The first black woman -nuclear scholar in South Africa Masang hay, a trailblazer, who sought to inspire young women, died at the age of 37, confirmed the government.
Ms. Masang, called “Queen of Science” some in South Africa, died on Sunday. The cause of her death is unknown.
The main and ambitious, it “was a beacon of hope for many young people, especially women,” the statement of the deputy president Paul Mashatila said.
Despite her success, she said she had faced discrimination as a black woman, because she needed to prove what she knew what she was talking about.
However, her unwavering determination deserved a deep respect in her field.
Ms Masang was the first African woman to enter the team led by the African language, which conducted experiments in the European Nuclear Research Organization (CERN), which is the largest part of the particle physics laboratory.
“Masang’s relentless efforts to promote the scientific education and expansion of rights and opportunities, especially among women and unhappy communities, will be deeply missed,” the statement of the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation of South Africa said.
Ms. Masang’s mother, born in 1987 in the rural village of Nengom, Kvasul-Natal, the historic site of Zulu.
She grew up in a perennial family, and her mother was the youngest of three wives.
It was a difficult family setting, ”she said to the local newspaper Sowetan Live, but learned how to stagnate.
Her parents quickly recognized her early admiration for her studies and urged her to read widely.
At the age of 11, her geography teacher spoke about astronauts, arousing interest in science throughout his life.
“I was so fascinated to find out that there are people who go into space – leave this dimension – and go for the moon,” she said, the Global Citizen organization.
“That’s when I fell in love with science.”
Ms. Masang enrolled at the University of Zululand at 16 years to study physics, but after pregnancy and giving up some modules she had to give up.
With the support of her family, she returned to complete the degree and then received a Master of Nuclear Physics at the University of the Western Cape, graduating with honors.
Tragically, her daughter died in a car disaster at the age of seven.
In addition to its academic achievements, Ms. Masang created the basis for the encouragement of young women to science.
“Girls prevented from an early age to take scientific subjects; this is the root cause of women in the nuclear space,” she said.
Its excellent achievements have been named one of the most successful Black Woman scientists in South Africa up to 35 years in 2019 and getting a place in 200 -year South African Africans Mail & Guardian on the List of Science and Technology.
In 2022, she won the prestigious International Women’s Prize in science, recognizing her deep influence on the scientific community.
But throughout her career, Ms. Masang collided with Misogynoir – faced with discrimination of black women from their race and gender.
“The biggest problem in my career is my skin color. If you are like me, no one believes in you; you have to prove that you know your work and what you can think!”
“There are still very few scientists – black women. It means that women such as I have to work twice as much to prove their value,” she said.
However, she insisted using her journey to help inspire a new generation to science fearlessly and boldly.
