Women in STEM! More than 60 Scientists and Engineers

By Amy Cowen on February 28, 2024 8:00 AM

March is Women's History Month! Learn more about women in STEM in science history and get inspired! More than 60 profiles of scientists and engineers!

Images of 4 women in STEM from science history

Women's in STEM for Women's History Month: 60+ Scientists to learn more about!

Update! This post has been updated for 2024 to highlight additional scientists and engineers!

There have always been women in science. Whether recognized at the time or not, women interested in science and engineering have made important discoveries, conducted game-changing research, and pursued careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Uncovering and sharing these stories and encouraging girls to see themselves as future scientists is important, ongoing work for science educators.

There are, of course, far too many women in science history to put on a single list, but the more scientists you and your students know about, the better! This resource can be used during Women’s History Month and year-round to celebrate, recognize, and talk about inspiring women in science. We encourage educators to pair learning more about women in STEM with student reflection on personal interests and possible career paths, too.

We hope seeing lists like this (and related lists) broadens awareness and helps inspire students to learn more about these scientists and to explore related science projects, activities, and careers.

How to Use this Resource

For each scientist, we have included a short biographical note, a link to one or more hands-on science projects or activities related to the scientist's area of study, a link to a relevant science career profile, and a link to a biography to help students learn more about individual scientists. Educators can use this career worksheet to guide student exploration and reflection about STEM careers.

Women in Science and Engineering

1. June Almeida, virologist (1930-2007)

June Almeida pioneered immune electron microscopy to identify and visualize viruses, including rubella, the structure of hepatitis B, and the first human coronavirus. (Biography)
Experiment with the Small, Tiny, Invisible: How Big Is a Virus? activity.
Career connection: Microbiologist
2. Mary Anderson, inventor (1866-1953)

Mary Anderson designed a swinging arm solution for removing water from car windshields—the windshield wiper. (Biography)
Experiment with the Design a Cell Phone Stand activity.
Career connection: Commercial & Industrial Designer
3. Mary Anning, paleontologist (1799-1847)

Mary Anning collected fossils and made important Jurassic discoveries at Lyme Regis, including ichthyosaur, plesiosaur, and pterodactyl skeletons. (Biography)
Experiment with the Fantastic Fossilization! Discover the Conditions For Creating the Best Cast Fossils project.
Career connection: Geoscientist
4. Virginia Apgar, physician (1909-1974)

Virginia Apgar invented the Apgar score, a standardized assessment system for evaluating the health of newborns. (Biography)
Experiment with the Effects of Exercise: Changes in Carbon Dioxide Output project.
Career connection: Physician
5. Alice Ball, chemist (1892-1916)

Alice Ball developed an injectable treatment for leprosy. (Biography)
Experiment with the Why Aren't All Medicines Pills? project.
Career connection: Biochemist
6. Patricia Bath, ophthalmologist (1942-2019)

Patricia Bath was an ophthalmologist who developed laser technology used in treating cataracts. (Biography)
Experiment with the Now You See It, Now You Don't: A Chromatic Adaptation Project project.
Career connection: Optometrist
7. Ruth Rogan Benerito, chemist (1916-2013)

Ruth Rogan Benerito was a chemist who developed a method for creating wrinkle-resistant and flame-resistant cotton fabrics. At a time when easy-care and convenient synthetic fabrics were being developed, Benerito's contributions were especially important to the cotton industry. (Biography)
Experiment with the How to Make the Boldest, Brightest Tie-Dye!, Adsorption: Dyeing Fabrics with Kool-Aid, and Dye Eggs Using Silk Ties for Egg-cellent Colors projects.
Career connection: Chemist
8. Linda Buck, neurobiologist (1947-)

Linda Buck co-won the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for work on olfactory receptors. (Biography)
Experiment with the Smelly Science: A Sniff Test project.
Career connection: Neurologist
9. Annie Jump Cannon, astronomer (1863-1941)

Working at Harvard College Observatory as part of a group sometimes now referred to as "Pickering's women," Annie Jump Cannon developed the Harvard Classification Scheme, a system that classifies a star based on its temperature and spectra. (Her work on this system continued and evolved the work of other women who had worked for Pickering, including Williamina Fleming.) Cannon's system classifies spectra using the letters O, B, A, F, G, K, M, rankings that correspond to temperature (hot to cold). After assigning the spectral type letter, Cannon's system assigns a sub-class using numbers from 0 to 9. (To learn more about Cannon, see STEM is for Everyone: Annie Jump Cannon, Classifier of Stars.) (Biography)
Experiment with the Star light, Star bright: How Does Light Intensity Change with Distance? and Using a Digital Camera to Measure Skyglow projects.
Career connection: Astronomer
10. Rachel Carson, ecologist and conservationist (1907-1964)

Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring (1962) about the dangers of pesticides. (Biography)
Experiment with the Froggy Forecasting: How Frog Health Predicts Pond Health project.
Career connection: Science Writer, Environmental Scientist
11. Emmanuelle Charpentier, biochemist (1968)

Emmanuelle Charpentier was co-recipient of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her pioneering, with Jennifer Doudna, the use of CRISPR-Cas9 genetic scissors to edit DNA. (Biography)
Experiment with the CRISPR Gene Editing of Escherichia coli project.
Career connection: Biochemist
12. Edith Clarke, electrical engineer (1883-1959)

Edith Clarke developed the Clarke Calculator in 1921, a graphing calculator used to help solve electric power transmission problems. (Biography)
Experiment with the Avoid the Shock of Shocks! Build Your Own Super-sensitive Electric Field Detector project.
Career connection: Electrical & Electronics Engineer
13. Margaret Collins, entomologist and zoologist (1922-1996)

Margaret Collins was an entomologist and zoologist. Known as the "Termite Lady" for her extensive research on termites, she co-discovered the Neotermes luykxi species of termites. (Biography)
Experiment with the Does Temperature Affect the Rate of Butterfly Development? project.
Career connection: Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist
14. Gerty Cori, biochemist (1896-1957)

Gerty Cori was the first woman in America to win a Nobel prize in science when she co-won in 1947 for work on glycogen metabolism (and what became known as the Cori cycle or lactic acid cycle). (Biography)
Experiment with the Blood Sugar Balancing Act: How Exercise Tips the Scales project.
Career connection: Biochemist
15. Martha Coston, chemist (1826-1904)

Martha Coston used the technology of fireworks to develop a pyrotechnic signaling system for use at sea. Coston flares were used by the U.S. Navy during the Civil War. (Biography)
Experiment with the Rainbow Fire Science Project project.
Career connection: Chemical Engineer
16. Marie Curie, physicist and chemist (1867-1934)

Marie Curie is known for her work with radioactivity and co-discovery of polonium and radium. Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel prize in science (in 1903 in physics). She won again in 1911 in chemistry. (Biography)
Experiment with the Watching Nuclear Particles: See Background Radiation Zoom Through A Cloud Chamber project.
Career connection: Physicist
17. Jennifer Doudna, biochemist (1964-)

Jennifer Doudna was co-recipient of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her pioneering, with Emmanuelle Charpentier, the use of CRISPR-Cas9 genetic scissors to edit DNA. (Biography)
Experiment with the CRISPR Gene Editing of Escherichia coli project.
Career connection: Biochemist
18. Sylvia Earle, marine biologist and oceanographer (1935-)

Sylvia Earle is a marine biologist and oceanographer dedicated to ocean conservation. Sometimes referred to as the "Sturgeon General," Earle is founder of Mission Blue and has been a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence since 1999. (Biography)
Experiment with the Something's Fishy About That Fertilizer project.
Career connection: Marine Biologist
19. Gertrude Elion, biochemist and pharmacologist (1918-1999)

Gertrude Elion co-developed drugs for leukemia and Azathioprine, the first immunosuppressant used during organ transplants. She shared the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1988. (Biography)
Experiment with the Hitting the Target: The Importance of Making Sure a Drug's Aim Is True project.
Career connection: Biochemist
20. Katherine Esau, botanist (1898-1997)

Katherine Esau studied plant anatomy and the way viruses infect plants. Esau authored multiple textbooks, including Plant Anatomy (1953) and Anatomy of Seed Plants (1960). (Biography)
Experiment with the What is the Most Effective Treatment for Whitefly Infestations on Plants? and Cryopreservation: Freezing Plant Tissues projects.
Career connection: Plant Scientist
21. Thelma Estrin, biomedical engineer (1924-2014)

Thelma Estrin helped build Israel's first computer, the WEIZAC, in 1954. Her later research included converting analog electroencephalogram signals to digital signals and mapping the human brain using computers. (Biography)
Experiment with the Make a Heart Rate Monitor project.
Career connection: Biomedical Engineer
22. Irene Fischer, mathematician (1907-2009)

Irene Fischer was a mathematician whose work in geodesy included development of the Mercury Datum and research on lunar parallax used during Apollo missions. Her work contributed to what is now the World Geodetic System used by GPS technology. (Biography)
Experiment with the A Puzzling Parallax project.
Career connection: Mathematician
23. Williamina Fleming, astronomer (1857-1911)

Working on photographic spectroscopy for Edward Charles Pickering at Harvard College Observatory, Williamina Fleming helped develop a system for cataloging the brightness of stars based on the amount of hydrogen observed in their spectra. This system was used in the first edition of the Draper Catalogue of Stellar Spectra (1890). (Fleming's system was later replaced by the work of Annie Jump Cannon.) Fleming discovered the Horsehead Nebula in constellation Orion in 1888. (Biography)
Experiment with the Star light, Star bright: How Does Light Intensity Change with Distance? and The Milky Way and Beyond: Globular Clusters projects.
Career connection: Astronomer
24. Dian Fossey, zoologist and primatologist (1932-1985)

Dian Fossey is known for her field work with gorillas in Rwanda. (Biography)
Experiment with the Are We There Yet? Test How Migratory Birds Navigate project.
Career connection: Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist
25. Rosalind Franklin, chemist and crystallographer (1920-1958)

Rosalind Franklin was a chemist and crystallographer whose X-ray diffraction of images helped uncover the double-helix structure of DNA. (Biography)
Experiment with the Colorful Double Helix, A Gene-ius Activity experiment.
Career connection: Chemist
26. Biruté Galdikas, zoologist and primatologist (1946-)

Biruté Galdikas is known for her field work with orangutans in Indonesian Borneo. (Biography)
Experiment with the Predators and Prey: How Do Cats Respond to Bird Sound Recordings? project.
Career connection: Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist
27. Maria Goeppert Mayer, physicist (1906-1972)

Maria Goeppert Mayer discovered the nuclear shell model, for which she co-won the Nobel Prize in 1963. (Biography)
Experiment with the Watching Nuclear Particles: See Background Radiation Zoom Through A Cloud Chamber project.
Career connection: Physicist
28. Andrea Ghez, astrophysicist (1965-)

Andrea Ghez received part of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics for research with Reinhard Genzel that suggests there is a "supermassive" black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. (Biography)
Experiment with the Visualize Gravity with Marbles activity.
Career connection: Astronomer
29. Jane Goodall, zoologist and primatologist (1934-)

Jane Goodall is known for her field work with chimpanzees in Gombe, Tanzania. To learn more about Dr. Goodall, see STEM is for Everyone: Jane Goodall, Zoologist. See also STEM is for Everyone: Jane Goodall, Zoologist. (Biography)
Experiment with the Build a Bird Feeder and Study the Birds in Your Backyard! project.
Career connection: Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist
30. Beulah Louise Henry, inventor (1887-1973)

Beulah Louise Henry created more than 100 inventions. Nicknamed "Lady Edison," her patent in 1912 for a vacuum ice cream freezer was her first of 49 patents. Among her inventions was the "Miss Illusion" baby doll and the bobbinless sewing machine. (Biography)
Experiment with the Grasping with Straws: Make a Robot Hand Using Drinking Straws project.
Career connection: Mechanical Engineer
31. Caroline Herschel, astronomer (1750-1848)

Caroline Herschel was the first woman to discover a comet, Comet C/1786 P1. Herschel assisted her brother William (who discovered Uranus) in the manufacture of telescopes and the compilation of catalogues of astronomical objects. Herschel discovered 8 comets and 14 new nebulae. (Biography)
Experiment with the Where Did All the Stars Go? activity.
Career connection: Astronomer
32. Dorothy Hodgkin, chemist (1910-1994)

Dorothy Hodgkin developed protein crystallography and used x-ray crystallography to identify or confirm the 3-dimensional molecular structure of penicillin, vitamin B-12, and insulin. She won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1964. (Biography)
Experiment with the Foldit: Playing a Game While Solving Protein Structures project.
Career connection: Chemist
33. Helia Bravo Hollis, biologist and botanist (1901-2001)

Helia Bravo Hollis was a biologist and botanist whose research focused on the collection and classification of cacti in Mexico. (Biography)
Experiment with the Dissect a Flower activity.
Career connection: Plant Scientist
34. Virginia Holsinger, chemist and food scientist (1937-2009)

Virginia Holsinger was a chemist and food scientist whose research on dairy enzymes helped pave the way for using the lactase enzyme to make low-lactose milk products. Holsinger's research also led to Beano, a pill designed to help break down gas in the digestive system. Holsinger also developed a nutritional whey-soy drink used to feed people around the world. (Biography)
Experiment with the I Love Ice Cream, But It Doesn't Love Me: Understanding Lactose Intolerance and Making Milk Curdle with Pineapple Enzymes projects.
Career connections: Food Science Technician and Food Scientist or Technologist
35. Grace Hopper, computer scientist (1906-1992)

Grace Hopper was one of the first computer programmers and worked on military calculations using the IBM Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator (the MARK I) during World War II. While working on the Universal Automatic Computer (UNIVAC I), she developed the first computer compiler, A-0, to automatically translate programming instructions into machine-readable code. Hopper was instrumental in the design and development of “common business-oriented language” (COBOL), a machine-independent computer programming language widely used in the late 1900s. Hopper retired from the U.S. Navy as a rear admiral. (Biography)
Experiment with the Artificial Intelligence: Teaching the Computer to Play Tic-Tac-Toe and Crack the Code: Breaking a Caesar Cipher projects.
Career connections: Computer Programmer and Computer Software Engineer
36. Mary Jackson, engineer and mathematician (1921-2005)

Mary Jackson was NASA's first female African American engineer. Jackson was one of the women at NASA whose story was depicted in the Hidden Figures movie. At NASA, she worked on research related to the Supersonic Pressure Tunnel. (Biography)
Experiment with the Satellite Science: How Does Speed Affect Orbiting Altitude? project.
Career connection: Aerospace Engineer
37. Mae Jemison, astronaut (1956-)

Mae Jemison was the first African American woman in space in 1992 on the Endeavour space shuttle. (Biography)
Experiment with the Build a Model Mass Driver for Launching Objects into Space project and Build a Two-Stage Balloon Rocket activity.
Career connection: Aerospace Engineer
38. Katherine Johnson, mathematician (1918-2020)

Katherine Johnson was featured in Hidden Figures for her work at NASA. Johnson calculated the flight path for Alan Shepard (the first American in space) and later checked critical flight path calculations for Apollo 13. (Biography)
Experiment with the Satellite Science: How Does Speed Affect Orbiting Altitude? project.
Career connection: Mathematician
39. Stephanie Louise Kwolek, chemist (1923-2014)

Stephanie Louise Kwolek invented Kevlar while working at DuPont to develop extremely durable synthetic fibers. Kevlar is used in many products, including bulletproof vests. (Biography)
Experiment with the Turn Milk into Plastic! project.
Career connection: Materials Scientist and Engineer
40. Hedy Lamarr, inventor (1914-2000)

Hedy Lamarr was an actress and inventor whose work co-developing a radio guidance system during WWII helped pave the way for modern Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and GPS technologies. (Biography)
Experiment with the The Point of a Parabola: Focusing Signals for a Better Wireless Network project.
Career connection: Radio Frequency Engineer
41. Henrietta Leavitt, astronomer (1868-1921)

Henrietta Leavitt was an astronomer who discovered more than 2,400 variable stars and identified the relationship between luminosity and period for cepheid variable stars. (To learn about another inspiring astronomer, see STEM is for Everyone: Annie Jump Cannon, Classifier of Stars.) (Biography)
Experiment with the How Old Is the Universe? project.
Career connection: Astronomer
42. Esther Lederberg, microbiologist and bacterial geneticist (1922-2006)

Esther Lederberg discovered the lambda phage, a bacterial virus used in the study of gene regulation and genetic recombination. (Biography)
Experiment with the Biowarfare: Experiment with Viruses that Destroy Bacteria project.
Career connection: Microbiologist
43. Inge Lehmann, seismologist and geophysicist (1888-1993)

Inge Lehmann was a seismologist and geophysicist whose analysis of seismic wave data led to her 1936 discovery that the Earth has a solid inner core inside a molten outer core. (Biography)
Experiment with the Measuring the Diameter of the Earth's Core with Seismic Waves Around the Globe project.
Career connection: Geoscientist
44. Rita Levi-Montalcini, neurobiologist (1909-2012)

Rita Levi-Montalcini was co-winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for co-discovery of the first cellular growth factor identified, Nerve Growth Factor (NGF). (Biography)
Experiment with the Creating a Kidney: How Stem Cells Might Be Used to Bioengineer a Vital Organ project.
Career connection: Biochemist
45. Susana López Charretón, virologist (1957-)

Susana López Charretón is a virologist whose research on rotavirus identified the ways in which it enters the body (separate from the ways it is commonly transmitted). (Biography)
Experiment with the How Do Viruses React To Soap? activity.
Career connection: Microbiologist
46. Ada Lovelace, mathematician (1815-1852)

Ada Lovelace is sometimes credited as the first computer programmer because she created the first algorithm used by an early computer prototype. (Biography)
Experiment with the Teach A Computer Kitty How to Draw Shapes project.
Career connection: Computer Programmer
47. Barbara McClintock, cytogeneticist (1902-1992)

Barbara McClintock was a cytogeneticist who studied chromosomes in maize. She received the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for identifying genetic transposition or "jumping genes," which showed that genes can move to a different location on a chromosome. (Biography)
Career connection: Cytogenetic Technologist
Experiment with the How Much DNA Can You Pack into a Cell?, X-inactivation Marks the Spot for Cat Coat Color, and Extracting Onion DNA projects.
48. Lise Meitner, physicist (1878-1968)

Lise Meitner was a physicist whose research focused on radiation and nuclear physics. She was part of a group of scientists who discovered nuclear fission of uranium, a discovery that later led to the Manhattan Project. (Biography)
Experiment with the How Old Is That Rock? Roll the Dice & Use Radiometric Dating to Find Out project.
Career connection: Physicist
49. Julia Morgan, civil engineer and architect (1872-1957)

Julia Morgan designed and built more than 700 buildings, including Hearst Castle and the bell tower at Mills College, which withstood the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. (Biography)
Experiment with the Set Your Table for a Sweet and Sticky Earthquake Shake project.
Career connection: Architect
50. Ellen Ochoa, astronaut and engineer (1958-)

Ellen Ochoa was the first Hispanic woman in space on the space shuttle Discovery in 1993 and logged almost 1,000 hours in orbit. As a research engineer, she focused on optical systems. She went on to serve as Director of NASA's Johnson Space Center. (Biography)
Experiment with the Test the Webb Space Telescope's Amazing Multiple Mirrors and Sunshield project.
Career connection: Aerospace Engineer
51. Cecilia Payne, astronomer (1990-1979)

Cecilia Payne was an astronomer at the Harvard College Observatory (at the same time as Annie Jump Cannon). Based on her spectral analysis (specifically looking at absorption lines), Payne-Gaposchkin discovered that stars are primarily composed of hydrogen and helium. Her research helped explain variations in stellar spectra, documented by Cannon, as related to surface temperature, not differences in composition. (Biography)
Explore star science with the Sunspot Cycles and Finding the Center of the Milky Way Galaxy Using Globular Star Clusters projects.
Career connections: Astronomer and Physicist
52. Mary Engle Pennington, chemist (1872-1952)

Mary Engle Pennington worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a bacteriological chemist and then as chief of the Food Research Laboratory (now known as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)). Her work focused on improved safety for food processing and the refrigeration of food, both in transport and at home. (Biography)
Experiment with the Yuck, What Happened to My Apple? How Food Wrappings Affect Spoilage and Have Your Chips Lost Their Chomp? Understanding How Food Becomes Rancid projects.
Career connections: Food Science Technician and Food Scientist or Technologist
53. Sally Ride, astronaut (1951-2012)

Sally Ride was the first American woman in space in 1983 on the Challenger space shuttle (STS-7). (Biography)
Experiment with the Build a Two-Stage Balloon Rocket activity.
Career connection: Aerospace Engineer
54. Emily Roebling, engineer (1843-1903)

Emily Roebling helped oversee the construction and completion of the Brooklyn Bridge for more than ten years after her husband, the chief engineer on the project, became ill. (Biography)
Experiment with the The Effect of Bridge Design on Weight Bearing Capacity project.
Career connection: Civil Engineers
55. Mary Ross, mathematician (1908-2008)

Mary Ross worked on designs for fighter jet planes at Lockheed Corporation during WWII. She was one of the original 40 members (and only woman) of the secret Skunk Works division. Research there included interplanetary space travel. (Biography)
Experiment with the Stealthy Shapes: How to Make an Aircraft Invisible to Radar project.
Career connection: Aerospace Engineer
56. Vera Rubin, astrophysicist (1928-2016)

Vera Rubin was an astrophysicist whose work on galaxy rotation rates provided evidence that dark matter exists in the universe. (Biography)
Experiment with the Finding the Center of the Milky Way Galaxy Using Globular Star Clusters project.
Career connection: Astronomer
57. Sara Seager, astrophysicist (1971)

Sara Seager is an astrophysicist whose research focuses on exoplanets and exoplanet atmospheres. (Biography)
Experiment with the Test the Webb Space Telescope's Amazing Multiple Mirrors and Sunshield project.
Career connection: Astronomer
58. Florence Seibert, biochemist (1897-1991)

Florence Seibert was a biochemist who developed a method for preventing pyrogens in distilled water to improve the safety of intravenous injections. Seibert also developed a procedure for obtaining tuberculin purified protein derivative (PPD), which led to the development of a test for tuberculosis (TB). (Biography)
Experiment with the Protein Fingerprinting and Which Filtration Material Leads to the Best Drinking Water? projects.
Career connection: Biochemist
59. Beatrice (Tilly) Shilling, aeronautical engineer (1909-1990)

Beatrice (Tilly) Shilling came up with a solution to a problem Hurricane fighter-bomber and Spitfire fighter planes had in WWII with engines stalling during dives and other negative g-force maneuvers. (Biography)
Experiment with the How Far Will It Fly? Build & Test Paper Planes with Different Drag project.
Career connection: Aerospace Engineer
60. Nettie Stevens, geneticist (1861-1912)

Nettie Stevens discovered sex chromosomes (in the same year as Edmund Beecher Wilson). (Biography)
Experiment with the X-inactivation Marks the Spot for Cat Coat Color project.
Career connection: Cytogenetic Technologist
61. Maria Telkes, physicist (1900-1995)

Maria Telkes, sometimes called the "Sun Queen," focused her work on ways to use and harness solar energy. She devised the system (using Glauber salts and solar power) for the Dover Sun House, the first solar-heated house. She also invented a solar oven and a portable solar distillation device used during World War II to desalinate water. (Biography)
Experiment with the Now You're Cooking! Building a Simple Solar Oven, Cold Room? Heat It Up with A Homemade Solar Air Heater, and Solar-Powered Water Desalination projects.
Career connection: Energy Engineer and Solar Energy Systems Engineer
62. Marie Tharp, geologist and oceanographic cartographer (1920-2006)

Marie Tharp co-created the first scientific map of the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. Her work helped prove theories of plate tectonics and continental drift. (Biography)
Experiment with the What Volcanoes Tell Us About Plate Tectonics project.
Career connection: Cartographer or Photogrammetrist
63. Dorothy Vaughan, computer scientist and mathematician (1910-2008)

Dorothy Vaughan was a computer scientist and mathematician. She was part of the group of "human computers" depicted in the Hidden Figures movie. As NASA adopted the use of computers, Vaughan taught herself FORTRAN and became part of NASA's Analysis and Computation Division (ACD). She also worked on the Scout Launch Vehicle Program. (Biography)
Experiment with the Computer Sleuth: Identification by Text Analysis project.
Career connection: Computer Programmer
64. Lydia Villa-Komaroff, biologist (1947-)

Lydia Villa-Komaroff is a biologist whose research on recombinant DNA uncovered a way to use bacteria cells to make insulin. (Biography)
Experiment with the CRISPR Gene Editing of Escherichia coli, Why Aren't All Medicines Pills?, and Genetically Engineer Yeast to be Fluorescent projects.
Career connections: Biologist
65. Mary Walton, mechanical engineer

Mary Walton used a model train system to prototype and develop solutions for reducing noise pollution related to trains and air pollution related to trains and buildings with chimneys. (Biography)
Experiment with the Materials for Sound Barriers project.
Career connection: Mechanical Engineer
66. Flossie Wong-Staal, virologist and molecular biologist (1946-2020)

Flossie Wong-Staal was the first to clone the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Her work helped show that HIV causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). (Biography)
Experiment with the Tracking COVID-19's Genomic and Clinical Evolution project and the How Do Viruses React To Soap? activity.
Career connection: Biologist

Diversity in STEM

To help students see themselves with a future in STEM and to broaden understanding of science history, it is important for students to learn about a diverse range of scientists and engineers. This includes celebrating the stories of women, African American, Asian American Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, and Native American scientists and engineers, scientists with disabilities, and other scientists from around the world.

Images: public domain or fair use, with exception of:
June Almeida (credit: Joyce Almeida)
Linda Buck (CC BY-SA 3.0; The Royal Society)
Emmanuelle Charpentier (CC BY-SA 4, Emmanuelle Charpentier)
Jennifer Doudna (CC BY-SA 3, The Royal Society)
Gertrude Elion (CC BY-SA 4.0; GSK Heritage Archives)
Thelma Estrin (CC BY-SA 3.0; User:Achituv)
Irene Fischer (CC BY-SA; Digital Commonwealth Massachusetts Collections Online)
Biruté Galdikas (CC BY-A 2.0)
Andrea Ghez (credit John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation)
Jane Goodall (GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2; Muhammad Mahdi Karim)
Stephanie Louise Kwolek (CC BY-SA 3.0; Science History Institute)
Esther Lederberg (The Esther M. Zimmer Lederberg Trust)
Inge Lehmann (CC BY-SA 4; The Royal Library, National Library of Denmark and University of Copenhagen University Library)
Sara Seager (CC BY-SA 3.0; Science History Institute)

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Women in Science and Engineering

1. June Almeida, virologist (1930-2007)

2. Mary Anderson, inventor (1866-1953)

3. Mary Anning, paleontologist (1799-1847)

4. Virginia Apgar, physician (1909-1974)

5. Alice Ball, chemist (1892-1916)

6. Patricia Bath, ophthalmologist (1942-2019)

7. Ruth Rogan Benerito, chemist (1916-2013)

8. Linda Buck, neurobiologist (1947-)

9. Annie Jump Cannon, astronomer (1863-1941)

10. Rachel Carson, ecologist and conservationist (1907-1964)

11. Emmanuelle Charpentier, biochemist (1968)

12. Edith Clarke, electrical engineer (1883-1959)

13. Margaret Collins, entomologist and zoologist (1922-1996)

14. Gerty Cori, biochemist (1896-1957)

15. Martha Coston, chemist (1826-1904)

16. Marie Curie, physicist and chemist (1867-1934)

17. Jennifer Doudna, biochemist (1964-)

18. Sylvia Earle, marine biologist and oceanographer (1935-)

19. Gertrude Elion, biochemist and pharmacologist (1918-1999)

20. Katherine Esau, botanist (1898-1997)

21. Thelma Estrin, biomedical engineer (1924-2014)

22. Irene Fischer, mathematician (1907-2009)

23. Williamina Fleming, astronomer (1857-1911)

24. Dian Fossey, zoologist and primatologist (1932-1985)

25. Rosalind Franklin, chemist and crystallographer (1920-1958)

26. Biruté Galdikas, zoologist and primatologist (1946-)

27. Maria Goeppert Mayer, physicist (1906-1972)

28. Andrea Ghez, astrophysicist (1965-)

29. Jane Goodall, zoologist and primatologist (1934-)

30. Beulah Louise Henry, inventor (1887-1973)

31. Caroline Herschel, astronomer (1750-1848)

32. Dorothy Hodgkin, chemist (1910-1994)

33. Helia Bravo Hollis, biologist and botanist (1901-2001)

34. Virginia Holsinger, chemist and food scientist (1937-2009)

35. Grace Hopper, computer scientist (1906-1992)

36. Mary Jackson, engineer and mathematician (1921-2005)

37. Mae Jemison, astronaut (1956-)

38. Katherine Johnson, mathematician (1918-2020)

39. Stephanie Louise Kwolek, chemist (1923-2014)

40. Hedy Lamarr, inventor (1914-2000)

41. Henrietta Leavitt, astronomer (1868-1921)

42. Esther Lederberg, microbiologist and bacterial geneticist (1922-2006)

43. Inge Lehmann, seismologist and geophysicist (1888-1993)

44. Rita Levi-Montalcini, neurobiologist (1909-2012)

45. Susana López Charretón, virologist (1957-)

46. Ada Lovelace, mathematician (1815-1852)

47. Barbara McClintock, cytogeneticist (1902-1992)

48. Lise Meitner, physicist (1878-1968)

49. Julia Morgan, civil engineer and architect (1872-1957)

50. Ellen Ochoa, astronaut and engineer (1958-)

51. Cecilia Payne, astronomer (1990-1979)

52. Mary Engle Pennington, chemist (1872-1952)

53. Sally Ride, astronaut (1951-2012)

54. Emily Roebling, engineer (1843-1903)

55. Mary Ross, mathematician (1908-2008)

56. Vera Rubin, astrophysicist (1928-2016)

57. Sara Seager, astrophysicist (1971)

58. Florence Seibert, biochemist (1897-1991)

59. Beatrice (Tilly) Shilling, aeronautical engineer (1909-1990)

60. Nettie Stevens, geneticist (1861-1912)

61. Maria Telkes, physicist (1900-1995)

62. Marie Tharp, geologist and oceanographic cartographer (1920-2006)

63. Dorothy Vaughan, computer scientist and mathematician (1910-2008)

64. Lydia Villa-Komaroff, biologist (1947-)

65. Mary Walton, mechanical engineer

66. Flossie Wong-Staal, virologist and molecular biologist (1946-2020)

Further Reading

Preschool/Elementary School

Grades 5+ / Middle School

High School/Adult

Diversity in STEM

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