Every day, humanity is moving towards a more equal and less male dominant environment, in all areas of the society. Thankfully one on those areas is Science and Research.
One of the key factors to take down those barriers for amazing women out there, is to be aware not normalise, the language, misalignment and specially not giving them, the recognition they very well and decisively, deserve.
This is what we are going to do in this post, recognise and at the same time, thank and acknowledge, extraordinary professional women, that have helped us move toward a better world to live in.
Some of those are (in no particular order):
- Marie Curie – Physicist and Chemist – (Nov. 7, 1867-July 4, 1934): Chief among Curie’s many achievements include discovering radioactivity and inventing a mobile X-ray unit that was employed during World War I. With her husband, Pierre, Curie also discovered the radioactive elements polonium and radium — and developed techniques for isolating radioactive isotopes. In 1903, Curie became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. After her first win in physics, she later earned an award in chemistry — making her the first person to have been awarded twice.
- Ada Lovelace – Mathematician -(Dec. 10, 1815-Nov. 27, 1852): Lovelace is regarded as the first computer programmer — long before modern computers were invented. Her notes on Charles Babbage’s proposed analytical engine (a programmable, general-purpose computer), is considered to be the very first computer algorithm.
- Janaki Ammal – Botanist – (Nov. 4, 1897-Feb. 7,1984): As India’s first female plant scientist, Ammal developed several hybrid species still grown today. She also advocated for protecting the biodiversity of India.
- Chien-Shiung Wu, Physicist – (May 31, 1912-Feb. 16, 1997): Wu was the first scientist to confirm — and later refine — Enrico Fermi’s theory of radioactive beta decay. She is also known for her “Wu experiment,” which overturned the theory of parity in physics. This breakthrough led to a Nobel Prize that was awarded to her male colleagues, with Wu’s critical role in the work overlooked.
- Katherine Johnson – Mathematician – (Aug. 26, 1918-Feb. 24, 2020): Johnson’s calculations of orbital mechanics as a NASA employee were critical to sending the first Americans into space. She became famous when her story was profiled in the movie Hidden Figures.
- Jennifer Doudna – Biochemist – (Feb. 19, 1964-): Doudna was one of the primary developers of CRISPR, a ground-breaking technology for editing genomes. The approach offers the promise to put an end to diseases.
- Gladys West – Mathematician – (1930-): West’s work in developing mathematical modeling of the shape of the Earth served as the foundation of GPS technology. In 2018, she was inducted into the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame, one of the Air Force space command’s highest honors.
To take down the absurd biases, that amazing women (especially in the Science world), have to face in their professional careers, we all have to do our part. Recognizing is a step, but there is a lot more work to do.
We are moving in that direction, are you?
