March is Women’s History Month and, to celebrate, let’s look at wise words from ten women who have made great gains in STEM fields throughout history.

Maryam Mirzakhani, Groundbreaking Mathematician

“I like crossing the imaginary boundaries people set up between different fields—it’s very refreshing. There are lots of tools, and you don’t know which one would work. It’s about being optimistic and trying to connect things.” [1]

Mirzakhani was an Iranian mathematician who, in 2014, became the first woman and first Iranian to win the prestigious Fields Medal, often considered the Nobel Prize of mathematics. She was a professor at Stanford University until her death from breast cancer in 2017.

Sally Ride, Physicist and NASA Pioneer

“I would like to be remembered as someone who was not afraid to do what she wanted to do, and as someone who took risks along the way in order to achieve her goals.” [2]

Ride was a capsule communicator for NASA before becoming the first American woman and youngest person to date in space. After her historic flight, Ride worked at NASA headquarters, as a professor, directed the and co-founded the nonprofit , which creates science programs for upper elementary and middle school students.

Marie Curie, Radioactivity Researcher and Nobel Prize Record-Setter

“We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.” [3]

The first person and only woman to win two Nobel Prizes, Curie is also the only person to date to earn the award in two different sciences. One of her many achievements was the development of the theory of radioactivity.

Mae Jemison, Astronaut, Doctor and Much More

“Don’t let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity. It’s your place in the world; it’s your life. Go on and do all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live.” [4]

After earning her chemical engineering degree from Stanford University and her medical degree from Cornell Medical College, Jemison joined the Peace Corps and served as a doctor in Sierra Leone. Upon her return, she applied to the space program, eventually becoming the first African-American woman in space. She now works in the private sector, holds nine honorary degrees and remains a dedicated dancer.

Antonia Novello, Former Surgeon General

“I believe that fortitude is key. More than anything, be consistent. Go at it. Go at it. Go at it. When you succeed, don’t forget the responsibility of making someone else succeed with you.”

Novello was the first woman and first person of Hispanic decent to serve as Surgeon General of the United States. She studied at the University of Puerto Rico and held residencies at the University of Michigan and Georgetown University School of Medicine, focusing on pediatrics. During her tenure as Surgeon General, Novello focused on the health of women, children and minorities, as well as those with AIDS.

Dr. Francis Allen, Computer Scientist and Programming Wiz

“You need to hire and develop great people. You need to set the vision and trust them to do the right thing. You need to let go of control. That’s wonderful for all involved because you’re empowering and trusting your people to do what’s right for the brand.” [5]

Allen worked at IBM for 45 years, work that included code optimization, parallelization and pioneering work in optimizing compliers. She was the first woman to receive the notable A.M. Turing Award, the Nobel Prize equivalent for computer science, for her work.

Chien-Shiung Wu, First Lady of Physics

“There is only one thing worse than coming home from the lab to a sink full of dirty dishes, and that is not going to the lab at all!” [6]

Often called the First Lady of Physics, Wu left her native China in 1936 to study at the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned her Ph.D. She is most notable for conducting the Wu experiment, which contradicted the hypothetical law of conservation of parity. Although she was not recognized for the Noble Prize along with her colleagues, she later when on to earn the inaugural Wolf Prize in Physics.

Helen Octavia Dickens, Surgeon and Public Health Advocate

“Somewhere along the way I decided that if I was going to be a nurse, I might as well become a doctor.” [7]

Dickens was a record-breaker several times in her long life. She was the first black woman named as a fellow by the American College of Surgeons and elected to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, along with being the first female African American board-certified Ob/gyn in Philadelphia. She worked tirelessly for the poor and underprivileged and was an early advocate of using Pap smears to detect cervical cancer.

Sheryl Sandberg, Technology Executive

“We cannot change what we are not aware of, and once we are aware, we cannot help but change.” [8]

Sandberg, an economist and business woman, served as Chief of Staff for United States Secretary of the Treasury Lawrence Summers before moving on to work at tech giant Google. She then went on to be the first woman on the board of Facebook and is known for her writing and activism for women in technology and business.

Rachel Carson, Environmental Scientist and Author

“We have been troubled about the world, and had almost lost faith in man; it helps to think about the long history of the earth, and of how life came to be. And when we think in terms of millions of years, we are not so impatient that our own problems be solved tomorrow.” [9]

Carson, the subject of , was an environmental scientist and author whose book, Silent Spring, brought attention to the dangers of pesticides in the natural environment. Her work was instrumental in inspiring a movement that led to the creation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Carson was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her environmental activism.

What quotes from women in STEM do you love?

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Sources

[1] Quanta Magazine, , 2014

[2] , 2006

[3] , 1937

[4] , 2009

[5] , 2014

[6] , 2001

[7] , 2001

[8] , 2013

[9] Speech accepting the John Burroughs Medal, 1952

Every gifted person has a unique story. The following story is part of a series of posts depicting the many faces of gifted by highlighting gifted children and adults we have found through ÓĹĂŰĘÓƵ programs. The program – mentioned in this story – awards highly gifted applicants with a four-year scholarship to a high school that fits their individual, intellectual and personal needs.

Valerie D.
Caroline D. Bradley Scholar
Class of 2010

ÓĹĂŰĘÓƵ’s Caroline D. Bradley (CDB) Scholarship was created with kids like Valerie Ding in mind.

As a high school sophomore, Valerie has already found her own success. “I particularly appreciate the vast number of rigorous, advanced science and math courses that my school offers, and I can’t express how much I enjoy being able to interact with a diverse group of intellectual and hard-working peers (two other CDB Scholars, for example) on a daily basis. Every class is an absolute pleasure to take part in, and the flourishing clubs and activities have really helped me realize who I fundamentally am. As the student leader of Mu Alpha Theta, Math Team, and Science Olympiad, I can confidently say that my school—and, of course, the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship itself—has allowed me to make a much bigger impact in my community.”

Valerie learned about ÓĹĂŰĘÓƵ through her middle school teachers. “As a seventh grader, I was taking math classes at the local high school and participating in many extracurricular activities such as science fairs, Science Bowl, MathCounts, and the American Math Contests—not to mention piano. In addition, I was a prolific reader, and book assessments were often my favorite assignments to do. Simply put, I had a wide range of interests and was always eager to pick up something new. My teachers noticed all this and suggested that I look into the CDB Scholarship. Needless to say, I’m forever grateful for their encouragement.”

Piano and physics comprise a big part of Valerie’s life. “In middle school, I was a big fan of energy technology. For example, I built my own hydrogen fuel cell out of plastic containers, salt and water, and a bit of platinum-coated wire; I attached my fuel cell to a tiny solar cell to create a primitive energy storage device. But when my school allowed me to take a physics course at the local high school, I discovered something amazing in the back of the textbook: quantum physics. While we never covered the topic in class, I was drawn to the seemingly unpredictable, volatile quantum world (in retrospect, my attraction to quantum physics may have been borderline obsession). That was the start of a long journey that I still continue to this day: applying quantum physics to energy technology.”

“I play the piano because it serves as my daily catharsis, and it’s a way for me to escape and go into my own little world,” Valerie explains of her other passion. One would think science and music are very different, but not to Valerie. “On the surface—yes, they are drastically different. But fundamentally, both share the theme of continuity. At the basic level, science is discrete; it explains how atoms and molecules interact, how biological organisms operate and coexist, and how physical phenomena occur. But when we dig deeper, we find counterintuitive concepts such as an electron being a particle and a wave simultaneously, and we discover that not everything is as simple as we think. Music, on the other hand, is the art of producing sounds that are pleasing or therapeutic, or perhaps convey sorrow or internal chaos. To sum up, music and science are both ways to make sense of our surroundings and tell that story to other people.”

Valerie has been competing in Science Fairs for many years and earned a top spot at last year’s Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF). That prize awarded Valerie and 11 other students a trip to Switzerland to visit CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research.). “For a week during the summer, we flew to Geneva and toured the campus, discussed theoretical physics and particle accelerator mechanics with every scientist we could get, and even did a little sightseeing. What really makes my experience unique was that we were at CERN just one week before the Higgs boson announcement! That was huge.”

I asked Valerie what she thought about the perception that there aren’t as many girls pursuing science as there are boys. “I think it’s a mindset. Just recently, I participated in a workshop on gender equality and representation, and we discussed a TED talk by Sheryl Sandberg (the COO of Facebook) on how women have so many mental barriers (mostly family and child issues) that simply aren’t conducive to success in competitive business. The idea is that women are molded into the subconscious line of thought that they just aren’t expected to perform as well as their male counterparts.” Valerie goes on to say, “I don’t know if I agree with this, but it’s a thought. Luckily, however, there are national programs to recognize and encourage women that are pursuing scientific, mathematical, and technological endeavors—this, at least, is a step forward.”

It’s clear the Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship has benefitted Valerie in many ways. In addition to giving her the financial freedom to attend the private high school where she thrives, the award has given her a network of peers that are as passionate about the world as she is. She recently met the other CDB Scholars in San Jose at the annual Bradley Seminar. “The Seminar was a wonderful, wonderful experience. Hearing from all the seniors was truly heartwarming and enlightening, and meeting my fellow Scholars (many for the first time) was just so invigorating.”

Do you know a gifted 7th grader who is looking for a high school that will meet his or her intellectual and personal needs? Applications for the 2013 will be accepted until May 6!