Women's History Month: 50+ Women in Science and Engineering to Learn More About

Here's how.

By Amy Cowen on February 25, 2021 12:00 PM

March is Women's History Month! Learn more about women in science history and get inspired by these 50+ scientists and engineers!

Women's History Month: 25 Scientists to learn more about!

Update! This post has been updated for 2021 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 the related lists for Black History Month and Hispanic Heritage Month) 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 a hands-on science project or activity 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

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

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

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

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

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

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. Linda Buck, neurobiologist

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
8. Rachel Carson, ecologist and conservationist

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

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
10. Edith Clarke, electrical engineer

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

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
12. Gerty Cori, biochemist

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
13. Martha Coston, chemist

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 project.
Career connection: Chemical Engineer
14. Marie Curie, physicist and chemist

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 See Background Radiation Zoom Through A Cloud Chamber project.
Career connection: Physicist
15. Jennifer Doudna, biochemist

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
16. Sylvia Earle, marine biologist and oceanographer

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
17. Gertrude Elion, biochemist and pharmacologist

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 The Importance of Making Sure a Drug's Aim Is True project.
Career connection: Biochemist
18. Thelma Estrin, biomedical engineer

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
19. Irene Fischer, mathematician

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
20. Rosalind Franklin, chemist and crystallographer

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 activity.
Career connection: Chemist
21. Dian Fossey, zoologist and primatologist

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
22. Biruté Galdikas, zoologist and primatologist

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
23. Andrea Ghez, astrophysicist

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 Model of a Black Hole activity.
Career connection: Astronomer
24. Jane Goodall, zoologist and primatologist

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
25. Beulah Louise Henry, inventor

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
26. Dorothy Hodgkin, chemist

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 Playing a Game While Solving Protein Structures project.
Career connection: Chemist
27. Helia Bravo Hollis, biologist and botanist

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
28. Mary Jackson, engineer and mathematician

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
29. Mae Jemison, astronaut

Mae Jemison was the first African American woman in space in 1992 on the Endeavour space shuttle. (Biography)
Experiment with the Build a Two-Stage Balloon Rocket activity.
Career connection: Aerospace Engineer
30. Katherine Johnson, mathematician

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 How Does Speed Affect Orbiting Altitude? project.
Career connection: Mathematician
31. Susana López Charretón, virologist

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
32. Stephanie Louise Kwolek, chemist

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
33. Hedy Lamarr, inventor

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
34. Henrietta Leavitt, astronomer

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
35. Esther Lederberg, microbiologist and bacterial geneticist

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

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 project.
Career connection: Geoscientist
37. Rita Levi-Montalcini, neurobiologist

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
38. Ada Lovelace, mathematician

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
39. Lise Meitner, physicist

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? Use Radiometric Dating to Find Out project.
Career connection: Physicist
40. Julia Morgan, civil engineer and architect

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
41. Ellen Ochoa, astronaut and engineer

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 The James Webb Space Telescope's Amazing Multiple Mirrors and Sunshield project.
Career connection: Aerospace Engineer
42. Sally Ride, astronaut

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
43. Emily Roebling, engineer

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
44. Mary Ross, mathematician

Mary Ross worked on designs for fighter jets 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
45. Vera Rubin, astrophysicist

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
46. Sara Seager, astrophysicist

Sara Seager is an astrophysicist whose research focuses on exoplanets and exoplanet atmospheres. (Biography)
Experiment with the The James Webb Space Telescope's Amazing Multiple Mirrors and Sunshield project.
Career connection: Astronomer
47. Beatrice (Tilly) Shilling, aeronautical engineer

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
48. Nettie Stevens, geneticist

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
49. Marie Tharp, geologist and oceanographic cartographer

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
50. Dorothy Vaughan, computer scientist and mathematician

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
51. 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