Women in science that you didn't know and that have changed history
11-02-2020
The world is built by people who have dedicated their lives to research and have made great discoveries that allow us to live better now. Surely the names of Albert Einstein, Nikola Tesla and Stephen Hawkings will sound to you, but what if I tell you Grace Hopper, Chien-Shiung Wu and Dijanna Figueroa? You know who they are?
Little by little, society is changing and we are becoming aware of the importance of women in society, so much so that we now celebrate Women in Sciende Day! The great feminine minds cease to be relegated and we begin to give them their place in our history.
In 2017, Universities in the United States reported that the number of boys who were considering studying STEM careers (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) was three times greater than that of girls. Another study that caught our attention is that of Lin Bian, a psychologist at the University of Illinois, who says that girls from the age of six feel less intelligent than boys.
We were inspired by the project of Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya, "Beyond Curie" to tell the story of some extraordinary women in the world of science for then "give a little push" to the girls who begin their university studies or their professional lives. Sometimes, it just takes a role model, people like, us who will make us say "I can do it too!"
Lisa Ng (pioneer virologist)
During the SARS crisis of 2003, there was a lot at stake, especially in Asia. Dr. Ng's research group has been credited for developing reliable and sensitive diagnostic kits to detect Sars-CoV and Avian Influenza H5N1 viruses. Her research focuses on the preparation of infectious diseases through vaccines, diagnostic kits and therapeutic antibodies. Dr. Ng is the winner of the ASEAN Young Scientist and Technologist Award, and in 2008 she was the first scientist in Singapore and a woman to receive it.
Mae Jemison (the first black woman in space)
Mae Jemison was not only the first black woman to travel to space, but also an accomplished medical engineer and doctor. On September 12, 1992, she flew into space on the Shuttle Endeavor for the STS-47 mission. As a mission specialist, she was responsible for conducting scientific experiments that explored weightlessness, dizziness and bone cells while on the ferry. Despite NASA's rigid protocol, she would always begin each turn with a greeting that only a Trekkie could appreciate, "opening the frequencies" she would repeat during the 8-day mission. Because of her love for dancing, she took a poster of Alvin Ailey with her about the mission saying that "science and dance are expressions of the unlimited creativity that people have to share with each other." She left NASA in 1993 to start the Jemison Group that researches, markets and develops science and technology for daily life.
Françoise Barré-Sinoussi (the woman who discovered HIV)
Françoise Barré-Sinoussi is a French virologist and director of the Division of Regulation of Retroviral Infections of the Institut Pasteur in Paris, France. Francoise Barré-Sinoussi discovered the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in 1983. After receiving her doctorate in 1975, she focused on a particular group of viruses, the retroviruses. Retroviruses are viruses whose genomes consist of RNA and whose genes can be incorporated into the DNA of host cells. Her knowledge in the area led her to identify if HIV is the cause of AIDS. She won the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery. His work has been fundamental to radically improve the treatment of patients with AIDS.
Like these models above, here are many women who have dedicated their lives to science and have been able to do extraordinary things. Will you be the next one? Or maybe your sister or your friend ... We can all change the world, go ahead and do it!
Little by little, society is changing and we are becoming aware of the importance of women in society, so much so that we now celebrate Women in Sciende Day! The great feminine minds cease to be relegated and we begin to give them their place in our history.
In 2017, Universities in the United States reported that the number of boys who were considering studying STEM careers (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) was three times greater than that of girls. Another study that caught our attention is that of Lin Bian, a psychologist at the University of Illinois, who says that girls from the age of six feel less intelligent than boys.
We were inspired by the project of Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya, "Beyond Curie" to tell the story of some extraordinary women in the world of science for then "give a little push" to the girls who begin their university studies or their professional lives. Sometimes, it just takes a role model, people like, us who will make us say "I can do it too!"
Lisa Ng (pioneer virologist)
During the SARS crisis of 2003, there was a lot at stake, especially in Asia. Dr. Ng's research group has been credited for developing reliable and sensitive diagnostic kits to detect Sars-CoV and Avian Influenza H5N1 viruses. Her research focuses on the preparation of infectious diseases through vaccines, diagnostic kits and therapeutic antibodies. Dr. Ng is the winner of the ASEAN Young Scientist and Technologist Award, and in 2008 she was the first scientist in Singapore and a woman to receive it.
Mae Jemison (the first black woman in space)
Mae Jemison was not only the first black woman to travel to space, but also an accomplished medical engineer and doctor. On September 12, 1992, she flew into space on the Shuttle Endeavor for the STS-47 mission. As a mission specialist, she was responsible for conducting scientific experiments that explored weightlessness, dizziness and bone cells while on the ferry. Despite NASA's rigid protocol, she would always begin each turn with a greeting that only a Trekkie could appreciate, "opening the frequencies" she would repeat during the 8-day mission. Because of her love for dancing, she took a poster of Alvin Ailey with her about the mission saying that "science and dance are expressions of the unlimited creativity that people have to share with each other." She left NASA in 1993 to start the Jemison Group that researches, markets and develops science and technology for daily life.
Françoise Barré-Sinoussi (the woman who discovered HIV)
Françoise Barré-Sinoussi is a French virologist and director of the Division of Regulation of Retroviral Infections of the Institut Pasteur in Paris, France. Francoise Barré-Sinoussi discovered the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in 1983. After receiving her doctorate in 1975, she focused on a particular group of viruses, the retroviruses. Retroviruses are viruses whose genomes consist of RNA and whose genes can be incorporated into the DNA of host cells. Her knowledge in the area led her to identify if HIV is the cause of AIDS. She won the 2008 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery. His work has been fundamental to radically improve the treatment of patients with AIDS.
Like these models above, here are many women who have dedicated their lives to science and have been able to do extraordinary things. Will you be the next one? Or maybe your sister or your friend ... We can all change the world, go ahead and do it!
