Women in Science Day

Kaya Asdal

By GRID-Arendal

February 11^th, 2019

Women scientists have existed since ancient times.

Does this seem like a radical statement? It shouldn’t.

One of the first female physicians, Peseshet, was active in ancient Egypt nearly 5000 years ago. Aganice of Thessaly, the first known female astronomer, lived in Greece around 200 BC. In 1812, Mary Anning found the skeleton of a “monster” beneath the cliffs of Dover in England and set in motion the 19th Century hunt for dinosaurs. Nevertheless, it was not until 1903 that the first Nobel Prize was awarded to Marie Curie for her work in Physics. She was later awarded another Nobel Prize in Chemistry, making her the only woman to ever have won multiple Nobel Prizes.

Countless women have been a part of the scientific arena for thousands of years, yet women and girls continue to be underrepresented in many areas of science. Their contributions are being honoured today, February 11th, 2019, on the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Today we celebrate women such as Marie Curie, Rosalind Franklin and Jane Goodall.

Rosalind Franklin was a British chemist who contributed greatly to the understanding of DNA, RNA, and viruses among other things. Jane Goodall on the other hand, worked alongside chimpanzees in Tanzania in her youth and now works to raise awareness of the many challenges both captive and wild chimpanzees face every day.

Besides these great women, it is important to celebrate the future women of science – all the hopeful and quietly inspired girls around the world. Organisations such as She Maps focuses on achieving gender equality in science through engaging both girls – and boys – around Australia by teaching them about science and drones in particular.

In this world of climate change, temperature rise and marine pollution, we have already had several young people enter the stage to tell the world to pay attention to science. Greta Thunberg from Sweden and Jamie Margolin from the United States are two of these inspired young people whose voices are being heard.

Greta Thunberg puts it plainly:

“The solution is black and white: we need to stop the emissions of greenhouse gases. […] Either we reach a tipping point where we start a chain reaction with events way beyond human control, or we don’t. Either we go on as a civilization, or we don’t. There are no gray areas when it comes to survival.”

The future women of science are already doing a pretty good job. So, let us spend today encouraging them to move forward with their dreams and inspire them to achieve their best. Children are the future after all, and among Jane Goodall’s five reasons for hope, the first one is: