2 POINTS

– First to observe and document the metamorphosis of a butterfly.
– One of the most significant contributors to entomology.
– Was an accomplished botanical artist.

3 POINTS

– First woman and African-American Masters graduate from the University of Hawaii.
– Developed a leprosy treatment that was still in use until the 1940s.
– However, after her death, the president of the university took credit for her treatment.

4 POINTS

– The “Wu experiment” disproved conservation of parity: thought to be a law of nature.
– Worked on the Manhattan Project, and made significant contributions to radioactivity research.
– Was a fierce advocate of social justice in her later years.

Women are half of the population but hold only about a quarter of the science and engineering jobs in the US. As well, despite women receiving roughly half of the PhDs, they only hold less than a quarter of professorships.

“I didn’t succumb to the stereotype that science wasn’t for girls.”

Although there is still much work to be done, things are better than they used to be. For this, we owe a huge thanks to the trailblazing efforts of many women of STEM.