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San Diego, CA
A group of middle school girls in San Diego gathered weekly to learn about women who made STEM history and to meet those shaping the future. Women scientists from The Network of Women in Science at Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA, visited the girls' classroom and discussed their work in molecular biology, chemistry, biochemistry, forensics, environmental studies and biomedical engineering. The fun the girls had while learning about women in STEM is evident in their recordings. The experience culminated in recorded profiles of women in STEM history that inspire, inform and entertain.
Click on the scientists' names below to hear their stories.
| Mary Hebraea |
A 1st century alchemist. Mary discovered the formula of hydrochloric acid and created tools for handling chemicals, one of which was the “double boiler.” |
| Elizabeth Blackwell |
(1821-1910). The first woman to earn a medical degree. Elizabeth became a successful physician even though many of her contemporaries did not believe women should be doctors. |
| Barbara McClintock |
(1902-1992). A Nobel Prize-winning geneticist whose work focused on chromosomes and cell division. McClintock made important discoveries in genetics, including that of “mobile genetic elements.” |
| Rosalind Franklin |
(1920-1958). A biophysicist, chemist, and crystallographer. Crystallography is the science of determining the arrangement of atoms in solids. Rosalind made major contributions to our understanding of DNA. |
| Jane Goodall |
(b.1938). A primatologist and anthropologist. Jane studied chimpanzee behavior for 45 years. She loved nature and lived in jungles of Africa with the animals she studied. |
| Sally Ride |
(b.1951). The first American woman astronaut. Throughout her career, Sally has been in space for a total of 343 hours. Ride also led the investigation into the space shuttle Challenger explosion. |
| Amy Vedder |
A wildlife biologist known for her pioneering work studying gorillas. Amy studies the behavior of gorillas, including their sleeping and eating habits. |
| Dawn Wright |
An oceanographer whose interest in the ocean began during her childhood in Hawaii. Wright spent three years at sea as a marine technician before becoming a professor at Oregon State University. |
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