11 February 2021 may be the Overseas Day of females and Girls in Science, to identify the critical part ladies and girls perform in technology and technology communities. Being a college that strives for variety, we seize this minute to commemorate our feminine heroes in technology. And exactly how fitting for the lustrum theme: Heroes Like You year.
Eight people in the TU/e community placed their female hero in technology in the limelight. Yes, you’ll probably recognize some names that are famous record, but you’ll take for a couple shocks aswell.
Get prompted by these hero that is fantastic, whom did groundbreaking work, who inspired young generations and that are a good example for everybody to help keep doing that which you like, regardless of what the obstacles are.
That is your female hero in science? Write to us through the hashtag TUE65!
Rosalind Franklin
Chosen by: Rakshita Verma, PDEng Trainee, Chemical Engineering & Chemistry
Who was simply she?
“Rosalind Franklin had been a chemist and discovered the helix framework of DNA by using X-ray diffraction. Although she made a significant share to technology, she never ever received a Noble Prize because of it as she passed on. Individuals bear in mind James Watson and Francis Crick with their Noble Prize regarding the helix framework of DNA, but if it absolutely wasn’t for Franklin, they may not need had the oppertunity to produce it.”
Exactly why is she a hero for your needs?
“When I was in twelfth grade, i stumbled upon this biography of Rosalind Franklin in 
my own college library. I simply borrowed that guide, however it turned into quite interesting. Although in Franklin’s age, science wasn’t popular and individuals associated every thing to faith, she was adament towards the undeniable fact that technology and every day life can’t be divided, and technology provides partial concept of life.
The fact that we similar to about Franklin could be the quantity of groundbreaking work she did separately in a brief time period. Without her research in the framework of DNA, much further progress in the industry of bioscience wouldn’t have now been feasible. Additionally, despite getting opposition from her peers, she just kept doing her work.”
MARGARET MURNANE
Who’s she?
“Margaret Murnane is really a physicist initially from Ireland whom presently works during the University of Colorado Boulder. This woman is a certainly fundamental scientist, but she additionally keeps a watch in the application – without losing by by herself on it. Many companies have an interest inside her work.
Her industry of scientific studies are atomic physics, where she torments atoms with incredibly laser that is short to the stage which they display extremely odd behavior, such as for instance emitting X-rays. She’d deserve a Nobel Prize, although these often do not reward such ‘niche’ research areas.”
How come she a hero for you?
“this woman is a part model in my situation. She is a scientist that is true who causes from technology during the core, but additionally gives the application.
We also admire exactly how she trains her individuals. I once invested a time visiting her lab in boulder, colorado. We saw exactly exactly how she interacts along with her PhDs, what sort of book in a journal that is top celebrated. She motivates her individuals without telling them every thing. Inspiring to observe how she does that.”
Katherine Johnson
Chosen by: Lisa van Etten, pupil Automotive Engineering and venture Manager of pupil group TU/ecomotive, that built Luca, a motor vehicle made nearly totally from recycled waste
Who had been she?
“She had been A african-american mathematician and worked at NASA and NACA (predecessor of NASA). At her time at NASA, she assisted determining trajectories, launch windows and return paths for different tasks like the undertaking Mercury where in actuality the very first US guy, John Glenn, had been put in orbit. She had been groundbreaking both in the technology field as well as other industries.
I didn’t find out about Katherine Johnson before viewing the film Hidden Figures, when the tale of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn and Mary Jackson is told. I obtained influenced because of the tale of those women, particularly the one about Katherine Johnson.
A fantastic anecdote is John Glenn asked Katherine to test by hand the pc calculations, since electronic computer systems were utilized the very first time, for determining their orbit all over world. The self- self- confidence in Katherine Johnson is amazing to see, that with her knowledge and passion, she had been trusted a lot more than the computer systems during the time. It was very unique, considering she had been a girl and segregation had been still present.”
How come she a hero for you personally?
“She is for me personally a proper hero on her groundbreaking operate in aerospace technology while fighting stereotypes and also the tradition inside her own means, appearing that this woman is just like worthy as one other people inside her division. This inspires me personally that by spending so much time and trusting your very own abilities, it is possible to show which you love to do that you can do anything.
She actually is an illustration for a whole load of ladies, girls and in actual fact anybody, that if you want technology, technology or just about any industry, you really need to do it now plus don’t allow objectives stop you against doing one thing you like.”
MARIE CURIE
Preferred by: Robert-Jan Smits, President of TU/e’s Executive Board
Who had been she?
“Marie Skłodowska-Curie had been probably the most impressive experts of European countries. She did groundbreaking research on radioactivity which is why she won two Nobel Prizes in 1903: one for Physics and something for Chemistry. She has also been the female that is first to win the Nobel Prize.
The EU have actually known as its prestigious cooperation and change programme after her: the Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions, from where numerous scientists additionally at the TU/e have benefited.”
Exactly why is she a hero for you?
“She is in therefore numerous ways a supply of motivation. She actually is an iconic part model for feminine researchers and technology generally speaking. Marie Skłodowska-Curie literally provided her life to technology and made essential efforts, regardless of the reality that she encountered rigid headwinds, being a scientist that is female.
“She came to be in Poland and relocated to France inside her twenties to follow her medical job, making her a prime illustration of European flexibility in technology. unfortuitously she additionally passed away because of her research, due to the cumulation of radiation that she ended up being confronted with during her life.”