Listen, I love Marie Curie and Rosalind Franklin just as much as anyone else. In fact, I probably love them more than anyone else; I’m kind of obsessed with them. I went as Rosalind Franklin for Halloween last year with a sign that said “#WanksonAndPrick,” and I dressed as Marie Curie in 4th grade for our dead historical figure project. I love them.
That being said, there are other women in science too. I know! It’s crazy! But it’s true! Here are 5 women in science that are NOT Marie or Rosalind that you definitely need to know about. (Not in any particular order)
1. Jane C. Wright
In 1967, as professor of surgery, head of cancer chemotherapy, and associate dean at New York Medical College, Dr. Wright was the highest ranked African American woman at a nationally recognized medical institution. In 1971, she was the first woman to be elected president of the New York Cancer Society
(https://cfmedicine.nlm.nih.gov/physicians/biography_336.html)
2. Hedy Lamarr
Hedy Lamarr is often known as a pin up-esque Hollywood star, but Hedy also invented frequency hopping (random and rapid switching of radio frequencies that prevents detection and jamming of signals) for Allied torpedoes during World War 2. Frequency hopping technology has evolved into things like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, both of which your phone is probably connected to right now.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedy_Lamarr)
3. Mae Jemison
Not only was Mae Jemison the first black woman in space, but she started college at Stanford at age 16, then went to become a doctor at Cornell, then joined the Peace Corps, then joined NASA, then retired from NASA to start her own foundation to improve healthcare and technology in developing nations, and is a professor at Cornell. I’m in awe.
(https://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/whos_who_level2/jemison.html)
4. Gerty Cori
Gerty Cori was the third woman (after Marie and Irene Curie) and the first American woman to win a Nobel Prize in science, and the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology. Cori discovered the Lactic Acid Cycle (aka, the Cori Cycle) and identified glucose-1-phosphate. (I’m writing this as a bio major, so I’m saying these words that might mean nothing to you, but trust me, iT’S REALLY COOL.)
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerty_Cori)
5. Bertha Parker Pallan
Bertha, or Birdie, Parker Pallan was the first Native female archeologist in America. She was from the Abenaki and Seneca tribes, and performed in circuses as a teenager in a Pocahontas themed show. At the same time, she worked with her father, archeologist Arthur Parker, in his excavations. As an adult, she discovered remains of the extinct giant ground sloth, ancient human tools, and important civilization sites like Corn Creek in Nevada.