918, she graduated in electrical engineering with a grade of 90/100 becoming the first female electrical engineer in Italy, and only the second woman to graduate from the Polytechnic (after
Gaetanina Calvi did so in 1913).
Career
One year after graduation, Artini began a job at Edison, a Milan-based energy company. There she was promoted to managerial roles and helped to design and construct the country's first very high-voltage (130 kV) power line, in the
Brugherio
Brugherio (; in ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Monza and Brianza in the Italian region Lombardy, located about northeast of Milan. It was established December 9, 1866 unifying the suppressed municipalities of Cassina Baraggia ...
-
Parma
Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...
region.
According to Edison, "from 1936 to 1946 she organized and directed Edison's statistics office, later returning
s an executive
S, or s, is the nineteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and other latin alphabets worldwide. Its name in English is ''ess'' (pronounced ), plural ''esses''.
...
to deal with very high voltage
he new 200 kWpower lines."
In an effort to help other women in technical fields, in 1948 Artini suggested the formation of an association of female professionals and even organized a series of meetings with her Milanese and Turin colleagues.
Although she died before it could be realized, the (AIDIA) was born on January 26, 1957, founded by engineer
Emma Strada (its first president), Anna E. Armor,
Adele Racheli and the architect Vittoria Ilardi. According to Altomare, the association continues today and "boasts a path studded with successes, awards and honors." Artini is still credited for her "brilliant idea" of forming the association.
Personal life
Artini married Leonardo Maggi who is known to have been a benefactor of Milan's Institute of the Blind. The Institute's museum houses a photograph of Artini in its collection.
Maria Artini died on 2 August 1951, at the age of 57.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Artini, Maria
1894 births
1951 deaths
Italian electrical engineers
Engineers from Milan
Polytechnic University of Milan alumni
20th-century Italian engineers
20th-century Italian women engineers
Women's firsts