On 22 December 2015, the General Assembly of UN decided to establish an annual International Day to recognize the critical role women and girls play in science and technology. This Day is an opportunity to promote full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls. For this occasion we asked our VIRO-FLOW ESR’s to talk about the Woman In STEM that inspire them most.
Tamás’s pick: Florence Nightingale
English social reformer, statistician, and founder of modern nursing
(1820 – 1910)
“ Florence Nightingale followed her devotion to help people in need despite great opposition from her family and the social environment. She was an advocate of the hunger relief in India, in the spreading medicinal knowledge in simple words for the common people and reformed statistics for sanitary environment. During the Crimean War her contribution reduced the mortality rates in the hospital from 42 % to 2% by improvements in hygiene. Most impressive in my opinion is her motivation to help those in need in order to improve the society and following this path despite having multiple opportunities for an easier life. ”
Source: unesco.org/commemorations/womenandgirlinscienceday
Elena’s pick: Samantha Cristoforetti
Astronaut (1977 -)
“ Can you guess who was the first person to brew an espresso coffee in space? An Italian, of course! Samantha Cristoforetti! Back in 2009, she was selected to become the first Italian woman to travel to the International Space Station, where she spent 200 days orbiting around the Earth. The story of her extraordinary journey teaches us that we all can dream of reaching for the moon. ”
Justine’s pick: Jane C. Wright
Cancer researcher and surgeon (1919 – 2013)
“ Jane Cooke Wright was a cancer researcher and surgeon noted for her contributions to chemotherapy. Wright pioneered efforts in utilizing patient tumor biopsies for drug testing, to help select drugs that may work specifically against a particular tumor. Her efforts were also seen in cancer treatment methods, where she developed a nonsurgical procedure using a catheter to deliver toxic chemotherapy drugs to tumors in previously inaccessible areas, such as the kidneys and spleen. To me, she is a true figure of scientific excellence and a brilliant mind. Her commitment to improving patients health is an example and a source of inspiration for many generations of research scientists ”
Sources:
UNESCO
Google image
wikipedia
https://www.jax.org/news-and-insights/jax-blog/2016/november/women-in-science-jane-wright