Maria Bianca Cita (born 12 September 1924) is an Italian geologist and

paleontologist Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...

. She was born in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

and graduated in

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...

from the University of Milan in 1946. She lectured there on micropaleontology,

physical geography Physical geography (also known as physiography) is one of the three main branches of geography. Physical geography is the branch of natural science which deals with the processes and patterns in the natural environment such as the atmosphere, h ...

engineering geology Engineering geology is the application of geology to engineering study for the purpose of assuring that the geological factors regarding the location, design, construction, operation and maintenance of engineering works are recognized and accou ...

, geology and

stratigraphy Stratigraphy is a branch of geology concerned with the study of rock (geology), rock layers (Stratum, strata) and layering (stratification). It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary rock, sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks. Stratigrap ...

. In 1973, she became a full professor, teaching in turn micropaleontology, geology and marine geology. From 1982 to 1988, she was head of the earth sciences department at the University of Milan. In 1992, she was president of the

European Science Foundation The European Science Foundation (ESF) is an association of 11 member organizations devoted to scientific research in 8 European countries. ESF is an independent, non-governmental, non-profit organisation that promotes the highest quality science ...

scientific committee for the Ocean Drilling Program. She was president of the Italian geological society (Società geologica italiana) from 1989 to 1990, the first woman to hold that office. From 1994 to 1997, she was president of the Italian Association for Quaternary Research (AIQUA}. Cita participated in the 1970 exploration of the Mediterranean sea floor by the research vessel ''

Glomar Challenger ''Glomar Challenger'' was a deep sea research and scientific drilling vessel for oceanography and marine geology studies. The drillship was designed by Global Marine Inc. (now Transocean Inc.) specifically for a long term contract with the Ameri ...

'' which collected data on the Messinian salinity crisis. She has published over 200 articles in various journals on micropaleontology, stratigraphy,

paleoclimatology Paleoclimatology (British spelling, palaeoclimatology) is the study of climates for which direct measurements were not taken. As instrumental records only span a tiny part of Earth's history, the reconstruction of ancient climate is important to ...

, paleoceanography and marine geology. She has served on the editorial boards for journals in the fields of micropaleontology, geology, oceanography and stratigraphy. In 1986, she received the Feltrinelli Prize from the

Accademia dei Lincei The Accademia dei Lincei (; literally the "Academy of the Lynx-Eyed", but anglicised as the Lincean Academy) is one of the oldest and most prestigious European scientific institutions, located at the Palazzo Corsini on the Via della Lungara in Rom ...

. Cita was named an honorary fellow of the

Geological Society of America The Geological Society of America (GSA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the geosciences. History The society was founded in Ithaca, New York, in 1888 by Alexander Winchell, John J. Stevenson, Charles H. Hitchco ...

in 1987. In 1996, she was awarded the Francis P. Shepard Medal for Marine Geology.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cita, Maria Bianca 1924 births Living people 20th-century Italian geologists Italian paleontologists Women oceanographers University of Milan alumni Academic staff of the University of Milan Scientists from Milan Italian oceanographers