Women in Science by Diane Burton

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.


  

Girls Can Do Anything by Diane Burton

Did you know that three out of four science divisions at NASA are headed by women? For the first time in NASA’s history! Is this amazing or what? Earth Science division, Heliophysics division, and Planetary Science division have female directors. Wonderful role models for today’s girls and young women. Here’s a link to learn more about these women:

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/meet-the-women-in-charge-of-nasa-s-science-divisions

Two years ago, my local book group chose to read Hidden Figures, the book on which the movie of the same name was based. I found the book boring. Too many dry facts. The movie, on the other hand, held my interest from the beginning to the end. Whether you preferred the book or the movie, the representation of the women who helped put Americans in space is a fantastic story. All through the movie, I kept wondering why we hadn't heard of these women before.

My granddaughter loves to dance. In many ways, she’s a girly-girl. Yet, through Girl Scouts, she’s encouraged to explore STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) disciplines. And because I want her to she has many options, I’ve gotten her LEGO sets featuring females, like Women of NASA . . . along with ballerina ornaments at Christmas. Whether she chooses to become a dancer or an engineer, she knows she has options.

When I was in high school, a girl was supposed to get married and have children. As a just-in-case she didn’t find a husband to support her, a girl could be a teacher, a nurse, a secretary, and a telephone operator. Limited options. I emphasized to my daughter and the girls in our Girl Scout troop, that girls can do anything. They aren’t limited by what society deemed “women’s roles.”

Now, we’re reading and hearing about women who broke through barriers and made their mark on history. What will happen now that today’s girls have leaders to look up to and follow? Maybe they’ll figure out how to put a woman on the moon. Or Mars. 

To paraphrase Buzz Lightyear, girls can go “to infinity and beyond.”