This women’s day, Sciency Soup pays tribute to ten incredible women scientists who broke the societal norms and whose pioneering contributions changed the world we live in. Let’s celebrate this international women’s day by saluting these incredible women of substance. Let their stories inspire us.
There was a time when women were denied of any formal education. Even those who were privileged to have some sort of education, were subsequently denied of employment. The field of Science, which exists for the betterment of human life, was not untouched by these double standards. Cultural norms across the world excluded women from scientific communities. Thankfully, the world is changing, and it’s changing for the good. The contributions of women in different spheres of life is getting recognized and appreciated. However, this is not 100% true consistently. Women in science continue to face biasedness (conscious or unconscious) and negative stereotypes. We have a long way to go.
“If you know you are on the right track, if you have this inner knowledge, then nobody can turn you off… no matter what they say.”
Barbara McClintock,
Cytogeneticist and Winner of the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Here are ten inspirational stories of some of the most incredible women scientists from across the world.
Lady Ada Lovelace– The First Computer Programmer
Augusta Ada King-Noel, Countess of Lovelace, an English mathematician and writer, wrote a stepwise sequence of logical mathematical operations for the Analytical Engine, a calculating machine (considered to be the world’s first computer that was never fully built; its inventor Charles Babbage worked on it until he died in 1871). Ada was, therefore, the first-ever computer programmer.
Anandibai Gopalrao Joshi– The First Indian Female Doctor
Born in a Maharashtrian family facing financial hardships, Anandibai was married off, when she was just nine years old, to Gopalrao Joshi, a widower twenty years elder to her. During the times when being educated was not a norm for Indian women, Gopalrao encouraged and supported Anandibai for education. When Anandibai was only 14, she gave birth to a child that died after 10 days in need of adequate medical facilities. This tragic incident in her life pushed her to pursue medicine. Overlooking the huge criticism for going against the societal norms, Anandibai became the first Indian woman to complete her studies in western medicine from the US. Unfortunately, Anandibai died of tuberculosis at the age of 22. Although she could not practise medicine herself, she paved the path for generations of Indian women to pursue medicine as a career.
Marie Curie– Discoverer of Radium and Polonium
Marie Curie (born Maria Salomea Skłodowska) was a Polish-born French Physicist, who discovered Radium and Polonium and bagged two Nobel Prizes. In 1903, she shared the Nobel Prize for Physics with Henri Becquerel and Pierre Curie (Marie’s husband). She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. In 1911, she won another Nobel Prize for Chemistry. With this she became the only woman to win the Nobel Prize in two different areas.
Alice Augusta Ball– Developed the first effective treatment for leprosy
Alice Augusta Ball was the first woman and the first African- American to receive a master’s degree from the University of Hawaii. While at the University, she studied the chemistry of chaulmoogra oil derived from the seeds of a tropical evergreen tree. The oil was being used at that time for the treatment of leprosy, and was applied either topically or intravenously. Both the methods of treatment used to have inconsistent effects on the patients, and harsh side effects, such as nausea and skin abscesses. Alice discovered a way to derive a water-soluble injectable extract from the oil. This discovery proved revolutionary in the treatment of leprosy. The injectable oil extract kept the disease safely under control without any severe side-effects, and became the go-to leprosy treatment until new drugs were discovered in 1940s.
Rachel Carson– Writer, Marine Biologist and Environmentalist
An American marine biologist, environmental conservationist, and one of the finest nature writers of the twentieth century. Remembered most profoundly for her book ‘Silent Spring’ that initiated a contemporary environmental movement leading to the creation of the US Environmental Protection Agency. The book essentially warned the public and the policy makers about the dangers from the misuse of chemical pesticides.
Barbara McClintock– An American cytogeneticist
In 1930s, McClintock studied how different colours of corn kernels are passed down through generations. During this study, she found that certain genes changed position on the chromosomes causing the neighbouring genes to become active or inactive. This discovery of the ‘jumping genes’ was way ahead of its time and was completely ignored by the contemporary scientists, until many years later when McClintock’s ideas began to change the way scientists thought about genetic patterns of inheritance. The discovery proved revolutionary in the field of cytogenetics for which she later received the 1983 Nobel Prize in physiology.
Kamala Sohonie– The First Indian woman to receive a PhD in Biochemistry
After a B.Sc. in Physics and Chemistry from Mumbai, young Kamala applied to do a master’s at the Tata Institute of Sciences in Bangalore (now IISc). She wanted to study chemistry from the institute, just like her father and uncle who were both renowned chemists of those times. Much to her surprise her application was rejected by Prof. C.V. Raman (the then Director of the institute). The rejection was not an academic-basis as it should have been; Kamala was a college topper. It was due to the gender bias that was much prevalent at that time, especially in the field of science. Prof. Raman thought that women could not scientific research. This was disgraceful and unacceptable. Kamala did Satyagraha in Raman’s office until she was admitted at the institute. After her M.Sc., Kamala Sohonie went on to do a PhD in Biochemistry from the prestigious Cambridge University, and then there was no looking back.
Sally Ride– The first American woman to travel to space traveller
In 1983, Sally Ride became the first American woman in space. She went to space on the STS-7 space shuttle mission of NASA. At that time, she was the youngest American astronaut to have travelled to space at the age of 32. In 1987, Sally left NASA to be a science educator at the University of California. She was also a science communicator. She had this zeal to encourage the kids, especially girls, to study science and maths. In 1995, in collaboration with NASA, she initiated the EarthKAM project (earlier called ‘KidSat’; now renamed as ‘Sally Ride EarthKAM Project)- an educational platform for middle school kids where they can request satellite images of specific locations on Earth taken from the International Space Station. Using the tool kids can learn about Earth from an astronaut’s perspective. Ride also started ‘Sally Ride Science’- a non-profit organization that encourages education and career in science.
Rosalind Franklin – A British Chemist
A British chemist who pioneered the use of X-ray diffraction in studying the molecular structure of DNA. Her X-ray diffraction image of DNA established for the very first time that DNA exists in a helical conformation. This discovery was critical to the discovery of the double-helical structure of DNA by Watson and Crick for which the latter won the Nobel Prize in 1962, after Franklin died of cancer at the age of 37. In her short lifespan, she extended her ground-breaking X-ray diffraction technique to study the molecular structures of not just DNA, but also RNA, viruses, coal, and graphite.
Kalpana Chawla – An Indian-born American Astronaut
Kalpana Chawla was the first woman of Indian origin to go to space. Born in Karnal, India, Chawla was fascinated about flying and star-gazing. A bachelor’s degree in aeronautical engineering from Punjab Engineering College (1982), followed by a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas (1984), gave her the wings to fly. Alongside her studies, she learned flying airplanes. She earned a commercial pilot’s license as well as a flight instructor’s license which was like a childhood dream-come-true for her. In her engineering endeavours, she went on to receive a PhD in aerospace engineering from the University of Colorado (1988). Thereafter she joined NASA as a researcher. She was selected for astronaut training in 1994 and was sent for her first mission on space in 1997. The mission was extremely successful and with this Chawla became the first woman of Indian origin to fly to space. Again in 2003, she was sent on another space mission, the mission that ended abruptly due to the unfortunate crash that killed all crew members, including Kalpana, minutes before landing.
Let these stories inspire us. Happy Women’s Day.
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