Every year on 8th March the world comes together to celebrate International Women’s Day. As National Science and Engineering Week begins tomorrow we have decided to look specifically at the important role women have played in science.
The ARKive Media team is made up of scientists, who spend their days researching endangered species, whether it is tracking down images or writing texts. So I decided to get them involved by asking the girls in the office about what got them into science, who their favourite female scientists are, and how our work in schools through STEMNET has enabled them to share their enthusiasm for science.
Claire Lewis, ARKive Media Researcher
I’ve always been interested in science and biology appealed to me in particular at school because it is probably the clearest science to see “in action” so to speak – I’ve always had a fascination with how humans and animals function. At college I became interested in psychology too, and went on to do a joint honours degree in Psychology and Zoology at the University of Bristol, with a focus on animal behaviour.
My female science hero is probably Jane Goodall, for her dedicated study of chimpanzee behaviour, and of course her conservation work. Working at ARKive has given me the opportunity to go into schools to help engage and inspire the next generation with the natural world.
Hannah Mulvany, ARKive Species Text Author Intern (studying Conservation Biology at UWE)
My bookshelf at home is full of encyclopaedias and text books about the natural world, some people may think I’m a geek, but I just know what I like, and that happens to be biology! I like having a heightened sense of my surroundings and knowing why the world acts the way it does.
My ultimate female science hero is Dian Fossey. She believed so strongly in the conservation of gorillas that she spent her entire life fighting for it. A quote I have always found very inspiring is her very last diary entry, which said, “When you realise the value of all life, you dwell less on what is past and concentrate more on the preservation of the future”.
Rebecca Taylor, ARKive Media Researcher
Even when I was young my brother and I always watched natural history programmes in awe, so coupled with my passion for finding out how things work, I think I always knew I was going to be a biologist! I went on to do a biology degree at Bristol University and as soon as I graduated I ended up here working on the ARKive project.
One of the women who inspires me the most is Rosalind Franklin, who made significant contributions to the discovery of the structure of DNA. Unfortunately she is often overlooked and I think she deserves much more recognition, as it was her data that that was actually used to confirm the idea.
Becky Moran, Species Text Author
Biology was definitely my favourite subject at school, I think I’ve always been interested in the how? why? and what?! The stranger the better, and nowhere is stranger and more fascinating than the animal kingdom. My hero in science is Marion Petrie. She discovered that female peafowl preferred males with more eyespots, by snipping the eyespots off certain males’ tails!
After studying for a PhD in evolutionary biology, I came to work at ARKive, and as a STEM Ambassador I now particularly love taking as many strange animal facts into schools as possible. Hopefully this will inspire more women to enter the strange world of science!
Helen Roddis, Species Text Author
I loved science at school – particularly the fact that science lessons meant the chance to experiment! I liked that science is so varied, and so I chose to study Biology at university and have even gone on to study for a Masters degree in Conservation Biology. I would love to help dispel the myth that all scientists wear white coats – it’s certainly very rare that I wear mine!
Admittedly, I’m not the biggest fan of chemistry or physics, but one of the scientists that inspires me most is Marie Curie, and that’s not just because we share a birthday! She was a chemist and pioneered research on radioactivity. She received two Nobel Prizes for her work in physics and chemistry, and was the first female professor at the University of Paris.
Do you love science? Why not tell us why! Which women do you find inspiring (scientists of otherwise)? From all of the ARKive Media Team we wish you a very Happy International Women’s Day!
Laura Sutherland, ARKive Education Officer
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