Yesterday on Facebook, I read two posts on Women in Science that we should know, one from CNN and the other from A Mighty Girl. Of the 20 women listed, I knew 4 (indicated with asterisks). That is pathetic.
How many do you know?
Mary Anning (1799-1847) discovered the first known ichthyosaur fossil.
Alice Ball (1892-1916) discovered a treatment for leprosy.
Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958) first to demonstrate the basic DNA strands.
Dorothy Hodgkin (1910-1994) determined the structure of biochemical
structures.
Grace Hopper (1906-1992) developed multiple computer languages.
Barbara McClintock (1902-1992) botanist.
Lise Meitner (1878-1968) responsible for advancements in nuclear physics.
* Sally Ride (1951-2012) astronaut.
Tu YouYou (1930- ) treatment for malaria
Maria Winkelman (1670-1720) discovered a comet
Chien-Shiung Wu (1912-1997) physicist
* Maria Sklodowska Curie (1867-1934) discovered radioactivity
Henrietta Leavitt (1868-1921) astronomer
Gerty Cori (1896-1957) chemist
Helen Taussig (1898-1986) founded field of pediatric cardiology
* Rachel Carson (1907-1964) launched environmental movement
Rita Levi-Montalcini (1909-2012) discovered nerve growth factor
Gertrude B. Elion (1919-1999) invented treatment for leukemia
Maria Tharp (1920-2006) created 1st scientific maps of ocean floor
* Jane Goodall (1934- ) world's foremost expert on chimpanzees.
When I read their mini-bios, I was appalled by those whose male partners and even some husbands who took credit for the women's research and either claimed it as their own or gave a mere footnote about their help when the women made the discoveries. After watching the movie Hidden Figures about the contributions women made to NASA, so I guess I should've known better.
I didn't intend that this post be a rant on men who cheated women. But that struck me, when I should have been learning more about women who excelled in the sciences. As you can see from the list, these women are not recent. Most are older than me, older than my mother. Most were my grandmother's contemporaries. Astronaut Sally Ride is the only one on the lists who was younger than me.
When I was in school, girls were expected to be homemakers. Until they were married they were nurses, teachers, secretaries, or telephone operators. Girls didn't go into sciences. Yet, not only did the women in the two articles go against the norm, they excelled. Did we ever read about them in school? Were they ever held up as role models?
Today, we read about the many STEM programs. I am so proud that Girl Scouts of the USA offers many STEM opportunities to encourage girls to explore the sciences, to discover and stimulate their love of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.
If you want to encourage youngsters in fun STEM projects, check out the games on Amazon. I love the LEGOS Women of NASA Space Heroes.
Along with the mini-bios in the A Mighty Girl article, books about these fantastic women are listed. Great gifts.
Not all girls want to be scientists, engineers, etc. They want to dance ballet, sing, write, paint, or play sports. That's okay, too. We need to give them as many opportunities as we can to help them explore and not limit them.
