STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) also known as STEAM today, has for the most part been a male-dominated field of study.
For decades, men have taken over these four areas of study and acknowledged for their innovations and discoveries such as the eight planets that reside in our galaxy.
But what about the women who have made a difference in these areas of discipline? Why are they not shown as often in science textbooks or given enough credit for their hard work when it comes time to highlight people in these industries?
In honor of Women’s History Month, I would like to present to you five influential women in STEM I think deserves to be highlighted this month.
1. Mae Jemison​
Most people know Jemison for being the first African American women to travel to space and admitted to the Astronaut Program.
However, more recently, Jemison has dedicated her time to improving healthcare in Africa and advancing technologies in developing countries through her company, the Jemison Group Inc.
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2. Katherine Johnson
Johnson is another African American woman who worked in NASA, but as a mathematician whose calculations successfully helped the orbital flight of John Glenn in 1962 as well as the Soviet Satellite Sputnik.
She was also honored by former President Barack Obama with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, back in 2015.
In 2016, she was portrayed by Taraji P. Henson in the Oscar-nominated film, Hidden Figures along with Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe).
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3. Jane Goodall
Ever since Goodall was a child, she had been interested in exploring wild animals in their native habitat.
She would go on to fulfill her dream in 1960 with Dr. Louis S.B. Leakey, as they began to study wild chimpanzees in the Gombe Stream Chimpanzee Reserve.
This work eventually became what Goodall is most known for today.
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4. Rosalind Franklin
Franklin was a famous chemist, who was most known for her research and discovery work on DNA structure.
Unlike Marie Curie, Franklin did not receive a Nobel Prize for her contribution in researching DNA.
The Nobel Prizes were given in 1962, but Franklin died in 1958 due to ovarian cancer.
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5. Marie Curie
Curie was a physicist who worked closely with radium and radioactivity.
She broke many barriers for women who would soon become interested in science for decades.
She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize twice in two different fields of sciences and the first female professor at the University of Paris.
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As always, I could have chosen other women to add to this list. But, I want to know what you guys thought of this article.
Were there any women you were surprised to see on this list? Or, were you already familiar with these five women and happy to see them included?
Whatever your thoughts are, I hope you all continue to celebrate wonderful women who have and are continuing to make an impact in our society.