Celebrating Women's History: Women in Science & Technology

Examples include Ada Lovelace (1815-1852) who, in 1843, wrote the first computer algorithm for Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine. Lovelace's story is read by U.S. Chief Technology Officer, Megan Smith. Other women in STEM who appear on the site are astronaut and physicist Sally Ride, environmentalist Rachel Carson, molecular biologist and Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) at Cytonome/ST Lydia Villa-Komaroff, and geneticist Barbara McClintock, the only woman to win an unshared Nobel Prize for her work. With women from across the Administration sharing stories of their personal heroes, this website is intended to inspire girls to go into the STEM fields. Visitors are also invited to share what they are doing in their own communities to inspire young women to pursue careers in science and technology.

The journal is unique in that all articles are authored and edited by girls and women, and it was created by and for future women in STEM. Emerging Female Scientists was founded by Margaret DiRuggiero, a high school student who had the vision to encourage STEM research publishing from young women in order to advance women's presence in STEM fields. The publication features writing in the following categories: original research, interviews of prominent or significant women in science, summaries of current scientific events, public policy pieces, and historical biographies. Emerging Female Scientists has published two volumes (as of this write-up), Spring and Fall 2019, which can be found on the Articles page. Additionally, teachers of middle school students may want to check out the Publication Process and Types of Publications pages to learn more about opportunities for their students to get published. The website is currently in the process of adding resources for those interested in starting STEM clubs in their own schools, so teachers should stay tuned for additional content to come.

Notably, the report states that women accounted for less than a third (28.8 percent) of those employed in scientific research and development across the world in 2015. And, the percentage of women employed in high-tech manufacturing positions is even smaller. It further highlights that women of color in STEM fields experience even greater disparities, noting that in 2015-16 Asian women earned only five percent of bachelors degrees awarded in STEM fields, and black and Latina women earned even fewer. In addition to highlighting unequal representation in STEM fields, the Quick Take explores root causes for many of these disparities, including unequal treatment at work, lack of representation in leadership, and gaps in earnings between their male counterparts. The resource concludes with an Additional Resources section for those who want to further explore the topic. The Quick Take was created by Catalyst, a global nonprofit working with some of the world's most powerful CEOs and leading companies to build workplaces that work for women.

Their stories illuminate the vibrant community of dedicated women employees who play a vital role at the agency. You’ll hear stories of women overcoming almost every obstacle imaginable to pursue their dreams and make a difference in the world. In the future, we hope that the website will support a collaborative and supportive community of women at NASA and serve as the hub of all activity related to women’s issues at the agency. In addition, we hope that these stories will inspire girls everywhere to reach for the stars and explore the myriad of opportunities available to them through pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Featured books from the Women in Science list include Wangari's Trees of Peace, a story about a woman fighting deforestation in Kenya, and Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History, which highlights black women who shaped history, such as mathematician Katherine Johnson and pilot Bessie Coleman. The books included span suggested reader ages from 3 to 12 years old. Each of the 17 entries includes a brief description of the book, the appropriate reader age level, links to related thematic reading lists on the site, and a link to purchase the book. The Women in Science booklist is provided by Colorin Colorado, a national multimedia project that offers a wealth of bilingual, research-based information, activities, and advice for educators and families of English language learners (ELLs). The page also links to other themed booklists, such as the Horn Books Women in STEAM and Reading Rockets booklist finder, which includes a list on Science and Math.

Colleagues familiar with the subject's work write these memoirs and as such, the series provides a biographical history of science in America. This special collection features memoirs of women who shaped American science. We hope you will enjoy—and be inspired by—the biographies of these groundbreaking researchers.