The International Day of Women and Girls in Science was observed on Sunday, Feb. 11.
On Dec. 22, 2015, the General Assembly of the United Nations established an annual day to recognize the critical role women and girls play in science and technology. The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is an opportunity to promote full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls. Gender equality is a global priority for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), including the support of young girls, their education and their full ability to make their ideas heard are levers for development and peace. This is also a reminder that women and girls play a critical role in science and technology communities and that their participation should be strengthened.
Although Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields are widely regarded as critical to national economies, so far most countries have not achieved gender equality in STEM. Only 35% of all students in STEM-related fields of study are women and the global average percentage of female researchers is just 33.3%. Women occupy a small minority of top-level positions, despite improvement in recent years, and only 22 women have been awarded a Nobel Prize in a scientific discipline to date. There are, however, amazing successes.
Please join us to recognize the following women who have rocked the STEM world:
- Tiera Guinn – this young scientist from MIT is an aerospace major who is helping to build a rocket for NASA.
- Marie Curie – this physicist and chemist was the head of the physics lab at a European University who went on to win the Nobel Prize in 1903 with her husband.
- Elizabeth Blackwell – she was the first woman to graduate from medical school in the United States in 1849.
- Mae C. Jemison – she was a medical doctor and astronaut, who in 1992, became the first African American woman in space.
- Gertrude Elion – born in 1918, she was a Nobel Prize winner who developed drugs to treat leukemia and prevent kidney transplant rejection.
In observance of #InternationalDayOfWomenAndGirlsInScience:
- Learn more about the barriers women and girls face when it comes to science and technology training and education.
- Research other famous women in science and technology.
- Ask girls that you know if they would consider pursuing a career in science and technology.
- Think about what the world would be like if there were more women in this field.
Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Hudson Valley Community College