February 11 is designated as International Day of Women and Girls in Science. It was necessary to set aside a day for this to ensure “full and equal access” for women and girls. This year the theme is Equality and Parity in Science for Peace and Development.
This resolution was adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 22, 2015. According to a United Nations study the percentage of male and female graduates with a Bachelor’s degree in Science is 37 to 18%, respectively.
The idea for such a day as this came about at the first World Women’s Health and Development Forum that was organised by the Royal Academy of Science International Trust (RASIT) and The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, in February 2015, at the United Nations Headquarters. The sponsorship of more than 68 countries and the approval by all Member States of the resolution signals the global community’s interest in transforming our world through achieving equality and parity in science for sustainable development.
Women who matter
Let’s take a look at some women who have made a difference with their scientific work. Let’s begin with Anandibai Joshi, the first Indian woman to have a degree in medicine. She was married when she was nine years old and had a son when she was 14. But, the child died soon after. This provoked her to study medicine. She studied at the Women’s Medical College in Pennsylvania and worked in the Albert Edward Hospital when she came back to India.
Janaki Ammal is yet another pathbreaker. She chose Botany, studying cytogenetics and phytogeography. She lived in England for a few years, conducting chromosome studies on garden plants. When she returned to India she became the Director General of the Botanical Survey of India. She was awarded the Padma Shri in 1957.
Asima Chatterjee , on the hand, was a chemist. She is remembered for her contribution to organic chemistry and phytomedicine, development of cancer medicine, anti-epileptic and anti-malarial drugs. She was the first woman to be named a Doctor of Science by an Indian university.
Dr. Aditi Pant is an oceanographer. In 1983, she became the first Indian woman to have visited the icy terrain of Antarctica. She was a part of the third Indian expenditure to Antarctica and received the Antarctica award along with three of her colleagues for their contributions to the project. She worked in the National Institute of Oceanography and the National Chemical Laboratory.
Tessy Thomas , also known as the “Missile Woman of India” is one the leading experts in ballistic missiles in India. She is the project director for the Agni-IV missile at the Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). She is the first woman to lead a missile team in India, and is also known as Agniputri .
Priyamvada Natarajan is an astrophysicist and she has mapped dark energy and dark matter.
Kiran Mazumdar- Shaw is the founder of India’s biggest biotechnology company in India.
Yamuna Krishnan makes experimental machines out of DNA. She was awarded the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in 2013.
Shubha Tole discovered a master regulator gene that controls how the brain’s cortex hippocampus and amygdala develop. Her work throws light on the evolution of modern mammalian brain and also gives an indication as to why defects like autism and epilepsy develop.
Prerna Sharma was part of the team that that forged new ground in two-dimensional physics.
Neena Gupta was awarded the Indian National Science Academy’s medal for young scientists for solving a mathematical problem known as the Zariski Cancellation Conjecture, that was open for almost seven decades.
