Famous Female Scientists

Women have time and again proven themselves in every possible field, which is said to be man's forte. By conquering areas like sports, technology, science, philosophy, literature, fashion, etc., we will find a lady standing out among the popular male achievers. However, the contribution of women in fields of science and research has surely been worth a mention, as some of the most important discoveries have women as their patent holders. There are many famous scientists who are known for their appreciable efforts in the field of research and many of them have been awarded the Nobel Prize for their achievements as well. So, if you are eager to find out, who are some of the famous female scientists, who managed to be very good in their professions and excellent homemakers too, read on...

Famous Female Scientists and Their Discoveries

Right from, as early as the 4 century B.C., women have put a step ahead of men and challenged the society, with their grace and knowledge. But all she received is mockery, disappointment and people putting her down, showing her place as a homemaker. However, with the various social changes throughout history, these famous women have gained respect they deserve and made use of it efficiently to the benefit of them and society.

Since, research has till date been the largest area of human progress, there are a number of women examples, making their places here as well. In the coming up paragraphs, you will read about some of the famous female scientists along with their achievements. Thus, with pride I present to you a list of a few famous women scientists, who made a difference in the world with their contribution to science.

Marie Curie (1867-1934)
Marie Curie is a very well-known name in various scientific books, as she undoubtedly made humongous contributions to the field of science. She is popularly known as the "Mother of Modern Physics", and is a known pioneer in radioactivity (she coined the term). Marie Curie was the first woman to be awarded with a Ph.D. in Europe for her subject and later became the first female professor at the Sorbonne. She isolated polonium and radium first, and introduced beta rays in her studies. Marie Curie was also the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the first person to win it in two different subjects i.e. Physics (1903) and Chemistry (1911).

Maria Mayer (1906-1972)
Another lady from the famous female scientists list, is Maria Mayer, a German physicist. She is known for determining the shell structure of an atom, its electronic configuration and the placement of the electrons in the shells. She was also awarded the Nobel Prize for the discovery of a procedure that separated the Uranium isotopes. She is now known to be one of the key discoverers in the formation of the atomic bomb.

Jane Goodall (1934)
Born in England, Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall, is one of the most famous female scientists. She is known to be an anthropologist, ethologist, primatologist and a UN Messenger of Peace. She is also considered as one among the famous women biologists and is the founder of Jane Goodall Institute. She has worked for about 45 years studying the social and family interactions of chimpanzees.

Gertrude B. Elien (1918-1999)
Gertrude B. Elien was an American scientist, known to make a major contribution in cancer research. She is known to have invented various anti-cancer drugs which are extremely effective in treating the deadly disease. For these inventions, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1988 in Medicine. She was the scientist who invented 6-mercaptopurine (Purinethol), the first ever known treatment for leukemia.

Alessandra Gillani (1307-1326)
She was an anatomist from Italy and the first women to prepare dissections for anatomical studies. Known to be one of the famous women inventors, Alessandra Gillani developed a method of replacing the blood from the corpse with a hardening colored dye, so that the tiniest vessels were made visible for study. Even though there is very little known of her life and her achievements, she can be considered as one of the famous scientists.

Ada Lovelace (1815-1852)
Her full name was Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace was an English writer. With her name among the other famous women mathematicians, she was later known for her incredible work on the workings of an Analytical Engines as well as the Differential Engines. She was the first person to introduce, how these engines could calculate Bernoulli numbers and thus her contribution in computer technology was worth a mention. She is a great example of one of the famous female scientists for kids.

Rachel Carson (1907-1964)
Rachel Louise Carson, a very common one of the famous scientists names, was a marine biologist from America, and she wrote on nature as well. She studied the effects of DDT on certain crops and the water systems, as there were many problems created due to some synthetic pesticides. She wrote various books like 'The Sea Around Us', 'The Edge of the Sea' and 'Under the Sea Wind' through her life. Her book 'Silent Spring' was her effort to bring to notice the adverse effects of pesticides on nature.

With this elaborate information about some of the famous female scientists, who made a difference in society and research, I am sure you have learned a lot. There are many more women who have made variable discoveries and inventions for the world and are remembered for their contributions even today.