-
Inventor • Game Designer • Feminist • Georgist1866-1948 • United States Magie supported economist Henry George’s idea of a land tax and was against individuals holding a monopoly on land. To showcase the harmful effects of land grabbing, Magie invented The Landlord’s Game, which was later adapted into Monopoly by Charles Darrow. Read more about…
-
Chemist • 1978 National Inventor of the YearBorn 1939 • United States Askins worked for NASA and is best known for inventing an emulsion method to bring out greater detail in underexposed film. This process has been used to enhance many different kinds of photos, from images of space to x-ray scans. Read more about…
-
Student • Scientist • InventorBorn 1997 • Turkey After two years of research and 12 experiments, Bilgin developed a way to turn banana peels into bioplastic – biodegradable plastic from organic sources instead of petroleum. Because they’re cheap and easy to find, banana peels make the perfect resource! Read more about Bilgin’s story in STEAM…
-
Inventor • Environmental Activist • EntrepreneurBorn 2000 • Ireland Ferreira mixed light vegetable oil and magnetite powder in polluted water, forming a ferrofluid (magnetic liquid). He then used a magnet to attract and remove microplastics. Ferreira is working to create global water treatment solutions with his invention. Read more about Ferreira’s story in STEAM in…
-
Chemist • Entrepreneur1899-1975 • United States Julian was a pioneer in synthesizing steroid intermediates for large-scale production. He received over 130 patents for his inventions and eventually started his own company to synthesize drugs from Mexican yams. Julian’s work made many common medicinal drugs more affordable. Read more about Julian’s story in STEAM in History:…
-
Agricultural Scientist • Inventor1864-1943 • United States Carver promoted alternative crops to cotton and methods to prevent soil depletion, such as crop rotations. He’s also known for his many recipes and inventions using peanuts. Carver published 44 practical bulletins for farmers to help improve their quality of life. Read more about Carver’s story in STEAM…
-
Hairdresser • Inventor • Women’s Suffragist1885-Unknown • United States Newman invented a hairbrush design with synthetic bristles. It was more effective and durable, easier to clean and cheaper to produce than animal-hair brushes. Newman is also known for being a key organizer of a Black branch of the Woman Suffrage Party. Read more about Newman’s…
-
Inventor • Scientist
-
Inventor • Scientist
-
Aerospace Engineer • National Society of Black Physicists Honor AwardBorn 1963 • United States As an aerospace engineer at NASA, Dr. Ericsson contributed to the creation of satellites orbiting Earth that provide data on weather patterns and how they affect crop growth. She also helped send spacecraft into the solar system. Read more in our…
-
Mathematician • Aerospace Engineer1921-2005 • United States As NASA’s first black female engineer, she dedicated over 40 years to advancing women in STEM at NASA. She broke barriers in segregated workplaces. Her engineering work focused on aircraft airflow. Later, she led NASA’s women’s program and was a Girl Scout leader. Read more in our blog…
-
Electrical Engineer • Founder of Black Girls CodeBorn 1967 • United States Originally a successful electrical engineer, Kimberly Bryant has dedicated her life to empowering young girls from underrepresented communities to become future programmers. Read more in our blog post Celebrating Inspirational Black Women Engineers during Engineers Weekopen_in_new. You may also like:
-
Theoretical Physicist • Former President of Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteBorn 1946 • United States As the first black woman to earn her doctorate degree from MIT University and president of an esteemed New York college, Dr. Jackson is a pioneer of subatomic particles and an advisor to the White House on national security and environmental challenges.…
-
Technologist • EntrepreneurBorn 1977 • Kenya Juliana Rotich, a technologist and entrepreneur, co-founded BRCK Inc., a Kenyan company focused on enabling communication in challenging environments. She also co-founded Ushahidi Inc., a non-profit specializing in free, open-source software for transforming global information flow. This poster was commissioned by the Nevertheless podcastopen_in_new, which celebrates women’s STEM advancements.…
-
Pharmaceutical Chemist • EducatorBorn 1930 • China Tu Youyou, a Chinese pharmaceutical chemist, discovered artemisinin and dihydroartemisinin, drugs that revolutionized 20th-century tropical medicine and saved millions of lives by treating malaria. Received the 2015 Nobel Prize, making her the first Chinese woman to receive a Nobel Prize in any category. This poster was commissioned by…
-
Scientist • InnovatorBorn 1967 • Saudi Arabia Dr. Hayat Sindi is one of the world’s leading biotechnologists. She is the Founder and President of the i2 Institute and a co-founder of Diagnostics For All. Dr. Sindi was the first Saudi woman to be accepted at Cambridge University to study the field of biotechnology, and the…
-
Scientist • Molecular Biologist1920-1958 • England Rosalind Franklin was a pioneer of the study of the molecular structure of coal, viruses, and DNA. Her X-ray diffraction images of DNA enabled Francis Crick and James Watson to identify the double helix structure. In 2003, The Royal Society established the Rosalind Franklin Award to bring attention to…
-
MathematicianBorn 1930 • United States Gladys West is an American mathematician known for her contributions to the mathematics underpinning GPS, which were uncovered when a member of her sorority read a short biography West had submitted for an alumni function. This poster was commissioned by the Nevertheless podcastopen_in_new, which celebrates women’s STEM advancements. Artist: Geneva…
-
Chemical Engineer • Doctor • AstronautBorn 1956 • United States Driven by a childhood dream ignited by Star Trek and defying societal limits, Dr. Mae Jemison earned degrees in chemical engineering and medicine before joining NASA. In 1992, she made history as the first African-American woman to orbit Earth, spending 8 days conducting experiments on…
-
Scientist • RoboticistBorn 1967 • United States Dr. Cynthia Breazeal, an MIT Associate Professor and founder of the Personal Robots Group, is a pioneer in Social Robotics and Human-Robot Interaction. She’s also the founder and Chief Scientist of Jibo, Inc. and author of Designing Sociable Robots. This poster was commissioned by the Nevertheless podcastopen_in_new, which…
-
Biopharmacist • Human Rights DefenderBorn 1945 • Brazil Maria da Penha, a Brazilian biopharmacist and human rights defender, advocates for women rights, particularly against domestic violence. Her work led to the creation of the Maria da Penha Law, which has helped millions of women in Brazil since 2006. This poster was commissioned by the Nevertheless…