There are so many women who have led groundbreaking discoveries in science, yet women in science are so rarely taught about in schools, not to mention the lack of mention of BIPOC women. Why are we taught about Copernicus and his work in astronomy while Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin is hardly mentioned?
From a young age, we’ve learnt the names Newton, Einstein, Darwin, Galilei and more, scientists that are widely known to have pioneered their respective fields in science. We’ve all probably heard of the story of Fleming discovering penicillin, or that of Edward Jenner discovering the vaccination for smallpox.
To say these scientists are phenomenal would be an understatement, but science has had a long history of sexism and prejudice (which still hasn't been completely removed today, unfortunately). Women who worked or aspired to work in science were looked down at, discouraged or in some cases flatly refused the opportunity to do so.
But we’ve come a long way. Decades and decades of history have seen incredible women refusing to take part in a society that operates on masculine superiority, fighting against an unjust restriction of opportunities for women. Despite living in a time where the idea of women pursuing science was laughed at, deemed futile or even impossible, these women made remarkable discoveries and invented the unimaginable, shaping science into what it is now. Every one of these empowered women disproved the societal belief that only men belonged in the science field, a process that was fueled by their resilience, their determination and ultimately, their love of science.
In this article, I wanted to share the stories of five inspiring women, among many, who never fail to amaze me. I hope the stories of their work and the incredible lives they led are celebrated and are never forgotten.
Tu Youyou
"Every scientist dreams of doing something that can help the world." - Tu Youyou
Tu Youyou is a Chinese scientist who saved millions of lives. After contracting tuberculosis at the age of 16, she realised that her lifelong desire was to cure others, pursuing the study of pharmacy at Peking University as a result.
Her work was very unique – she reviewed traditional Chinese medical texts and folk recipes to search for a cure to malaria. She successfully extracted a compound named artemisinin (Qinghaosu in Chinese) from sweet wormwood (a plant used in traditional Chinese medicine), which inhibits the malaria parasite. Before the use of artemisinin, chloroquine and quinolines proved effective when dealing with malaria until a drug-resistant form of the malaria parasite appeared. Thanks to Tu Youyou’s work, the mortality rate for malaria has halved over the past decade, with the WHO recognizing artemisinin-combination therapy as the most effective treatment of malaria.
Tu Youyou was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and her work has proved the massive potential of combining traditional Chinese medicine with Western medicine and modern scientific techniques. She also acts as the Chief Scientist of the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin
“Young people, especially young women, often ask me for advice. Here it is, valeat quantum. Do not undertake a scientific career in quest of fame or money. There are easier and better ways to reach them. Undertake it only if nothing else will satisfy you; for nothing else is probably what you will receive. Your reward will be the widening of the horizon as you climb. And if you achieve that reward you will ask no other.” - Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin
Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin was a remarkable physicist who studied stellar spectra.
At the time of her work, scientists believed that the composition of stars (such as our Sun) and that of the Earth’s were the same. However, Cecilia discovered that stars were made of mainly Hydrogen and Helium, unlike our Earth - a groundbreaking discovery in astronomy!
Cecilia made history in different ways – she became the first female professor and the first female department chair at Harvard.
I am so excited to start the book “What Stars are Made Of” which is a biography of this amazing scientist!
Lise Meitner
"Science makes people reach selflessly for truth and objectivity; it teaches people to accept reality, with wonder and admiration, not to mention the deep awe and joy that the natural order of things brings to the true scientist." - Lise Meitner
Lise Meitner was an Austrian physicist who discovered nuclear fission in February 1939. Despite this incredible achievement, her efforts were unfortunately downplayed by chemist Otto Hahn who was awarded the Nobel Prize for chemistry for research into fission instead. Before this, she had studied radioactivity with Otto Hahn, and they had discovered the element protactinium.
Lise Meitner was the first woman to become a physics professor in Germany. She was also an advocate for the peaceful use of atomic energy, refusing to work in the Manhattan Project.
If you’ve noticed in the periodic table, element 109 was named Meitnerium (Mt) in her honour!
Rosalind Franklin
"In my view, all that is necessary for faith is the belief that by doing our best we shall succeed in our aims: the improvement of mankind." - Rosalind Franklin
Rosalind Franklin realised she wanted to be a scientist at the age of 15. After studying Chemistry at Cambridge, she went on to learn and perfect her X-ray diffraction techniques in Paris. She was a highly self-motivated and intelligent scientist. Using her skills, she obtained high-resolution photos of DNA fibres (most notably her famous photo “Photo 51”), where she observed its helical structure and deduced its basic dimensions.
However, Maurice Wilkins presented Franklin’s data to James Watson and Francis Crick without her knowledge. Her photos were integral in helping them solve the structure of DNA, for which Watson, Crick and Wilkins were awarded a Nobel Prize.
Franklin loved being outdoors and indulged in discussions of science and politics.
Grace Hopper
“The only phrase I’ve ever disliked is, ‘Why, we’ve always done it that way.’ I always tell young people, ‘Go ahead and do it. You can always apologize later.'” - Grace Hopper
Grace Hopper was a phenomenal computer programmer and naval officer who helped develop multiple computer languages (such as COBOL). The way we use the word “bug” when talking about a computer-related problem stems from a funny story: while developing electromechanical computers (MARK I and MARK II), Hopper took apart a malfunctioning computer only to find a dead moth causing the problem, therefore calling computer problems “bugs”.
She received many honorary degrees, scholarships and awards, and was as brilliant an educator as she was a computer programmer.
I hope you enjoyed reading the stories of these fantastic women. As a girl aspiring to pursue an education and career in science, these women are my role models and I look up to them greatly!
I am so excited to be starting this series, Women Who Changed the World, and I will be writing more articles about more amazing women in the future! If you have any suggestions, please feel free to contact me via DM or email :))
Picture credits (in order):
Sources:
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