VT College of Science Magazine Annual 2014 | Page 8

All roads lead
to Rome
A

ll roads lead to Rome. Or in this case, from Rome, “My parents grew up just after World War II, so it was very difficult
where Daniela Cimini earned all her degrees, includ- because Italy was destroyed and it wasn’t common for kids at that
ing a doctorate in genetics and molecular biology, after time to go to school. My mom’s determination was a good example,
and they encouraged me to do the best I could and to do what I liked.
being raised in the nearby town of Giulianello, Italy.
I have to thank them for encouraging me to work hard rather than
During her two-hour commute to and from college, Ci- pushing me in a specific direction because it would get me some
mini had plenty of time to think back on how she ar- ideal job. Today, I tell students this all the time; if you do something
you enjoy, you’ll be better at it and happier in life.”
rived at earning the highest degree possible. “I was always very much into science in high school. I had good Throughout her post-secondary education, Cimini had plenty of fescience and biology teachers and got intrigued by that, male role models. Her undergraduate mentor, doctoral mentor, and
and I think whatever field I would have chosen, I would graduate program director were all women.
have been in research – I’ve always been fascinated by Working with a graduate program that allowed students to travel
abroad for training, and wanting to improve her English and benchinvestigating questions,” she said.
In Italy students typically finish high school at about age 19, and
most choose a major at the beginning of college. Because she focused on biology right away, Cimini says she didn’t take courses
from the liberal arts curriculum.

“I went into biology thinking I liked genetics and took cell biology
the first year and loved it,” she explained. “I took genetics the second year. Both professors were women so I never felt that it wasn’t
acceptable for a woman to be involved in science and do research.”
Cimini did have parents who encouraged her to succeed. Her father had the equivalent of a high school degree in accounting, and
though her mother went to school only through middle school before taking a job with the family business, she pursued her dream of
nursing when she was in he Ȁ