Since time immemorial, gender equality has been a challenge. But as days pass by, the parity is taken care of and more equality is achieved. The likes of Archimedes, Babbage, Einstein, Isaac Newton, and others gained popularity fast.
This is not to take anything from these great men. But, their female counterparts haven’t gotten enough recognition. Well, some people may argue it’s because of their gender. That is not true. Some great female scientists gave their all to Science. Here are some of the greatest female scientists in history.
-
Rosalind Franklin
She was an important figure in the understanding of the DNA’s makeup. She also studied RNA and virus molecular structures. Franklin went ahead to study coal and graphite’s structure.
The genius was born in 1920 and rested in 1958. The Briton died just 13years after she graduated from the University of Cambridge in 1945. During the short period, she was alive, Rosalind Franklin was an outstanding scientist.
That is why she won the Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize among other recognitions. The dedicated scientist was a daughter to Muriel and Ellis Franklin.
Students today study DNA and RNA in high school. Well, she discovered the DNA’s helical shape. That’s historic and one of the reasons she grew in popularity. Unfortunately, she never had the opportunity to be talked about more often like other great male scientists.
That is not to mean she isn’t known. It is important to acknowledge that she has her fair share of popularity. She was known too and is still talked about.
-
Marie Curie
Marie was a great physicist. The Polish cum French citizen was also a great chemist and a scientist pioneer. She was born in 1867 and died in 1934. She discovered radium and polonium.
Marie also had a life away from Science. She was married to Pierre Curie between 1895 and 1906. Perhaps that helps her find a balance between social life and work.
Thanks to her inventions and other contributions to making the world a better place, she won a Nobel prize in Physics, Chemistry, and other fields. She had two children and was a radioactivity pioneer.
Another of Marie’s contributions that made her famous is the help she offered in finding cancer treatment. Her discovery of radium has played an important role in the revolution of the oncology industry. This has given hope to the millions of people living with cancer in the world.
-
Lise Meitner
Nuclear fission and protactinium are popular subjects and studies today. Lise was a worker at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute. During her time working in the radioactive department, she discovered protactinium. That was decades back in 1917.
She was born in 1878 and lost her life in 1968 in Cambridge, UK. Lise is her pet name made from Elise, that was her official first name.
Lise is also an award-winning scientist. She has several awards including Enrico Fermi Award, Max Planck Medal, and Lieben Prize among others. The great female scientist went to the University of Vienna between 1901 and 1905. In her first year, she also went to Akademisches Gymnasium Wien.
Lise’s body is now resting at the St James’ Church, Bramley, Hampshire. She lived in Austria before 1949. After that year, she moved to Sweden and spent most of her life there before she died in the UK.
In 1955, she won the ForMemRS award and later another one called Wilhelm Exner Medal in 1960. Lise learned from the greats like Max Planck and went ahead to mentor others like Otto Hahn.
-
Sara Seager
Sara Seager is a great astronomer. She is one of the few great scientists still alive. She was born in 1971 and doubles up as a planetary scientist. The living legend is an MIT lecturer and has made several discoveries on extrasolar planets.
Sara was born in Toronto, Canada. She had been married to Michael Wevrick but they divorced before she got together with Charles Darrow in 2015. Apart from family affairs, she also had an outstanding career life.
Sera went to Harvard University and the University of Toronto. She is also an alumnus of Jarvis Collegiate Institute. The legend has won the MacArthur fellowship award among other recognitions.
Sara Seager is described by NASA as a revolutionary space mission contributor. Her discoveries have played an important role in the establishment of this field. She has known the world over and she continues to shine.
The longer she lives the more inventions she will bring about. Time will tell how much further she will take the field. Her ambitions and current achievements guarantee more inventions shortly.
Sara has also made several presentations explaining her discoveries. She also has written several books. My Royal Lover, A Pirates Revenge, A Pirate’s Jealousy, and Exoplanet Atmosphere among others are some of the most common books she has written.
In the books, she has captured her experiences, creativity, ambitions, and discoveries. The writings express a lot about exoplanets and may be one of the reasons she is a known figure in NASA space.
-
Virginia Apgar
The American physician is another great Scientist and was born in 1909. She died in 1974 but after inventing one of the most important tools used to fight child mortality.
Born children are highly exposed and can die at any time. That is why they have to be assessed to check if they are in the right state and action taken. The tool is referred to as the Apgar Score. It is a quick way to find out how close to mortality or morbidity a newly born child is.
The indicator helps nurses and doctors establish emergency cases and react with care. It was Virginia’s invention. She was an alumnus of Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. The winner of the Elizabeth Blackwell Medal has also written several books.
Is My Baby All Right? And A Guide to Birth Defects is some of her research works. She has been instrumental in the pediatric field with her innovations.