Radio Series
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The Sounds Of Progress
The Changing Role of Girls and Women in Science and Engineering
Part 2a: Great Women in Science
In addition to the stories below, hear the amazing stories of 26 more women in science and engineering history, also narrated by Kate Mulgrew, profiled in Her-Story: Then.
Theano
(2:00)
Transcript(6th century). Students of algebra are familiar with the Golden Mean, but they may not know who discovered it. Many think it was Pythagoras, but some scholars believe it may have been his wife, Theano.
Lilavati
(2:00)
(12th century). A noted Indian mathematician wrote a book used to teach algebra called Lilavati (or Leelavati). The book was named after his daughter who was also an excellent mathematician.
Laura Bassi
(2:00)
(1711-1778). This Italian mother of 12 became the first female professor of physics. She also successfully petitioned her university employer for more responsibility and a higher salary.
Anna Morandi Manzolini
(2:00)
(1716-1774). Anna was an artist who sculpted detailed anatomical models out of wax that were used in medical schools for centuries to come.
Maria Agnesi
(2:00)
(1718-1799). This brilliant daughter of Italian nobility spoke five languages, wrote the first books on abstract geometry, and dreamed of being a nun.
Mary Kies
(2:00)
(1752-1837). Mary invented a method of weaving straw with silk. It proved to be a cost-effective way to make bonnets used by women working in fields.
Marie Lavoisier
(2:00)
(1758-1836). An arranged marriage led her to an unexpected role in the history of chemistry. As a laboratory assistant, translator, and scientific illustrator, Marie was instrumental in her husband's discoveries in chemistry.
Mary Somerville
(2:00)
(1780-1872). With almost no formal education, Mary became the most accomplished science writer of her time. The term "scientist" was coined to describe her.
Elizabeth Blackwell
(2:00)
(1821-1910). The first woman to earn a medical degree, Elizabeth was rejected from 29 medical schools before being accepted. She graduated at the top of her class.
Mary Walker
(2:00)
(1832-1919). She was a surgeon in the Civil War, and the first and only woman to be awarded the Medal of Honor.
Emily Roebling
(2:00)
(1843-1903). Much of the construction of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge was directed by the architect's daughter-in-law, Emily.
Ellen Churchill Semple
(2:00)
(1863-1932). Ellen was an influential geographer. She was among the first to write about the ways the natural environment impacted the course of human history.
Sara Josephine Baker
(2:00)
(1873-1945). "Dr. Joe" was the first woman to earn a doctorate in public health from New York University. She spent her career working to improve health care for the poor.
Lillie Rosa Minoka Hill
(2:00)
(1876-1952). This daughter of a Mohawk Indian woman and a Quaker doctor ran a "kitchen clinic" out of her Wisconsin farmhouse for 47 years.
Alice Evans
(2:00)
(1881-1975). She began her career trying to make cheese taste better, but her research eventually led to laws mandating the pasteurization of milk.
Emmy Noether
(2:00)
(1882-1935). She went into the "family business" as a young girl, but Emmy soon surpassed her father and her brothers as a mathematician, proving concepts behind Einstein's theory of relativity.
Elizabeth Lee Hazen
(2:00)
(1885-1975) and Rachel Fuller Brown (1908-1980). Elizabeth was a microbiologist and Rachel was a chemist. Their collaboration led to a vaccine for pneumonia and one of the first effective antifungal medications.
Edith Quimby
(2:00)
(1891-1982). As a pioneer in radiology, Edith helped physicians determine more precise doses of radiation needed for cancer treatment with the fewest side effects.
May Edward Chinn
(2:00)
(1896-1980). May was the first African American woman to graduate from the Bellevue Hospital Medical College. She practiced medicine in Harlem for 50 years.
Helen Taussig
(2:00)
(1898-1986). Helen was almost deaf, so she diagnosed heart conditions by "listening with her fingers." She eventually solved the mystery of "blue baby syndrome."
Grace Hopper
(2:00)
(1906-1992). Grace was a pioneering computer scientist and Navy Admiral. She invented the compiler, the first program to translate computer programming language.
Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin
(2:00)
(1910-1994). While chemists around the world were trying to identify the composition of penicillin, Dorothy amazed them all by using x-rays to determine its structure.
Frances Gabe
(2:00)
(b.1915). Hate housework? Invent your way out of it! Frances Gabe did. She invented the "self-cleaning house."
Gertrude Elion
(2:00)
(1918-1999). As a Nobel Prize-winning biochemist and pharmacologist, Gertrude helped develop drugs to treat leukemia and arthritis, and prevent organ rejection.
Stephanie Kwolek
(2:00)
(b.1923). She dreamed of becoming a fashion designer and later, a doctor. Stephanie didn't exactly do either, but the clothing she helped make saves lives. She is the chemist who invented Kevlar, the material used in bullet-proof vests.
Theo Colburn
(2:00)
Theo is a professor of zoology and environmental health analyst. She is best known for her studies on the harmful effects of certain man-made chemicals on animals.
