Hey, ladies! How many women-scientists do you know?

  ( Venus )
By: Venus on August 11, 2012 3:14 pm PST   Flag blog entry   

Have you ever thought of being a science-woman? No? Then you will definitely like learning more about the way women improve our knowledge of the basic things.


woman scientistI often catch myself thinking about distinguished women, who were not afraid of difficulties and decided that they had to make a discovery by all means. I often think about women who were able to achieve unbelievable things in science. Sometimes, it looks surprising how many women are involved in scientific development. However, it also shows how talented, persistent, and smart we are!

I must say that there were plenty of women who decided to become scientists. If we look back to the 18th century, Emilie du Chatelet born in 1706 was one of the most distinguished researchers. By the time she was 27 she already had three children, and that was also the time when she became interested in mathematics and, later, physics. She was well-known for her love affair with Voltaire, but even more famous she became after translating Newton’s Principia. The translation is still used by the researchers all over the world.

Yet, Chatelet’s achievements cannot be compared to those of Caroline Herschel: born in 1750, the woman became one of the most prominent astronomers in the history of humanity. Just imagine a young lady, who follows her brother and fulfills a number of household functions. She sings in a church choir and has nothing to expect in her future life. However, suddenly, her brother decided to switch professions and become an astronomer. His sister follows him, turning into one of the most outstanding figures in the history of astronomy. Herschel discovered the first comet and another seven. She was the first woman, whose scientific work was published in a journal. She became the first British women to get payment for her job!

Herschel was followed by another woman-scientist, Mary Sommerville, who was fascinated by mathematics. A small task in a ladies’ magazine threw Mary into the world of algebra. Mary’s second husband strongly supported her decisions and scientific endeavors. With his help, Mary created her own intellectual society and produced numerous works on physics, mathematics, chemistry, and astronomy. The 19th century was also marked with the emergence of Maria Mitchell’s scientific star, who founded her school for girls, to teach them math and science. In the United States, Maria Mitchell became the first female professor of astronomy.

As you can see, the 18th and 19th centuries saw a number of prominent women-scientists, many of whom were barred from participating in science by the social conventions of that time. You can imagine that many women at that time were not allowed to study. They were not allowed to work. As a result, they could not also create science. This makes their discoveries even more valuable. All those women passed a long way to prominence. More important is that they were able to realize themselves. All those women taught a good lesson of persistence and decisiveness in their striving to realize their dreams.



Tags: women, women scientists, women and technology, science, education


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