Hidden Figures
Hidden Figures (20th Century Fox)
The story of Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe)—brilliant African-American women working at NASA, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation’s confidence, turned around the Space Race, and galvanized the world. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big.
Image licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
Hedy Lamarr
Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story
This PBS American Masters documentary details Lamarr's life story, framed not so much around her image as a Hollywood bombshell, but as a scientist and how her inventions contributed to modern day technologies.
Image licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
From Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey
"Sisters of the Sun"
Season 1, Episode 8
Original Air Date: 4/27/14
Describes the work of Edward Charles Pickering to capture the spectra of multiple stars simultaneously, and the work of the Harvard Computers or "Pickering's Harem", a team of women researchers under Pickering's mentorship, to catalog the spectra. This team included Annie Jump Cannon, who developed the stellar classification system, and Henrietta Swan Leavitt, who has discovered the means to measure the distance from a star to the earth by its spectra, later used to identify other galaxies in the universe. Later, this team included Cecilia Payne, who would develop a good friendship with Cannon; Payne's thesis based on her work with Cannon was able to determine the composition and temperature of the stars, collaborating with Cannon's classification system.
Articles
May, R. (2023, Apr 24). Overlooked no more: Elizabeth Wagner Reed, who resurrected legacies of women in science. New York Times.
Martín, M.V. (2020). Women and partnership genealogies in Drosophila population genetics. Perspectives on Science 28(2), 277-317.
Sydell, L. (2014, Oct 6). The forgotten female programmers who created modern tech. NPR All Tech Considered.
Lee, J. J. (2013, May 19). 6 women scientists who were snubbed due to sexism. National Geographic. (Requires e-mail submission for three free articles per month, or paid subscription)
Higgitt, R. (2012, Oct 16). Finding women in the history of science. The Guardian.
Clayton, E. (2017, Nov 28). Helping to ensure that women in STEM are hidden no more. U.S. Department of State.
The Silent Pulse of the Universe. Jocelyn Bell was a graduate student at Cambridge in 1967 when she pushed through the skepticism from her superiors to make one of the greatest astrophysical discoveries of the twentieth century. While Jocelyn was belittled and sexually harassed by the media, the Nobel Prize was awarded to her professor and his boss. (16 minute documentary featuring Dr. Bell, herself)
This Talk explores what it means to be a female hidden figure in STEM and what one can do to change it. Alexis M. Scott is a Triple E: Educator, Entrepreneur, and Engineer. She founded AMS Academic Solutions to share her gift of numbers and education that she has possessed since an early age. She has been teaching mathematics for over 20 years, including 18 years as a college professor.
Books
The Counterfeit Countess: The Jewish Woman Who Rescued Thousands of Poles During the Holocaust by Publication Date: 2024: Simon & SchusterBiography of mathematician Dr. Josephine Janina Mehlberg.
Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by
The #1 New York Times bestseller. The phenomenal true story of the black female mathematicians at NASA at the leading edge of the feminist and civil rights movement, whose calculations helped fuel some of America's greatest achievements in space.
Call Number: Available through MelCatPublication Date: 2016
The Madame Curie Complex: The Hidden History of Women in Science by
Why are the fields of science and technology still considered to be the preserve of men? This work moves beyond the common explanations to give historical context and unexpected revelations about women's contributions to the sciences. Des Jardins considers women's personal stories in relation to their male counterparts to demonstrate how the gendered culture of science molds the methods and experience of the work.
Publication Date: 2010
Their Day in the Sun: Women of the Manhattan Project by
"The history of the Manhattan Project, America's extremely secretive effort during World War II to develop the atomic bomb, is almost always presented in light of the male scientists who made the bomb. But, in fact, a large number of women were also involved in the project, although until now their contributions have largely been ignored."--Jacket.
Call Number: Available through MelCatPublication Date: 1999
The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II by
The incredible story of the young women of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, who unwittingly played a crucial role in one of the most significant moments in US history. Many young women from small towns across the South were recruited to this secret city, enticed by solid wages and the promise of war-ending work. Kept very much in the dark, few would ever guess the true nature of the tasks they performed each day in the hulking factories in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains. That is, until the end of the war--when Oak Ridge's secret was revealed.
Call Number: Available through MelCatPublication Date: 2013
Broad Band: the Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet by
If you loved Hidden Figures you'll love Claire Evans' breakthrough book on the women who brought you the internet -- written out of history, until now. Evans shines a light on these bright minds whom history forgot, showing us how women have always pushed technology forward and will continue to shape our world in powerful ways that we can no longer ignore.
Call Number: Available through MeLCatPublication Date: 2018
Women and Ideas in Engineering: Twelve Stories from Illinois by
The increasing presence of women within engineering programs is one of today's most dramatic developments in higher education. Long before, however, a group of talented and determined women carved out new paths in the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois. Laura D. Hahn and Angela S. Wolters bring to light the compelling hidden stories of these pioneering figures. When Mary Louisa Page became the College's first female graduate in 1879, she also was the first American woman ever awarded a degree in architecture. Bobbie Johnson's insistence on "a real engineering job" put her on a path to the Apollo and Skylab programs. Grace Wilson, one of the College's first female faculty members, taught and mentored a generation of women. Their stories and many others illuminate the forgotten history of women in engineering. At the same time, the authors offer insights into the experiences of today's women from the College -- a glimpse of a brighter future, one where more women in STEM fields apply their tireless dedication to the innovations that shape a better tomorrow.
Publication Date: 2018: University of Illinois Press
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by
New York Times #1 Best Seller. Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells--taken without her knowledge--became one of the most important tools in medicine.
Publication Date: 2011
Uneasy Careers and Intimate Lives: Women in Science, 1789-1979 by Call Number: Q 130 .U525 1987Publication Date: 1987.
Nobel Prize Women in Science: Their Lives, Struggles, and Momentous Discoveries by
Since 1901 there have been over three hundred recipients of the Nobel Prize in the sciences. Only ten of them -- about 3 percent -- have been women. Why? In this updated version of Nobel Prize Women in Science, Sharon Bertsch McGrayne explores the reasons for this astonishing disparity by examining the lives and achievements of fifteen women scientists who either won a Nobel Prize or played a crucial role in a Nobel Prize - winning project. The book reveals the relentless discrimination these women faced both as students and as researchers. Their success was due to the fact that they were passionately in love with science. The book begins with Marie Curie, the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in physics. Readers are then introduced to Christiane Nusslein-Volhard, Emmy Noether, Lise Meitner, Barbara McClintock, Chien-Shiung Wu, and Rosalind Franklin. These and other remarkable women portrayed here struggled against gender discrimination, raised families, and became political and religious leaders. They were mountain climbers, musicians, seamstresses, and gourmet cooks. Above all, they were strong, joyful women in love with discovery. Nobel Prize Women in Science is a startling and revealing look into the history of science and the critical and inspiring role that women have played in the drama of scientific progress.
Publication Date: 1998
PBS NOVA Series for Grades 6-12
The Secret Life of Scientists and Engineers is an Emmy-nominated web series that profiles today’s leading scientists—and shows what they’re like when the lab coats come off. Learn about the inspirations, hobbies, and career highlights of scientists from all fields and backgrounds. This series is Women in STEM.
