Viruses do not wait for anyone, they change constantly and spread at great speed. Perhaps it is in struggling against them that the Italian scientist Ilaria Capua has learned how important it is to join forces, share information and combine skills. Virologist of international reknown and Member of the Italian Parliament, in recent years Capua has fought against the most feared diseases. In 2006 she discovered the sequence of the H5N1 bird flu virus and along with demonstrating her expertise, she demonstrated her humanity as she decided to make the discovery totally public. Her gesture will speed up the development of a cure and has earned her  an  inclusion in the list of the 50 Top Scientists in Scientific American magazine. She was a guest at The other half of the Planet , the Women's Week of Expo Milano 2015, and has been interviewed by Exponet, official magazine of the Universal Exposition .

 

Share and cross-fertilize ideas

Ilaria Capua is a professional, a wife and a mother. Her opinion on how to achieve gender equality has the same breadth of vision as her scientific vision: "I am opposed to women-only or men-only clubs. Richness comes with diversity. If there is an engine that pushes, a working group essentially female that’s great! But then the best results are obtained with the largest and most varied audience possible." Her belief in the value of exchange is noted as she talks about ideas that must be "cross-fertilized by people all over the world."

 

The multidisciplinary nature of the Universal Exposition

A person ready for dialogue and open to meeting new people will feel right at home at the Universal Exposition : "Here you can find yourself next to people who deal with different topics but that can add something to what you’ve said and build connections which will continue beyond the event - said Capua - I find it a very positive experience, and above all quite varied, thanks to all the people who come from different worlds and different disciplines, in particular during these Women's Weeks, where one can go from Valore D with  its own history and own message on entrepreneurship to experiences and presentations on civil rights and agriculture. "