Smithsonian Channel

History has long been giving credit to the many hard working men who toil in the different areas of science and this month, Smithsonian Channel is honoring the women in this field and their valuable contributions. So we wanted to do our part to spotlight some of the most important women in science through the years.  From Nobel Prize winners and inventors, to the newly appointed head of the Environmental Protection Agency- ladies, we salute you!

Portrait of Marie Curie (1867-1934), Physicist uploaded to Flickr by Smithsonian Institution

Marie Curie
Known as the “Mother of Modern Physics,” she was the first woman recipient of the Nobel Prize. Madame Curie, as she is also called, conducted her research on “radioactivity” which is a term she coined. She is also credited as the first person (male or female) to win the Nobel Prize in two different categories: Physics in 1903 and Chemistry in 1911.

Rosalind Franklin
Even though it was unacknowledged through most of her lifetime, Franklin is attributed with discovering the double-helix structure of DNA.  Much of her research was used without her knowledge or permission and in April of 1953, James Watson, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins (all men) were given credit for the structure of DNA.

Take a minute to watch this neat video I found about two women artists who have chosen to take Franklin’s work and memorialize it in the form of artwork.

Josephine Cochran
Women across the country should be giving thanks to Josephine Cochran every single day, as she is credited with being the inventor of the modern day dishwasher. Tired of washing dishes by hand and having servants chip her China, Cochran took it upon herself to find a solution.  She is quoted as saying in 1886, “If nobody else is going to invent a dishwashing machine, I’ll do it myself.”  In 1850 she patented a machine that threw water onto dirty dishes and in 1893, unveiled her machine at the World’s Fair. Her company, Garis-Cochran Dish-Washing Company evolved into Kitchen Aid.

Ellen Ochoa
As the first Hispanic women to go into space with NASA, Ochoa has made three voyages logging over 719 hours. Her latest mission was in 1999 for 10 days aboard the space shuttle Discovery. She is also an inventor who patented an optical system which can be used to manufacture goods using robot technology. Today, she works as a Deputy Director at Johnson Space Center in Houston Texas on NASA research. Did I mentions she also has her PhD ? Plus she’s a classical flutist and private pilot too- talk about a remarkable woman scientist!

Lisa Perez Jackson
Lisa Perez Jackson is President Obama’s head of the EPA. According to the EPA website, her duties include a multitude of priorities including reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving air quality, managing chemical risks, cleaning up hazardous waste sites and protecting America’s water. That’s quite an agenda- but if anyone can do it, a woman can!  She’s also an engineer holding a degree from Tulane University’s School of Chemical Engineering and a Master’s from Princeton in the same concentration.

The Smithsonian Institution Libraries also celebrate March as Women’s History Month and have selected a list of bibliographies covering women’s accomplishments in a variety of fields from agriculture and anthropology, to medicine and the Internet, to political science and philanthropy.

Looking for more? Check out these great resources for more information:

• Scientists Anonymous: Great Stories of Women in Science
• Women in Science, Past Present and Future
• Recommended books from Amazon- Women in Science