Enough with the Marie Curie already!
April 7, 2015 11:47 AM Subscribe
Today if you ask someone to name a woman scientist, the first and only name they'll offer is Marie Curie. When Silvia Tomášková, director of the Women in Science program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, brings up famous female scientists with her students—and this has been happening since she started teaching 20 years ago—she gets the same reaction: “Marie Curie.” Tomášková always tries to move them on. “Let's not even start there. Who else?”
Some historical female scientists of note: physicist, inventor and mathematician Hertha Ayrton is mentioned in the article, as are astronomer Vera Rubin, Manhattan project physicist Chien Shiung Wu, programmer Grace Hopper, and Hedy Lamarr, who was both a leading actress and a visionary inventor. Also mentioned are geologist Marie Tharp, anesthesiologist and neonatalogist Virginia Apgar, and seismologist and geologist Inge Lehmann.
Other trailblazing and influential female scientists in history include Mary Anning, who was an extremely influential palaeontologist, pharmacologist Frances Kelsey, who prevented the approval of thalidomide in the US, rocket scientist Mary Sherman Morgan, who invented the rocket fuel used in the first American space satellite, and many others. Readers may also be interested in Dorothy Hodgkin, who elucidated the structure of penicillin and of Vitamin B12, Alice Ball, who discovered a cure for leprosy, and Marie Maynard Daly, who did groundbreaking work on the biochemistry of cardiac function. And of course, there is shark biologist and behaviorist Eugenie Clark, profiled here previously.
Some historical female scientists of note: physicist, inventor and mathematician Hertha Ayrton is mentioned in the article, as are astronomer Vera Rubin, Manhattan project physicist Chien Shiung Wu, programmer Grace Hopper, and Hedy Lamarr, who was both a leading actress and a visionary inventor. Also mentioned are geologist Marie Tharp, anesthesiologist and neonatalogist Virginia Apgar, and seismologist and geologist Inge Lehmann.
Other trailblazing and influential female scientists in history include Mary Anning, who was an extremely influential palaeontologist, pharmacologist Frances Kelsey, who prevented the approval of thalidomide in the US, rocket scientist Mary Sherman Morgan, who invented the rocket fuel used in the first American space satellite, and many others. Readers may also be interested in Dorothy Hodgkin, who elucidated the structure of penicillin and of Vitamin B12, Alice Ball, who discovered a cure for leprosy, and Marie Maynard Daly, who did groundbreaking work on the biochemistry of cardiac function. And of course, there is shark biologist and behaviorist Eugenie Clark, profiled here previously.
Nonsense, I've only heard glowing praise about her. She's truly a bright light in the firmament of science, her radiance only slightly diminished with time. Such is her legacy that I'd say it'd take approximately 1600 years for her to glow even half as bright.
posted by leotrotsky at 12:02 PM on April 7, 2015 [17 favorites]
posted by leotrotsky at 12:02 PM on April 7, 2015 [17 favorites]
My first thought was of Rosalind Franklin. I am a bit ashamed to say I couldn't immediately come up with her name, but I did think of "The woman who got screwed out of credit for discovering DNA."
posted by Rock Steady at 12:10 PM on April 7, 2015 [25 favorites]
posted by Rock Steady at 12:10 PM on April 7, 2015 [25 favorites]
don't forget Ada Lovelace, patron saint of programming, writer of the first computer algorithm, who foretold a lot of the uses for programming, and wrote widely about the relationship between people and technology
or Sara Josephine Baker, patron saint of public health, who introduced handling practices that reduced infant mortality rates dramatically, brought about public efforts to educate lower class women about these safe practices, and caught Typhoid Mary a couple of times to boot
posted by runt at 12:12 PM on April 7, 2015 [7 favorites]
or Sara Josephine Baker, patron saint of public health, who introduced handling practices that reduced infant mortality rates dramatically, brought about public efforts to educate lower class women about these safe practices, and caught Typhoid Mary a couple of times to boot
posted by runt at 12:12 PM on April 7, 2015 [7 favorites]
Emmy Noether?
posted by sfts2 at 12:14 PM on April 7, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by sfts2 at 12:14 PM on April 7, 2015 [5 favorites]
Roxie Laybourne (working link to first image.) Invented the cloacascope. Pinpointed minute structural characteristics of charred bird feathers and identified bird species or family based on the feathers. She worked at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History for more than 50 years.
posted by cashman at 12:14 PM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by cashman at 12:14 PM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
Ugg... my pet peeve. Franklin did not discover DNA; she discovered the structure of DNA. DNA was discovered by Friedrich Miescher in 1869, but he didn't know what it did. It was the Avery-MacLeod-McCarty experiment in 1944 that proved DNA carried the genetic information (in bacteria at least... others would expand on that result).
posted by sbutler at 12:16 PM on April 7, 2015 [9 favorites]
posted by sbutler at 12:16 PM on April 7, 2015 [9 favorites]
Rock Steady: Actually, it turns out that Rosalind Franklin and Dorothy Hodgkins were collaborators! They worked on similar types of projects using the same (extremely finicky and difficult) technique.
posted by sciatrix at 12:16 PM on April 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by sciatrix at 12:16 PM on April 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
Don't forget Jocelyn Bell, who discovered the pulsar but saw her professor get the Nobel for it.
I used to be nice about this but it's become so irritating I've turned really mean.
How to instantly get your head torn off and your words shoved down your gullet by me: be a geology student who can name Alfred Wegener but not Lehmann and Tharp. Don't come to me yapping about the injustices Wegener faced, fart-for-brains.
I've talked about it before but I keep Mary Anning by my microscope. Partially for inspiration but partially to pounce all over geologists who don't recognize her. Like I said, I've turned mean.
And in my heart. I keep her in my heart always. Science crushes forever!
posted by barchan at 12:18 PM on April 7, 2015 [14 favorites]
I used to be nice about this but it's become so irritating I've turned really mean.
How to instantly get your head torn off and your words shoved down your gullet by me: be a geology student who can name Alfred Wegener but not Lehmann and Tharp. Don't come to me yapping about the injustices Wegener faced, fart-for-brains.
I've talked about it before but I keep Mary Anning by my microscope. Partially for inspiration but partially to pounce all over geologists who don't recognize her. Like I said, I've turned mean.
And in my heart. I keep her in my heart always. Science crushes forever!
posted by barchan at 12:18 PM on April 7, 2015 [14 favorites]
Barbara McClintock.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 12:21 PM on April 7, 2015 [6 favorites]
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 12:21 PM on April 7, 2015 [6 favorites]
My mom is a scientist. Just not a famous one.
posted by tempestuoso at 12:21 PM on April 7, 2015 [10 favorites]
posted by tempestuoso at 12:21 PM on April 7, 2015 [10 favorites]
Mary Anning was, true story, the first woman whose work came to mind when I was thinking about people to add. She was indeed SO FUCKING COOL. (Frances Kelsey was the only other one--the rest are women I went trawling for based on half-remembered ideas. Well, and Eugenie Clark because we had her obituary so very recently.)
My experience is that Rosalind Franklin and Ada Lovelace actually come up nearly as often as Marie Curie, which is why I deliberately didn't include them in my list. And Barbara McClintock is amazing--I always take care to bring her up when we talk about transposable elements in my class, because her work was and is really awesome.
God, I need to know more about historical women in science than I do. Barchan, you're totally right that not many people know about Anning even when they really should--she was right up there with Marsh and Cope in terms of influence. I'm frustrated that I can't think of more names in my field--well, Marlene Zuk, okay, Mary Jane West-Eberhard.... huh.
posted by sciatrix at 12:26 PM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
My experience is that Rosalind Franklin and Ada Lovelace actually come up nearly as often as Marie Curie, which is why I deliberately didn't include them in my list. And Barbara McClintock is amazing--I always take care to bring her up when we talk about transposable elements in my class, because her work was and is really awesome.
God, I need to know more about historical women in science than I do. Barchan, you're totally right that not many people know about Anning even when they really should--she was right up there with Marsh and Cope in terms of influence. I'm frustrated that I can't think of more names in my field--well, Marlene Zuk, okay, Mary Jane West-Eberhard.... huh.
posted by sciatrix at 12:26 PM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
Chocolate Pickle beat me to Barbara McClintock (darn you, CP) whose name I love to drop whenever anyone mentions "scientific consensus."
posted by jfuller at 12:26 PM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by jfuller at 12:26 PM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, astronomer who determined the composition of most stars in her Ph.D thesis.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 12:28 PM on April 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 12:28 PM on April 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
Lise Meitner, who missed out on the nobel prize for discovering nuclear fission, but was given an even higher honour - an element
posted by BigCalm at 12:30 PM on April 7, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by BigCalm at 12:30 PM on April 7, 2015 [5 favorites]
Annie Jump Cannon
Jane Goodall
Maria Mayer
Rachel Carson
Rita Levi-Montalcini
Gertrude Elion
posted by kyrademon at 12:31 PM on April 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
Jane Goodall
Maria Mayer
Rachel Carson
Rita Levi-Montalcini
Gertrude Elion
posted by kyrademon at 12:31 PM on April 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
Mae Jemison the dancing astronaut doctor will always be my favourite.
posted by poffin boffin at 12:34 PM on April 7, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 12:34 PM on April 7, 2015 [3 favorites]
I'm all for elevating more female scientists, but question whether we have to push down Marie Curie to make that happen because she still was empirically a badass.
Plus you didn't see the resulting freakout that happened when my Irish friend who worships Marie Curie saw that she wasn't included in Judy Chicago's Dinner Party installation and she ranted about that for a solid hour and a half and I DON'T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN AGAIN BECAUSE IT'S SCARY
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:40 PM on April 7, 2015 [7 favorites]
Plus you didn't see the resulting freakout that happened when my Irish friend who worships Marie Curie saw that she wasn't included in Judy Chicago's Dinner Party installation and she ranted about that for a solid hour and a half and I DON'T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN AGAIN BECAUSE IT'S SCARY
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:40 PM on April 7, 2015 [7 favorites]
Linguistics has a good number of significant women researchers... mostly off the top of my head: Suzette Haden Elgin, Marianne Mithun, Robin Lakoff, Penelope Brown, Theodora Bynon, Jean Atkinson, Marcia Ascher, Sandra Thompson, Sarah Thomason, Anna Wierzbicka, Martha Hardman, Deirdre Wilson, Eve Clark, Deborah Tannen, Barbara Partee, Judith Levi, Georgia Green, Ruth Kempson, Mary Haas, Ofelia Zepeda, Joan Bybee, Joan Bresnan, Eva Hajicova, Alexandra Aikhenvald, Laura Michaelis.
posted by zompist at 12:42 PM on April 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by zompist at 12:42 PM on April 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
Also Yvonne Brill. The public treatment of women in science is neatly summed up by her obituary in the New York Times in 2013: “She made a mean beef stroganoff, followed her husband from job to job and took eight years off from work to raise three children. “The world’s best mom,” her son Matthew said. But Yvonne Brill, who died on Wednesday at 88 in Princeton, N.J., was also a brilliant rocket scientist…”
posted by Killick at 12:44 PM on April 7, 2015 [8 favorites]
posted by Killick at 12:44 PM on April 7, 2015 [8 favorites]
The Astronomy Cast podcast did a whole series recently, with a different take on the someone-besides-Marie-Curie angle: MODERN women scientists.
Vera Rubin
Sandra Faber
Margaret Geller
Jocelyn Bell Burnell
Maria Zuber
Carolyn Porco
posted by intermod at 12:47 PM on April 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
Vera Rubin
Sandra Faber
Margaret Geller
Jocelyn Bell Burnell
Maria Zuber
Carolyn Porco
posted by intermod at 12:47 PM on April 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
Mae Jemison the dancing astronaut doctor will always be my favourite.
I'm going to see her speak at a conference in May :)
posted by intermod at 12:48 PM on April 7, 2015
I'm going to see her speak at a conference in May :)
posted by intermod at 12:48 PM on April 7, 2015
I way, way dig Marie Curie for being an inspiring genius and doing what she wanted, gendered nonsense be damned, but outside a very narrow band I'm not sure I'd ever be able to idolize her.
I think we benefit from being able to see our fore-bearers as complete people, not icons; I'm not posting to ruin the vibe in here.
posted by Poppa Bear at 12:52 PM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
I think we benefit from being able to see our fore-bearers as complete people, not icons; I'm not posting to ruin the vibe in here.
posted by Poppa Bear at 12:52 PM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
I have warm feelings towards Marie Curie because my last job was a Marie Curie post-doc and man, those pay well. I'll likely never earn money like that again. Sadly it was both time-limited and had practically no bench costs associated, so I just enjoyed it while I could. The money I saved allowed me to move countries for my second post-doc, and is currently paying for my husband to move to a third country with me to follow when I can (hopefully when I get an industry job in the appropriate place). So thanks MC. I wouldn't be surprised if the Marie Curie Fellowships have some influence over how well she is remembered, they're pretty widely known and desired.
But I also enjoyed the wired article and look forward to reading all the rest later this week.
posted by shelleycat at 12:53 PM on April 7, 2015
But I also enjoyed the wired article and look forward to reading all the rest later this week.
posted by shelleycat at 12:53 PM on April 7, 2015
My mom's tutor and graduate advisor was Dorothy Hodgkins.
For earth sciences, see Trowelblazers.
posted by Rumple at 12:54 PM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
For earth sciences, see Trowelblazers.
posted by Rumple at 12:54 PM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
I can't name very many female scientists, to be honest. Maybe 2-3, 5 on a good day. But I also can't name very many male ones, so I don't feel quite so bad. Wait, maybe I should.
posted by JanetLand at 12:58 PM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by JanetLand at 12:58 PM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
Ingrid Daubechies. Joan Birman. Karen Uhlenbeck. Dusa McDuff. Claire Voisin. To name some very senior and distinguished mathematicians off the top of my head.
posted by escabeche at 12:58 PM on April 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by escabeche at 12:58 PM on April 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
My vision has been getting worse, especially when I've been reading on my iPhone that I thought I read "Marie Clare" and went,"wut" and willed myself to read it again.
Jesus, discopolo's eyes, for the love of God, get it together.
posted by discopolo at 1:02 PM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
Jesus, discopolo's eyes, for the love of God, get it together.
posted by discopolo at 1:02 PM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
If I'm asked to name a woman scientist, and I don't immediately say my wife's name, I'm quite certain she'd make sure I never made *that* mistake again...
posted by notsnot at 1:05 PM on April 7, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by notsnot at 1:05 PM on April 7, 2015 [3 favorites]
I wonder how many people can name a male scientist other than Einstein?
posted by thelonius at 1:12 PM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by thelonius at 1:12 PM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
For fun I went to ranker and plugged in "famous female scientist." Mme Curie was number three. Hedy Lamarr number two. See if you can guess number one. (Hint - science is not what she is famous for. Hint two - she is not mentioned yet in these comments.)
(Number one for men is, predictably, Einstein.)
posted by BWA at 1:15 PM on April 7, 2015
(Number one for men is, predictably, Einstein.)
posted by BWA at 1:15 PM on April 7, 2015
Caroline Herschel: her brother may have discovered Uranus, but her support in building and maintaining their telescopes, not to mention the systemic observations and recording she undertook, as well as the indexing work and her own discoveries made her worthy of being rewarded the gold medal from the Royal Astronomical Society -- the next woman to receive that was Vera Rubin in 1996.
posted by MartinWisse at 1:19 PM on April 7, 2015
posted by MartinWisse at 1:19 PM on April 7, 2015
Lynn Margulis, symbiogenesis. Eva Jablonka, epigenetics. And Susan Oyama for the developmental systems theory, probably the most theoretically interesting general take on all things evolutionary and developmental. The jury's still out on it, but for me it makes more sense than the more genocentric theories. Which of course have way more empirical backing.
posted by Pyrogenesis at 1:40 PM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Pyrogenesis at 1:40 PM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
Dr. Susan Calvin?
Don't know why the first woman I thought of is fictional. But I've been listening to Asimov Audio, so...
posted by Smedleyman at 1:41 PM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
Don't know why the first woman I thought of is fictional. But I've been listening to Asimov Audio, so...
posted by Smedleyman at 1:41 PM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
I wonder how many people can name a male scientist other than Einstein?
Those people are not the audience of this article, nor is that kind of scientific literacy its point. It's about how women in STEM tend to have fewer role models because Curie takes up the #1 position; it's about how in sets of famous scientists Curie tends to be the only female one among groups of men; it's about how people studying to be scientists can name a whole slew of guys and very few women; and it's about how in publicizing scientists women don't get mentioned even though their research has changed their fields and our lives. It's about how when talking about scientists Curie's thrown in as the token female and then talk of other women cease. It's about how Curie is used as the sole representative although there are lots of other women scientists just as deserving.
But mainly, it's about what a piss poor job we do of giving women scientists more recognition and how young women interested in STEM need more role models and role models other than Curie in order to encourage them.
This is not about people's ability to name any of the scientists that might be present on the STEM poster in a classroom. It's about bringing women scientists other than Curie, and more of them, to that poster for recognition.
posted by barchan at 1:48 PM on April 7, 2015 [10 favorites]
Those people are not the audience of this article, nor is that kind of scientific literacy its point. It's about how women in STEM tend to have fewer role models because Curie takes up the #1 position; it's about how in sets of famous scientists Curie tends to be the only female one among groups of men; it's about how people studying to be scientists can name a whole slew of guys and very few women; and it's about how in publicizing scientists women don't get mentioned even though their research has changed their fields and our lives. It's about how when talking about scientists Curie's thrown in as the token female and then talk of other women cease. It's about how Curie is used as the sole representative although there are lots of other women scientists just as deserving.
But mainly, it's about what a piss poor job we do of giving women scientists more recognition and how young women interested in STEM need more role models and role models other than Curie in order to encourage them.
This is not about people's ability to name any of the scientists that might be present on the STEM poster in a classroom. It's about bringing women scientists other than Curie, and more of them, to that poster for recognition.
posted by barchan at 1:48 PM on April 7, 2015 [10 favorites]
I remember learning about Grace Hopper way back in 7th grade when we were supposed to research and write short essays featuring prominent women in various fields (music, arts, literature, etc.). Everyone whined about being tasked with finding a well-known female mathematician and begged to research another woman in a different category.
I decided to persevere and stick to the damned assigned topic, and thus, I got to learn all about how totally cool and amazing and totally wonderful one Rear Admiral Grace Hopper was. I mean, really. The best.
I still don't particularly like math, but high-five, Mrs. M., for helping me find a new wonderful historical figure to appreciate.
posted by PearlRose at 2:06 PM on April 7, 2015
I decided to persevere and stick to the damned assigned topic, and thus, I got to learn all about how totally cool and amazing and totally wonderful one Rear Admiral Grace Hopper was. I mean, really. The best.
I still don't particularly like math, but high-five, Mrs. M., for helping me find a new wonderful historical figure to appreciate.
posted by PearlRose at 2:06 PM on April 7, 2015
Even reading through the comments, most of the names don't even click with me. I have a lot of learning to do.
And I've bookmarked the thread, in case I find an excuse someday to have my students research scientists. I'll be able to have women well-represented.
posted by MsDaniB at 2:27 PM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
And I've bookmarked the thread, in case I find an excuse someday to have my students research scientists. I'll be able to have women well-represented.
posted by MsDaniB at 2:27 PM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
Marie Curie was the first historical female scientist that came to mind for me, though I am familiar with most of the woman discussed in the article and in this thread.
On a more contemporary note, I'm very happy to put my advisor, a committee member, an awesome scientist we collaborate with, another committee member, my undergraduate advisor, an undergraduate research supervisor, and countless other (female) scientists I've interacted with on my list of inspirational female scientists.
While there is still lots of progress to be made, I'm also very happy to report that my current graduate department has provided me with many excellent science (and life!) role models. Lots of strong female faculty members as well as encouraging male faculty members who do their part in making the world (or science) a better place by mentoring woman and minorities as well as by modeling an appropriate work/life balance. Hopefully this means the world is slowly becoming a better place! And that someday some of my fellow female graduate students will be as well known as Marie Curie for their work.
posted by lucy.jakobs at 2:27 PM on April 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
On a more contemporary note, I'm very happy to put my advisor, a committee member, an awesome scientist we collaborate with, another committee member, my undergraduate advisor, an undergraduate research supervisor, and countless other (female) scientists I've interacted with on my list of inspirational female scientists.
While there is still lots of progress to be made, I'm also very happy to report that my current graduate department has provided me with many excellent science (and life!) role models. Lots of strong female faculty members as well as encouraging male faculty members who do their part in making the world (or science) a better place by mentoring woman and minorities as well as by modeling an appropriate work/life balance. Hopefully this means the world is slowly becoming a better place! And that someday some of my fellow female graduate students will be as well known as Marie Curie for their work.
posted by lucy.jakobs at 2:27 PM on April 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
I've got several issues of Scientific American from the 1890s & early 1900s. While it's not actually that unusual for them to report on some scientific experiment / work being done by a woman, they are in every instance referred to simply as "Mrs. (husbands full name)".
posted by the bricabrac man at 2:28 PM on April 7, 2015
posted by the bricabrac man at 2:28 PM on April 7, 2015
First, since I don't think it's been linked yet: xkcd on Marie Curie as "the female scientist".
I'm all for elevating more female scientists, but question whether we have to push down Marie Curie to make that happen because she still was empirically a badass.
On a recent episode of In Our Time, Patricia Fara advanced the following argument (which I think there's some truth in): the problem with Marie Curie as a role model is that she's often presented as this obsessive singular genius who never saw her children, had very little life outside of her work, fainted from hunger because she worked incredibly long hours, and was isolated both from her colleagues and from other women. Presenting her as a role model perpetuates a notion that women have to be "eccentric and strange and abnormal" (Fara's words) to succeed in science.
Now, of course, the obsessive male genius is an accepted figure; it's perfectly acceptable in our society for men to pour themselves into their work and have nothing else outside of it. But these traits are not as accepted in women, and if we do want to increase representation of women in science (and particularly in physics, my field), we need to break down this notion that you have to be a singular genius to succeed, and show that "normal" people can be scientists too.
posted by Johnny Assay at 2:30 PM on April 7, 2015 [7 favorites]
I'm all for elevating more female scientists, but question whether we have to push down Marie Curie to make that happen because she still was empirically a badass.
On a recent episode of In Our Time, Patricia Fara advanced the following argument (which I think there's some truth in): the problem with Marie Curie as a role model is that she's often presented as this obsessive singular genius who never saw her children, had very little life outside of her work, fainted from hunger because she worked incredibly long hours, and was isolated both from her colleagues and from other women. Presenting her as a role model perpetuates a notion that women have to be "eccentric and strange and abnormal" (Fara's words) to succeed in science.
Now, of course, the obsessive male genius is an accepted figure; it's perfectly acceptable in our society for men to pour themselves into their work and have nothing else outside of it. But these traits are not as accepted in women, and if we do want to increase representation of women in science (and particularly in physics, my field), we need to break down this notion that you have to be a singular genius to succeed, and show that "normal" people can be scientists too.
posted by Johnny Assay at 2:30 PM on April 7, 2015 [7 favorites]
countless other (female) scientists I've interacted with
show that "normal" people can be scientists too
That hits my secret feeling that when I'm talking to young women about science that the best role model I can bring into a classroom is myself and my colleagues. I'm a totally flawed human being who is far, far from "figuring it all out" and constantly struggles with, well, everything. I'm not a "great" scientist, either; I'm definitely not any kind of Field Changer, let alone a genius. But I do good work and I do contribute to my field; my theories may be crap sometimes but I provide good data. To me that's what matters, not being some kind of Woman Scientist Superhero, and I strongly feel young women need to see that. If I make one girl think, "Wow, if she can do it, then I definitely can," that's awesome.
We need our Scientist Superheroes to help us aspire, and for dreaming and inspiration; we need the normal, flawed scientist for relatabilty, to make us feel "Yes, I can do this too!" Both are important.
posted by barchan at 3:04 PM on April 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
show that "normal" people can be scientists too
That hits my secret feeling that when I'm talking to young women about science that the best role model I can bring into a classroom is myself and my colleagues. I'm a totally flawed human being who is far, far from "figuring it all out" and constantly struggles with, well, everything. I'm not a "great" scientist, either; I'm definitely not any kind of Field Changer, let alone a genius. But I do good work and I do contribute to my field; my theories may be crap sometimes but I provide good data. To me that's what matters, not being some kind of Woman Scientist Superhero, and I strongly feel young women need to see that. If I make one girl think, "Wow, if she can do it, then I definitely can," that's awesome.
We need our Scientist Superheroes to help us aspire, and for dreaming and inspiration; we need the normal, flawed scientist for relatabilty, to make us feel "Yes, I can do this too!" Both are important.
posted by barchan at 3:04 PM on April 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
Emmy Noether was recently featured in a Google Doodle!
posted by Diagonalize at 3:28 PM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Diagonalize at 3:28 PM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
For fun I went to ranker and plugged in "famous female scientist." Mme Curie was number three. Hedy Lamarr number two. See if you can guess number one.
My guess, without clicking the link first, is going to be Margaret Thatcher (who was a research chemist).
posted by Pseudonymous Cognomen at 3:29 PM on April 7, 2015
My guess, without clicking the link first, is going to be Margaret Thatcher (who was a research chemist).
posted by Pseudonymous Cognomen at 3:29 PM on April 7, 2015
Mary Anning is awesome.
posted by brundlefly at 3:44 PM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by brundlefly at 3:44 PM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
Chancellor Merkel! Although her political career has a bit overshadowed her work in the lab.
posted by sbutler at 3:50 PM on April 7, 2015
posted by sbutler at 3:50 PM on April 7, 2015
No Joliot-Curies?
posted by atoxyl at 4:04 PM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by atoxyl at 4:04 PM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
I'm not sure she counts as a scientist, but I've always had a thing for Aletta Jacobs, the first woman in the Netherlands to complete a university course and to become a physician. She did such great things for women, for example with regards to contraception and the right to vote.
posted by Too-Ticky at 4:12 PM on April 7, 2015
posted by Too-Ticky at 4:12 PM on April 7, 2015
Came in here to mention Emmy Noether, and whine about how the Google Doodle had the weirdest distribution ever. She's already been mentioned twice, as has the doodle..
but that map? What? Can someone explain to me why Chile, but not Argentina? Why Peru, but not Brazil? Why Sweden and Finland, but not Norway or Denmark? Why South Africa but not Lesotho, Japan and South Korea but not China, Nigeria and Ghana but not Cote d'Ivoire, Spain and Portugal but not France?
Seriously, WTF? (Noether's theorem, one of her main results, is about how translational invariance results in momentum conservation, so I found it pretty funny that evidently the presence or absence of this google doodle has no such invariance whatsoever..)
(and separately, also came to mention that one of the things I really like about the MC fellowships is that they're not gendered. Too many times the prestigious thing named after the female scientist is only available for women (and thus perceived as less prestigious, sigh), but the MC isn't. Also I like that I get one, woo. Even if I still hate Gantt charts, grr).
posted by nat at 4:13 PM on April 7, 2015
but that map? What? Can someone explain to me why Chile, but not Argentina? Why Peru, but not Brazil? Why Sweden and Finland, but not Norway or Denmark? Why South Africa but not Lesotho, Japan and South Korea but not China, Nigeria and Ghana but not Cote d'Ivoire, Spain and Portugal but not France?
Seriously, WTF? (Noether's theorem, one of her main results, is about how translational invariance results in momentum conservation, so I found it pretty funny that evidently the presence or absence of this google doodle has no such invariance whatsoever..)
(and separately, also came to mention that one of the things I really like about the MC fellowships is that they're not gendered. Too many times the prestigious thing named after the female scientist is only available for women (and thus perceived as less prestigious, sigh), but the MC isn't. Also I like that I get one, woo. Even if I still hate Gantt charts, grr).
posted by nat at 4:13 PM on April 7, 2015
Maria Goeppert-Mayer was the second woman in history to win a Nobel Prize and the first woman to win it for physics. She's profiled in the book "Einstein's Wife and Other Women of Genius" with four other women and how gender affected their careers.
Dr. Patricia Bath invented a laser device used in cataract surgery to restore vision, and developed community programs to provide eye care so vision problems can be treated early.
I recently found out about Stephanie Kwolek who discovered the fibers used to make Kevlar.
posted by hoppytoad at 5:47 PM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
Dr. Patricia Bath invented a laser device used in cataract surgery to restore vision, and developed community programs to provide eye care so vision problems can be treated early.
I recently found out about Stephanie Kwolek who discovered the fibers used to make Kevlar.
posted by hoppytoad at 5:47 PM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
Julia Robinson played a crucial role in the solution of Hilbert's 10th problem and in 1975 was the first woman mathematician elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences.
She ultimately became a professor at UC Berkeley, but a memoir I read years ago claimed that UCB was so reluctant and recalcitrant about hiring a woman as a mathematician at the time of her initial appointment as some kind of researcher that she was required to submit weekly 'progress reports' to justify continuing her position. As I recall, these were appropriately ironic and very laconic -- such as 'worked on the problem' and 'kept working on the problem.'
posted by jamjam at 5:54 PM on April 7, 2015
She ultimately became a professor at UC Berkeley, but a memoir I read years ago claimed that UCB was so reluctant and recalcitrant about hiring a woman as a mathematician at the time of her initial appointment as some kind of researcher that she was required to submit weekly 'progress reports' to justify continuing her position. As I recall, these were appropriately ironic and very laconic -- such as 'worked on the problem' and 'kept working on the problem.'
posted by jamjam at 5:54 PM on April 7, 2015
Hildegard von Bingen echoes in my mind from school but for some undoubtedly patriarchal reason I tend to only consider physicists as actual scientists and Marie Curie and Sally Ride are the only ladies on this list that I could identify. The "social sciences" are well represented by women at least since the 19th century and perhaps that is largely why I, as a white male, do not tend to think of them when I think of "scientists". Thanks to this thread for expanding my point of view.
posted by headless at 6:40 PM on April 7, 2015
posted by headless at 6:40 PM on April 7, 2015
for me, personally, it probably has a lot to do with this picture.
posted by headless at 6:52 PM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by headless at 6:52 PM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
Ah, one of those moments where I remind myself that I'm in a weird bubble because my wife and sister-in-law are both in the science side of academia.
(For an interesting case study on bias in science history: Lovelace as visionary; Lovelace as over-rated stenographer.)
posted by klangklangston at 7:31 PM on April 7, 2015
(For an interesting case study on bias in science history: Lovelace as visionary; Lovelace as over-rated stenographer.)
posted by klangklangston at 7:31 PM on April 7, 2015
Lovelace as comic book hero (out April 21; yes I preordered)
posted by oneswellfoop at 8:15 PM on April 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by oneswellfoop at 8:15 PM on April 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
Mary Leakey, and since Kyrademon mentioned Jane Goodall I must add the other two Leakey's Angels - Dian Fossey and Birutė Galdikas.
Florence Nightingale's use of statistics and data visualisation was a very significant step forward for social sciences and medical research. She also had a small owl that would travel in her pocket and often leap out to attack people - not relevant but always worth mentioning.
Hypatia might be an awkward role model.
posted by BinaryApe at 11:52 PM on April 7, 2015 [3 favorites]
Florence Nightingale's use of statistics and data visualisation was a very significant step forward for social sciences and medical research. She also had a small owl that would travel in her pocket and often leap out to attack people - not relevant but always worth mentioning.
Hypatia might be an awkward role model.
posted by BinaryApe at 11:52 PM on April 7, 2015 [3 favorites]
Jim Al-Khalili's Radio 4 programme The Life Scientific (interviews with living scientists about their working lives) is about 50/50 men and women, many of them very eminent but not well-known outside their fields.
posted by nja at 4:16 AM on April 8, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by nja at 4:16 AM on April 8, 2015 [1 favorite]
Naomi Weisstein, a prolific vision scientist and feminist, recently died. I've only just read about her, but she seemed pretty awesome.
posted by nicodine at 8:18 AM on April 8, 2015
posted by nicodine at 8:18 AM on April 8, 2015
Mary Somervile, educator and theorist, who mentored Ada Lovelace, and for whom Somervile College is named.
posted by glasseyes at 8:19 AM on April 8, 2015
posted by glasseyes at 8:19 AM on April 8, 2015
I'm going to see her speak at a conference in May :)
omg please give her a crayon drawing of a heart-shaped rocket blasting off into space and tell her it is from meee
posted by poffin boffin at 8:50 AM on April 8, 2015
omg please give her a crayon drawing of a heart-shaped rocket blasting off into space and tell her it is from meee
posted by poffin boffin at 8:50 AM on April 8, 2015
Came here to mention Lise Meitner and Irene Joliot-Curie. Who I can think of immediately. But then I stopped to think of the male physicists I can name. Einstein, Shroedinger, Fermi, Szilard, Heisenberg, Newton, etc. I can name three women vs. a very large number of men. (And I forgot about Noether, to my shame, as I can name an equal number of male mathematicians.) Even for someone who considers himself an educated layman, male scientists spring mainly to mind when I try to name famous ones. In part this is history, with women being denied space in the laboratory and academia in general, but it is also a failure for these women's contributions to be acknowledged.
posted by Hactar at 11:05 AM on April 8, 2015
posted by Hactar at 11:05 AM on April 8, 2015
That Chip Clark photo of Roxie Laybourne linked by cashman is really something. Years ago when I wrote an article about Laybourne she walked me down that hall, pausing now and then to pull out one of those drawers and show off various birds. "I suppose you want to see the whooping cranes," she said at one point.
I took a good portrait of her, I thought, during our visit, and hoped it might accompany the article, but there’s no denying the spectacular impact of Clark's photo (which the magazine used instead).
p.s. See if you can guess number one... I thought Jane Goodall. (Off by only 17 spots.)
posted by LeLiLo at 11:29 AM on April 8, 2015 [2 favorites]
I took a good portrait of her, I thought, during our visit, and hoped it might accompany the article, but there’s no denying the spectacular impact of Clark's photo (which the magazine used instead).
p.s. See if you can guess number one... I thought Jane Goodall. (Off by only 17 spots.)
posted by LeLiLo at 11:29 AM on April 8, 2015 [2 favorites]
Here is an online exhibit on early women in science.
posted by gudrun at 6:47 PM on April 8, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by gudrun at 6:47 PM on April 8, 2015 [1 favorite]
Emilie du Chatelet, close friend of Voltaire, who came up with, the equation for kinetic energy, E=1/2*mv**2 and translated, with commentary, Newton's Principia Mathematica into French.
posted by storybored at 6:26 PM on April 11, 2015
posted by storybored at 6:26 PM on April 11, 2015
A little late for his thread, but at least two exceptional women doctors are celebrated this month for their contribution to the diagnosis and treatment of lymphoma.
posted by 1head2arms2legs at 3:07 AM on April 20, 2015
posted by 1head2arms2legs at 3:07 AM on April 20, 2015
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posted by shelleycat at 11:54 AM on April 7, 2015 [1 favorite]