Despite systemic barriers and gender discrimination challenges, women have played a key role in humanity's scientific advancement. As the world marks International Day of Women and Girls in Science, The New Times has compiled a list of some female scientists who broke boundaries and made important discoveries throughout history. Here, we list only 10 of them: Katherine Johnson – (1918-2020) Katherine Johnson, a mathematician, was one of the first African American women to work as a NASA scientist. As a mathematician, she calculated and analysed the flight paths of NASA spacecraft. She is best known for making the calculations that allowed the first Americans to enter Earth's orbit and set foot on the moon. Ada Lovelace – (1815-1852) Ada Lovelace is regarded as the world's first computer programmer. In the 1880s, she helped develop the idea for a computing machine, and — long before computers were even invented — invented an algorithm for a computer. To honor her contributions, the U.S. Department of Defense named a new computer language Ada in the 1990s. Valentina Tereshkova (1937) Valentina Tereshkova was an engineer, a member of the Russian State Duma, and a former Soviet cosmonaut. On June 13, 1963, she became the first woman to travel into space. She orbited the Earth 48 times in just three days. She later served in the Communist Party and represented the USSR at numerous international events. Tereshkova remains the only woman to have been on a solo space mission. Marie Curie – (1867-1934) Marie Curie was a physicist and chemist who conducted critical research on radioactivity. She discovered two new chemical elements: radium and polonium. Curie led the first research project on the impact of radiation treatment on tumors. She also headed the Curie Institute — formerly the Radium Institute — which is a leading medical research center in Paris, France, focused on cancer research and radiation therapy. She was the first person and the only woman to win a Nobel Prize twice. Curie is also the only person to win the Nobel Prize in two scientific fields: physics and chemistry. Flossie Wong-Staal – (1947) Flossie Wong-Staal was a Chinese-American virologist and molecular biologist. She was the first scientist to clone HIV and determine the function of its genes, which was a major step in proving that HIV is the cause of AIDS. Mae Jemison (1956) Mae Jemison is a doctor, engineer, and former NASA astronaut. In 1992, she became the first Black woman to travel into space. Jemison excels in many scientific fields, has authored several books, and even appeared on an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame and the International Space Hall of Fame. Currently, she leads the 100 Year Starship Project through the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. This project is dedicated to ensuring that human travel to another star is possible in the next 100 years. Gladys West – (1930) West’s work in developing mathematical modeling of the shape of the Earth served as the foundation of GPS technology. In 2018, she was inducted into the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame, one of the Air Force space command’s highest honors. Elizabeth Garrett Anderson (1836-1917) Elizabeth Garrett Anderson paved the way for women in medicine in Great Britain. She was the first female doctor in England and overcame significant barriers to achieve professional success at a time when women were not allowed to practice medicine. She opened up a school of medicine for women and appointed primarily women to leadership positions on staff. She eventually became the first women dean of a medical school and the first female mayor in England. Chien-Shiung Wu (1912-1997) Chien-Shiung Wu was a leading figure and pioneer in the field of physics. A Chinese immigrant to the United States, Wu was the first women faculty member hired in the physics department at Princeton University. She later took a job at Columbia University and joined the Matthan Project, which resulted in the creation of nuclear weapons. She is best known for conducting the Wu experiment, which proved that identical particles do not always behave in the same manner. She was awarded the inaugural Wolf Prize in Physics in 1978 and was nicknamed the First Lady of Physics. Marie-Anne Paulze Lavoisier (1758-1836) Marie-Ann Paulze Lavoisier is regarded as the mother of modern chemistry. She was the wife of the chemist and nobleman Antonie Lavoisier and served as his laboratory assistant, and contributed to his work. Fluent in Latin, English, and French, she helped translate several scientific works for her husband to review. Lavoisier's translation led to the discovery of oxygen gas. She was also instrumental in the standardization of the scientific method.
