According to UNESCO statistics in 2020, only 30% of researchers in the world are women. Clearly, this is a field where female scientists often find it very difficult to assert themselves.
Female Scientists Who Changed the World
When we think of the greatest scientists of all time, names like Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, or Thomas Edison come to mind. These are scientists who made remarkable discoveries and changed the way we perceive the world.
According to UNESCO statistics in 2020, only 30% of researchers in the world are women. Clearly, in a field where men dominate, female scientists often struggle to assert themselves. Part of the reason is that they have too much to sacrifice.
Prejudice is also a major barrier. Throughout history, we have seen many female scientists overlooked, despite their significant achievements in science. It has only been recently that female scientists have begun to emerge from the shadows of history, proving their capabilities to the world.
1. Marie Curie (1867 – 1934)
Physicist, Chemist
. She is regarded as a pioneer in the study of radioactivity.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie was a Polish-born physicist and chemist who became a naturalized French citizen. She is considered a pioneer in the study of radioactivity, the technique for isolating radioactive isotopes, and the discovery of two elements, polonium and radium.
After acquiring French citizenship, Marie Skłodowska-Curie used both surnames, as she never forgot her Polish heritage. Marie also taught her daughters to speak Polish and took them to visit her homeland.
Her love for her homeland is further reflected in her naming the first chemical element she discovered, polonium, after Poland.
To this day, Marie is not only the first woman to receive a Nobel Prize but also the only woman to have been honored with two Nobel Prizes in different fields – Physics and Chemistry.
“I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done.”
2. Ada Lovelace (1815 – 1855)
Mathematician
She is regarded as the first programmer in history.
Ada Lovelace, or Countess Lovelace, is considered the first computer programmer in history due to her research in the field of computing, long before modern computers were invented.
Her notes on the analytical engine proposed by Charles Babbage, the father of computer technology, included what is considered the first programmable computer algorithm.
“Imagination is the science of exploration; it is superior. It has allowed us to penetrate the invisible worlds around us, the world of Science.”
3. Jane Goodall
Anthropologist
She has dedicated her life to fighting for a green and clean environment.
Dr. Jane Goodall (88 years old) is a British primatologist, ethologist, and anthropologist, as well as a United Nations peace ambassador who has dedicated her life to fighting for a green and clean environment.
In 1960, at just over 20 years old, she went to Kenya, Africa, to study the behavior and lives of chimpanzees. To date, she has spent over 40 years living and working in Africa, with her research being regarded as “having influenced the world in general and the animal kingdom in particular.”
Today, even at 81 years old and no longer working in the field, Jane continues her work by traveling 300 days a year to speak about raising awareness of the environment, nature, and animal species. Wherever she goes, she carries a stuffed monkey holding a banana to remind her of Jubilee – her close friend from the past.
“My mother used to tell me: ‘If you really want something, you have to try and work hard to achieve it. Take advantage of the opportunities you have and never give up.’ I have followed that without a moment’s hesitation.”
4. Tiera Guinn
Aerospace Engineer
Guinn is involved in NASA’s top project to build the world’s strongest rocket.
Tiera Guinn (22 years old), although still an undergraduate, has made notable contributions to rocket science. According to WBRC News, Guinn is involved in NASA’s top project to create one of the largest and most powerful rockets in the world.
Previously, Guinn emerged as an aerospace engineering student with a perfect GPA of 5.0, simultaneously serving as a structural analysis and design engineer for the rocket systems being built by Boeing for NASA.
“You have to aim for your dreams and not let anyone stop you,” Guinn said. “No matter how hard it gets, no matter how many tears you cry, you still have to keep trying. And you have to understand that nothing comes easy.”
5. Katalin Kariko
Biochemist
She is regarded as one of the inventors of mRNA technology.
Dr. Katalin Kariko (67 years old) is the daughter of a butcher from Kisújszállás, a town 150 km east of Budapest, Hungary. She once dreamed of becoming a scientist even though she had never met one.
Her passion for science led her to the University of Szeged, focusing on research related to messenger RNA (mRNA). When the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, this new technology proved its true value by laying the groundwork for two successful vaccines produced by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, thereby helping to save billions of lives worldwide during the global pandemic.
Kariko, along with her two collaborators, Drew Weissman and Pieter R. Cullis, received a 3 million USD breakthrough prize awarded by the VinFuture Foundation in January 2022 in Vietnam.
“One piece of advice for all the scientists out there is to never think you are working for some boss. Instead, think of yourself as working for the community. That way, you will never feel disappointed or regretful about what you have done.”
