Tag: women and STEM

Carol Ruckdeschel: “Tireless defender of sea turtles” (American b. 1941)

Carol Ruckdeschel: “Tireless defender of sea turtles” (American b. 1941)

Posted by | Feb 2, 2021 |

I happened to catch a January 13, 2021 For the Wild podcast titled Carol Ruckdeschel on Keeping Cumberland Island Wild. In this interview, Ruckdeschel describes the ongoing fragmentation of the wilderness protections she and others have fought so hard to establish over the years to protect Georgia’s most biologically diverse barrier islands. But the biggest risk for these islands and their inhabitants is the looming development of Spaceport Camden, a proposed rocket launch site in Camden County, Georgia. I urge you to listen to the podcast and scroll to the bottom of this For the Wild page to the Take Action section...

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Katalin Karikó: The biochemist who persisted!

Katalin Karikó: The biochemist who persisted!

Posted by | Jan 20, 2021 |

I happened to stumble onto the story of this incredible woman whose resilience and persistence have yielded such a relevant contribution to science and medicine, one that we all will benefit from, now and in the future. We need to learn from her story. Yes, she is extraordinary, but what she endured is unacceptable. We can and must do better. “Usually, at that point, people just say goodbye and leave because it’s so horrible,” said Katalin Karikó(FRANCE 24). What if she had thrown her arms up in the air and walked away? And what about those who do just say...

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Matilda Joslyn Gage: In Her Name, American (1826-1898)

Matilda Joslyn Gage: In Her Name, American (1826-1898)

Posted by | Jan 5, 2021 |

A few weeks back, I came upon a term I had not heard before, the ‘Matilda Effect’. It’s defined as: a bias against acknowledging the achievements of those women scientists whose work is attributed to their male colleagues (Wikipedia). This term was coined by science historian Margaret W. Rossiter in 1993, in her essay The Matthew Matilda Effect in Science. The Matthew Effect, labeled in 1948 and credited to Robert K Merton, and later to Harriet Zuckerman as well, refers to the way that: eminent scientists will often get more credit than a comparatively unknown researcher, even if their...

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The Book of Gutsy Women: Favorite Stories of Courage and Resilience by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton (2019)

The Book of Gutsy Women: Favorite Stories of Courage and Resilience by Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton (2019)

Posted by | May 26, 2020 |

This is remarkable: the stories of over 130 courageous women and their contributions in one book! In the introduction, the authors, Hillary and Chelsea, are clear about their motive: “Power has largely been associated with – and defined – by men since the beginning of time. Yet women have painted, written, created, discovered, invented and led for just as long. It’s simply that their work is more likely to go unrecognized – sometimes for centuries. We believe it is past time for that to change”(ix). Not delving too deeply into any one woman’s story, they remind us that if...

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Temple Grandin: “I Can Picture It Perfectly”(American b. 1947)

Temple Grandin: “I Can Picture It Perfectly”(American b. 1947)

Posted by | Mar 9, 2020 |

I have fallen for another remarkable woman, a woman in a western-style shirt and a bolo tie. Writing these posts, my sister and I continually fall head over heels for the women we read and research, women whose contributions are undeniable. Temple Grandin’s life journey, from a three-year-old who did not speak to a seventy-two year old still traveling the country talking about autism and the humane treatment of farm animals, is one worth exploring. What you stand to learn on both fronts is amazing. Driven to constantly open doors in her own life, Temple Grandin has opened doors...

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