<strong>4 women who have contributed to the field of STEM</strong>
Long before the field of STEM became mainstream and popular, women throughout history have made unparalleled contributions through their scientific discoveries, inventions and innovations. However, they have missed out on their due recognition, thanks to gender stereotypes. On the occasion of International Women’s Day 2022, let us celebrate and pay tribute to these extraordinary women, giving our girl children the opportunity to find their role models and emulate them to revolutionise the field of STEM. Here are 4 such inspiring women and how they changed the world through their brilliance.
Dr. Soumya Swaminathan
Popularly known as the Deputy Director General and Chief Scientist at the World Health Organisation (WHO) since 2019, Dr. Swaminathan happens to be a paediatrician by profession who is widely recognised for her contributions as a clinical scientist making breakthroughs in the research of tuberculosis and HIV. With more than 30 years of experience in the field of medicine, this Indian scientist and medical practitioner has published over 250 peer-reviewed publications in notable science and medical journals worldwide.
Margaret Hamilton
One of the first ever woman to be in charge of a NASA project, Margaret Hamilton, the American computer scientist, systems engineer and entrepreneur is better known for leading the coding team as part of the Apollo 11 mission that took mankind to space for the first time. In fact, it is said that she hand-wrote the code of Apollo 11 along with her trusted juniors, making the long-awaited mission a first-of-its-kind success. She was also in charge of MIT’s Instrumentation Laboratory that eventually developed multiple on-board flight softwares for NASA’s subsequent space missions.
Amelia Earhart
An American aviation pioneer and writer, Amelia Mary Earhart is well-known as the first woman ever to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Since her young days, Amelia campaigned for women’s place in the field of aviation and even went on to set several records (such as first woman to fly alone at an altitude of over 14000 feet) to prove that women were at par with men. Her other achievements include: being the first human being to fly solo from Hawaii to the mainland of the USA in 1935 and being the first woman to receive the honorary Distinguished Flying Cross from the US Air force, a military award conferred for heroism and extraordinary contributions towards the nation.
Gladys West
Primarily an American mathematician, she was one of the first women of colour to have pioneered the field of STEM. She is widely known for her contributions to the mathematical modelling of the earth’s shape followed by development of the satellite called ‘Geodesy models’ that was the ultimate foundation technology behind the modern GPS (Global Positioning System). West worked on the initial groundwork of the GPS technology by creating an advanced algorithm that helped her formulate a more accurate model of the earth. Not only in GPS, this advanced technology has revolutionised military, transport and cellular domains as well. She was also the lead mathematician at the US Naval Weapons Laboratory where she contributed in the astronomical study of Pluto’s motion in comparison to its neighbouring planet Neptune.