Legendary women from field of science

Eleventh day of February witness the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, by the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on 22 December 2015. The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is implemented by UNESCO and UN Women, in collaboration with intergovernmental agencies and institutions, as well as civil society partners. The aim of the day is to promote women and girls in science and recognize the crucial and vital role women and girls play in science and technology. Also, the day resonates on the promotion of equal access for participation in science for women and girls.

The exponential increase in the undergraduate degrees of women over the past two decades was appreciated but it still was not able to harness the efficiency and productivity of women in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Women were holding only half the degrees as compared to men in STEM. This was alarming. Women being the equal participant of the world affairs was lacking behind. At present, less than 30 per cent of researchers worldwide are women. According to UNESCO data (2014 – 2016), only around 30 per cent of all female students select STEM-related fields in higher education. Globally, female students’ enrolment is particularly low in ICT (3 per cent), natural science, mathematics and statistics (5 per cent) and in engineering, manufacturing and construction (8 per cent). Hence, it caught the attention of the world and an international day was designated for the purpose of bringing women up to their designated deserving place. This was also included in the 2030 agenda for Sustainable development.

The hindrance in women progress might be due to long standing biases and gender stereotypes or various social or economic reasons. But today on 11th of February let us grab a cup of coffee (if chai, then heaven) and have a look to some of the contributions of women and girls in science.

MARIE CURIE

  • Marie Sklodowska Curie (1867–1934) was the first person ever to receive two Nobel Prizes.
  • The first in 1903 in physics for the discovery of the phenomenon of radioactivity
  • The second in 1911 in chemistry for the discovery of the radioactive elements polonium and radium.
  • She is the only woman to win to win the award in two different fields.

ALICE BALL

  • American chemist Alice Ball was the first woman and first African American to receive a master’s from the University of Hawaii and went on to become the university’s first female chemistry professor.
  • Ball developed a groundbreaking treatment for leprosy — a disease which previously had little chance of recovery and forced victims into exile.
  • Prior to Ball’s research on leprosy, the best treatment available was chaulmoogra oil, which was difficult for patients to ingest or apply topically and too thick to inject. Ball developed an easily injectable form of the oil that ultimately saved countless lives and became the best treatment for leprosy until the 1940s.

ROSALIND FRANKLIN

  • British chemist and DNA researcher Rosalind Franklin was the first to demonstrate the basic dimensions of DNA strands and reveal the molecule was in two matching parts, running in opposite directions.
  • Her data was used by James Watson and Francis Crick to get their research on the DNA model across the finish line, and was published separately as supporting data alongside Watson, Crick and Maurice Wilkins’ research articles in Nature.

TESSY THOMAS

  • Known as the ‘Missile Woman’ of India is the Director General of Aeronautical Systems.
  • She was the former Project Director for Agni-IV missile in Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO).
  • She is the first woman scientist to head a missile project in India.
  • She has contributed in guidance, trajectory simulation and mission design at the DRDO. She designed the guidance scheme for long-range missile systems, which is used in all Agni missiles.

RITU KARIDHAL

  • Dubbed as the ‘Rocket Woman of India’ Ritu joined ISRO in 2007 and was also the Deputy Operations Director to India’s Mars Orbiter mission, Mangalyaan.
  • As Mission Director of the Chandrayaan-2 mission, Ritu Karidhal was feted for role in helming one of India’s most ambitious lunar projects.
  • She was responsible for detailing and the execution of the craft’s onward autonomy system, which independently operated the satellite’s functions in space and responded appropriately to malfunctions.
  • In 2007, she also received the ISRO Young Scientist Award from APJ Abdul Kalam, then President of India.

MANGALA MANI

  • Also known as the ‘polar woman of ISRO.
  • Mangala Mani is ISRO’s first woman scientist to spend more than a year in the icy landscape of Antarctica.
  • In November 2016, she was part of the 23-member team that went on an expedition to Bharati, India’s research station in Antarctica.
  • She spent 403 days at the southernmost continent operating and maintaining ISRO’s ground station.

The contribution of women in the field of science cannot be made limited to just these faces. There are several other countless works of women that had went unnoticed or unrecognized from the eye of the world. Yet from the very limited ashes the world gave to women, they have been making it possible to convert theses ashes into the stardust with par elegance. To every beautiful women out here reading this, I wish to say, the world might have stayed rough on you in the past, But if you are reading this, the world needs your help. Take this as an appeal but take this as a humble request, to come forward and be the light which will outshine all the darkness the world has and will see in the future. On this day of International Day of Women and Girls in Science, I invite you to come forward and be the momentum which will lead the world.


Report by Sumit Yadav

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