Introductions Necessary

Restrictions of her time kept Marie-Anne Lavoisier from becoming a chemist herself, but she was integral to her husband’s work and the two changed chemistry forever. Image: Wikimedia

in 2006, NASA launched the New Horizons probe towards Pluto. Thanks to Yanping Guo, it reached its destination exactly on time. Image Source: NASA

Meet Carolina Cruz-Neira, a computer engineer who is the co-inventor of the CAVE automatic virtual environment and a pioneer in virtual reality. Image: Wikimedia Commons.

American Anita Borg was a pioneering programmer and women’s advocate who co-founded the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing. Image Courtesy of the Anita Borg Institute.

In December 1966 Dian Fossey arrived in Africa to begin her long term study of the mountain gorilla. Learn more about her work in today’s episode. Image: Wikimedia.

Meet Katherine Johnson, a mathematician involved in many of America’s greatest achievements during the space race.

During awards season, many people in the U.S. have their eyes towards Hollywood. If you looked up the nominees and winners of the Golden Globes or the Oscars using a WiFi signal, then you have a different Hollywood star to thank: Hedy Lamarr.

Astronaut Susan Helms holds a record for the longest spacewalk at 8 hours and 56 minutes. Learn more about her NASA career in today’s episode.

A pioneer of the use of solar energy, Maria Telkes, is often referred to as the “Sun Queen” and the ‘Mother of the Solar Home.”

The late 18th century was not the best time to devote yourself to a life-long study of mathematics if you were the daughter of a merchant growing up in Paris, France. But that didn't stop Marie-Sophie Germain.

Kathryn S. McKinley is a computer scientist who likes “to focus on practical problems,” and has helped create solutions that have had a major impact on modern computing.

In 1928, the world of medicine was changed when Alexander Fleming demonstrated the antibacterial properties of penicillin.  But the large-scale impact of his discovery was only realized during World War II, when microbiologists discovered ways to mass produce the drug.   One of those scientists was Gladys Hobby.

Leona Marshall Libby first worked with physicist Enrico Fermi at age 23, when she was on the team that built Chicago Pile-1, the world’s first nuclear reactor.  The youngest member of the team as well as the only woman, Libby earned her PhD shortly after beginning the job.  

Volcanoes on earth can be beautiful and frightening.  But what about volcanoes in space?  Today we’d like you to meet Rosaly Lopes, a planetary geologist and volcanologist who could tell you all about it.

Margaret Morse Nice is most well known for her work with song sparrows.  She spent eight years making observations of various bonded pairs of song sparrows, eventually writing several books on the topic including Studies in the Life History of the Song Sparrow. 

National Bird Day in the U.S. is observed on January 5th. This is a day that celebrates birdwatching and endeavors to raise awareness of the hardships and plights faced by these animals.   In recognition, we’d like to introduce you to Florence Merriam Bailey. Image: Wikimedia.

The extraordinary life span of the Spirit rover was due to the hard work and ingenuity of the many scientists, engineers, and designers who worked on the project.  Aerospace engineer and  NASA Deputy Project Manager Jennifer Harris Trosper was part of that team. Image: NASA.

Dr. Sophia Yin was a veterinarian who studied animal behavior and training.  Yin’s philosophy, dubbed Low Stress Handling,  looks to positive reinforcement and “force free” training rather than focusing on dominance or coercion. Image Courtesy of DrSophiaYin.com.

An ancient Greek mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher, Hypatia was also the head of the Neoplatonic school at Alexandria. Image: Wikimedia.

In 1903 Curie became the first woman to receive a doctoral degree in France and was the first woman to be awarded a Nobel Prize.  She was later awarded the prize in Chemistry, making her the first person to win two Nobel prizes. Image: Wikimedia.