Women in Science

Let's talk about female geniuses in the world of science in celebration of International Women's Day. There are a lot of female geniuses in this field, of course; below are just some of the ones I like. There tons of female geniuses in different fields, actually, some are just dumbing themselves down to make the guys feel comfortable. I'm kidding. Well, I still think that's far better than suffering from Dunning-Kruger effect. 

Anybody has the capability to be a genius. If the Romans are to be believed, genius is sort of an inner spirit that guides each person to her potential. It is not just a trait. It's never too late, ladies! Think about that as you go through the roster below. I sure will.

Fe Del Mundo

Fe Del Mundo is credited for being the inventor of the incubator. That's just one of her many achievements. She is also the first woman {and Asian} to be accepted in Harvard Medical School. In 1941, she returned to Manila and started a hospice which the Japanese soldiers later destroyed. Years later, she sold almost all of her possessions to fund her dream hospital: The Children's Medical Center {it was later named after her}. She lived at the hospital until her death in 2011. 

Jacqueline Cochran

Jacqueline Cochran was an American pilot and the first woman to break the sound barrier. She held more speed and altitude record than any other pilot during her time. She helped form the WASPs {Women's Air Force Service Pilots} during WWII.

Anna Chao Pai

Anna Chao Pai was a former waitress who became an exemplary geneticist and later a professor at Montclair State University. 

Lise Meitner with Otto Hahn

Lise Meitner was barred from higher education, but that didn't kill her dream to study radioactivity. She later found a way to collaborate with Otto Hahn to study radioactive elements. The latter discovered that when aggressed with neurons, uranium atoms split. Meitner calculated the energy released during this and termed it "nuclear fission." That discovery won Hahn the Nobel Prize and led to the creation of nuclear bombs. Meitner had a logical statement about that unfortunate outcome: "You must not blame scientists for the use to which war technicians have put our discoveries."

Ruby Hirose

The Japanese American biochemist and bacteriologist is famously known for developing a vaccine against infantile paralysis. 

Anna "Vesse" Dahl

Norwegian, Anna "Vesse" Dahl - with her husband Odd Dahl - was an avid adventurer and made vast contributions on atomic energy.

Rosalind Franklin

James Watson and Francis Crick won the 1962 Nobel Prize in Medicine by determining the structure of DNA. Many, however, believe that the recognition should go to Rosalind Franklin. Franklin studied the techniques for X-ray crystallography while she was in Paris. In 1951, she returned to England to work at King's College's laboratory. There, she discovered the DNA structure shown in an X-ray image. She noted that it contains a helical structure and two clear strands. Maurice Wilkins, a fellow lab worker, showed the images to James Watson. The latter went on to publish the findings along with Francis Crick.  

Elizabeth Roemer

Astronomer, Elizabeth Roemer, discovered two asteroids: 1930 Lucifer in 1964 and 1983 Bok in 1975. 

Irène Joliot-Curie

Irène Joliot-Curie was blessed with good genes and a lot of determination. She was the daughter of Pierre and Marie Curie. She won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1935, along with her husband, due to their discovery of artificial radioactivity. 

Marie Curie with Pierre Curie

Marie Curie is probably the best known female physicist of all time. She discovered the chemical elements radium and polonium. In 1930, she, along with her husband Pierre and Henri Becquerel, received the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work in radioactivity. 

Photos 2-10 are from the Smithsonian.


Onward and Upward!