Insights into the Relationships between Humanities and Sciences

Liliana Mammino obtained a degree in chemistry from the University of Pisa (Italy, her home country) and a Ph.D. in chemistry from Moscow State University (Russia). She is currently an Emeritus Professor at the University of Venda (South Africa), where she has been working since 1997, teaching the physical chemistry courses at all levels, the first-year general chemistry course and the third-year process technology course, and establishing computational chemistry research de novo. Her earlier work experiences include chemistry teaching at the National University of Somalia (1974–1975), University of Zambia (1988–1992), and National University of Lesotho (1993–1996). Her research interests comprise theoretical chemistry, with main focus on the computational study of biologically active molecules, and chemistry education, with main focus on conceptual understanding and the roles played by language and visualization, and on education for sustainable development, with particular attention to green chemistry education. She has published extensively in these areas. She represents Division III of IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) at the Interdivisional Committee on Green Chemistry for Sustainable Development of IUPAC. In 2013, she was one of the recipients of the IUPAC Award for Distinguished Women in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. Her pre-university education entailed extensive humanities education, and she has maintained this interest throughout, above all in relation to the use of language and to the history of science, including science aspects in traditional practices. In 2016, she received an award from the African Language Association of Southern Africa (ALASA) for “the most outstanding article in sociolinguistics in 2015”. In 2024, she was awarded the Chemistry Education medal by the South African Chemical Institute.