Female Innovators Who Changed Our World: How Women Shaped STEM

by Emma Green

Overview

We are not all born with equal opportunities. Yet there have been countless of women who have overcome a range of barriers such as prejudice, illness, and personal tragedy to advance our understanding of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). They used their knowledge to change the world, and their stories are fascinating.

This book offers a concise introduction of the lives of 46 women, taking you into the cultural and social context of the world they lived in. Through their intelligence, courage, and resilience, they used STEM to defy expectations and inspire generations to follow in their footsteps. Some of them invented items we use day-to-day and discovered causes and treatments for epidemics that ostracized whole sections of society, while others campaigned for the reproductive rights of women and harnessed mathematics to send people into space and break ciphers. These women are proof that females can and did have a hugely significant role in shaping the world we live in today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781526789693
Publisher:	Pen and Sword
Publication date:	04/13/2022
Series:	Trailblazing Women
Pages:	168
Sales rank:	522,318
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 6.30(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Emma Shimizu is a half-Japanese, half-British engineer who has had a passion for improving lives and sharing her love of STEM since her teenage years. She studied Materials Science and Engineering at university, specializing in tissue engineering and materials used in healthcare. Emma has been an active STEM ambassador for several years, and especially enjoys working with schools to introduce how science and engineering is used to shape our day-to-day lives. Emma currently works for a paediatric medical device manufacturer, liaising with different departments to plan and develop new products. Having a keen interest in promoting partnerships between industry and academia, Emma has been honoured to be a guest speaker for a university bioengineering module and take part in industrial liaison. She lives in Sheffield with her husband who is also an engineer, and cat Elsa who is not.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements vii

Preface viii

Chapter 1 World Defining Moments in History 1

Joan Clarke (1917-1996) 1

Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958) 3

Ada Lovelace (1815-1852) 6

Lise Meitner (1878-1968) 10

Rufaida Al-Aslamia (Born 620) 15

Chapter 2 Our Day-to-Day Lives 17

Alice Parker (1885-?) 19

Josephine Cochrane (1839-1913) 20

Mary Anderson (1866-1953) 21

Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner (1912-2006) 22

Stephanie Kwolek (1923-2004) 24

Ruby Hirose (1904-1960) 25

Olive Dennis (1885-1957) 28

Sutayta Al-Mahamali (920-987) 29

Chapter 3 Improving Lives, Equality and Justice 31

Margaret Sanger (1879-1966) 31

Anne McLaren (1927-2007) 36

Laura Bassi (1711-1778) 39

Alyce Gullattee (1928-2020) 41

Chapter 4 Global Health 44

Patricia Bath (1942-2019) 45

Kin Yamei (1864-1934) 49

Kamala Sohonie (1912-1998) 54

Jane Cooke Wright (1919-2013) 58

Alice Ball (1892-1916) 60

Tu Youyou (1930-) 63

Francoise Barré-Sinoussi (1947-) 66

Rosalyn Yalow (1921-2011) 69

Chapter 5 Protecting the Earth 73

Saruhashi Katsuko (1920-2007) 73

Rachel Carson (1907-1964) 75

Wangari Maathai (1940-2011) 80

Chapter 6 Influential Projects and Leadership in STEM 84

Kate Gleason (1885-1933) 84

Caroline Haslett (1865-1957) 90

Lillian Gilbreth (1878-1972) 94

Emily Roebling (1843-1903) 100

Chapter 7 Healthcare for Children 103

Anna Freud (1895-1982) 103

Mamie Phipps Clark (1917-1983) 106

Virginia Apgar (1909-1974) 108

Helen Taussig (1898-1986) 109

Chapter 8 Understanding Our World 112

Inge Lehmann (1888-1993) 112

Maria Goeppert Mayer (1906-1972) 115

Marie and Irene Curie (1867-1934) and (1897-1956) 120

Gerty Cori (1896-1957) 123

Annie Easley (1933-2011) 125

Constance Tipper (1894-1995) 128

Marie Gayler (1891-1976) 128

Marion McQuillan (1921-1998) 128

Notes 133

Index 154

Editorial Reviews

"This accessible compilation focuses overdue attention on groundbreaking women of STEM and will hopefully spark renewed interest in their many contributions."

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