Quotes from famous STEMinists in History
Chien-Shiung Wu"It is shameful that there are so few women in science...There is a misconception in America that women scientists are all dowdy spinsters. This is the fault of men."
Chien-Shiung Wu, experimental physicist. Emilie du Chatelet"Let us choose for ourselves our path in life, and let us try to strew that path with flowers." - Emilie du Chatelet, mathematician, physicist and author
Mae Jemison“Don't let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity. It's your place in the world; it's your life. Go on and do all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live.” - Mae Jemison, first African American woman astronaut in space. Not only is Dr. Mae Jemison an astronaut, she's a chemist, biologist, linguist, accomplished dancer, and humanitarian.
Lise Meitner"Life need not be easy, provided only that it is not empty." - Lise Meitner, physicist and one of the key reasons we actually understand what nuclear fission is today
Susan Greenfield“As always in life, people want a simple answer . . . and it’s always wrong.” — Susan Greenfield, neurochemist currently researching Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases
Marie Daly"Courage is like — it’s a habitus, a habit, a virtue: you get it by courageous acts. It’s like you learn to swim by swimming. You learn courage by couraging." -- Marie Daly, the first African-American woman to earn a PhD in chemistry and discovered the relationship between cholesterol and clogged arteries.
Rachel Carson“The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction.” - Rachel Carson, marine biologist, conservationist and author
Danica McKellar"If you're beautiful, you're led to believe that you can't also be smart. But you can be fun and fit and social and be really smart. And the smarter you are, the more capable you'll be to handle whatever challenges come up in life." -- Danica McKellar, mathematician and The Wonder Years actress of iconic character Winnie Cooper. Not only does McKellar continue to act once in a while, but she also offers her own math assistance for anyone struggling to understand certain mathematical concepts.
Elizabeth Blackburn“I didn’t want to just know names of things. I remember really wanting to know how it all worked.” — Elizabeth Blackburn, winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine
Zaha Hadid"I used to not like being called a 'woman architect.' I'm an architect, not just a woman architect. The guys used to tap me on the head and say 'you're OK for a girl.' But I see an incredible amount of need from other women for reassurance that it can be done, so I don't mind anymore." -- Internationally renowned architect Zaha Hadid
Dame Zaha Hadid redefined modern architecture around the world. She died in 2016, but Hadid's legacy of curve, clever use of construction materials, and distinctive personality live on through her work. Marissa Mayer"People ask me all the time: 'What is it like to be a woman at Google?' I'm not a woman at Google, I'm a geek at Google. And being a geek is just great. I'm a geek, I like to code, I even like to use spreadsheets when I cook." -- technologist Marissa Mayer and former CEO of Yahoo.
Regina Agyare"When I was young I was very interested in science and technology, and my dad brought home the first computer. I played pac man and I was hooked! By learning to create technology, girls learn to speak up." -- Regina Agyare, founder of Ghana-based Soronko Solutions
Agyare not only brought a major tech presence to a nation most other people throughout the world wouldn't expect, but she spends her spare time investing in initiatives that give young African girls the chance to learn to code. Most recently, she set up a formal coding academy in West Africa called the Soronko Academy. |
Barbara McClintock"If you know you are on the right track, if you have this inner knowledge, then nobody can turn you off... no matter what they say." - Barbara McClintock, cytogeneticist and winner of the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Rosalind Franklin "Science, for me, gives a partial explanation for life. In so far as it goes, it is based on fact, experience and experiment." - Rosalind Franklin, chemist, molecular biologist, and one of the key figures behind unlocking the structure of human DNA
Franklin's skills in molecular biology were overlooked as Watson and Crick became known as the pair credited with uncovering some of the world's biggest revelations about DNA. However, Franklin had perfected her X-ray crystallography technique by the spring of 1952, significantly earlier than Wilkins. Marie Curie"I was taught that the way of progress was neither swift nor easy." - Marie Curie, 'female STEM superhero,' first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the only woman in history to ever win it twice, and the only human to ever win a Nobel Prize in two different sciences
Eugenie Clark“We ignore public understanding of science at our peril” — Eugenie Clark, aka the 'Shark Lady' who redirected public discussion regarding sharks by focusing on their role in the marine food chain
Stephanie Kwolek“All sorts of things can happen when you’re open to new ideas and playing around with things.” — Stephanie Kwolek, chemist who invented Kevlar and winner of the Lavoisier Medal for technical achievements
Gerty Cori“For a research worker the unforgotten moments of his life are those rare ones which come after years of plodding work, when the veil over natures secret seems suddenly to lift & when what was dark & chaotic appears in a clear & beautiful light & pattern.” -- Gerty Cori, Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine for her work in metabolizing carbohydrates
Karen Nyberg "When I was in high school, I was certain that being an astronaut was my goal. It was a very important time -- Sally Ride was making her first flight into space and she had a real impact on me. Those 'firsts' kind of stick in your head and really become inspirations for you." -- Karen Nyberg, NASA astronaut
Nichelle Nichols"Science is not a boy's game, it's not a girl's game. It's everyone's game. It's about where we are and where we're going. Space travel benefits us here on Earth. And we ain't stopped yet. There's more exploration to come." -- Nichelle Nichols, former NASA Ambassador and Star Trek actress.
Nichols's groundbreaking performance as Lieutenant Uhura inspired black women everywhere to both break into acting and pursue aeronautics. Through her commanding performance, she broke racial barriers on American television.During her time as a representative for NASA, Nichols helped recruit Dr. Mae Jemison and other black women to join the space program. Sarah Parcak"When I was a kid we'd rent Indiana Jones movies on VHS tapes. It inspired a whole generation of scholars because we saw the excitement, and the passion, and the drama. What's amazing to me about archaeology is the stories are even better than what you see in a Hollywood movie." -- Sarah Parcak, space archaeologist
Her technique of combining high-resolution imagery from satellites with thermal imaging has helped find an additional 17 pyramids, 1,000 tombs, and over 3,200 ancient settlements within a single year. Parcak has been a force for women in STEM since she started her research nearly 20 years ago. Fabiola Gianotti"This job is a great scientific adventure. But it's also a great human adventure. Mankind has made giant steps forward. However, what we know is really very, very little compared to what we still have to know." -- Higgs Boson physicist Fabiola Gianotti
Gianotti quickly became one of the most powerful women in STEM thanks to her position with CERN and her fervor for international scientific collaboration. |