Female STEM Leaders Throughout History

Women have contributed to major advancements in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) throughout history. During this month, Women’s History Month, we want to celebrate their hard work, creativity and genius. 

Programming 

Did you know that programmers were once called “computers” that calculated algorithms by hand on paper to make predictions? The “computer” women of NASA are represented in the movie Hidden Figures. Katherine Johnson was one of those “computers”.  She calculated the trajectory for Alan Shepard’s Freedom 7 mission in 1961. The following year, Johnson performed the work for which she would become best known when she was asked to verify the results made by electronic computers to calculate the orbit for John Glenn’s Friendship 7 mission.”1 In 2019, NASA renamed a building the  Katherine Johnson Independent Verification and Validation Facility.   Learn more about Katherine Johnson on NASA’s website. 

Engineering, Design, and Building 

As you continue your journey in STEM fields, you will learn a lot about methods of efficiency and standard methods of operating for consistency in processes while balancing downtime during the work day.  This scientific method comes from a fascinating woman, Lillian Moller Gilbrath’s education and research on workplace efficiency. She was a psychologist, industrial engineer and also the designer of the modern kitchen! 

STEM Leadership

FIRST alumni are the future leaders of STEM. Young women in STEM fields have the opportunity through FIRST to encourage other young women to discover and get involved in the workforce in demand. During Women’s History Month we are recognizing those women who’ve made high-level contributions at some of the top organizations in STEM industries and sharing their perspectives: 

Check out Dava Newman’s experience as the Deputy Administrator of NASA and her perspective on integrating diversity and inclusion into the future of STEM. 

“Through expanding who we reach out to, who we recruit, and also how we are teaching — by changing the conversation to filter everyone ‘in’, rather than filtering anyone ‘out’ — we can truly make a difference in creating not just more diverse student populations in STEM, but more excellence in our professional work environments.” 2 

 

Elizabeth McClurg

Program Specialist

Citations: 

1 Vitug, Eric (2017, May 25) Katherine G. Johnson | NASA 

2 Dunbar, Brian (2017, January 20) Former Deputy Administrator Dava Newman (nasa.gov)