There are many influential women in the science of today, so let's look at some modern women in science from the last century: Jennifer Doudna, Cecilia Hidalgo Tapia, and Joanna Dunkley. Each of these women have earned awards for each of their fields of study. I have chosen to recognize each of these women, not necessarily by how well known they are, but by their efforts and how they improved life.
Jennifer Doudna is a woman known for her invention of CRISPR, a gene-editing tool. Born February 19, 1964, Doudna began to have an interest in science when exploring the nature around her home. Later in life when she went on to take a chemistry class, her interest would further spark, enticing her to pursue the scientific field. She attended Harvard Medical school where her research would later help her to invent CRISPR (Berkeley, University). In 2012, Doudna and her colleagues invented CRISPR, which meant the genes of any organism could be altered. She received a Nobel peace prize in 2018 for her contributions to cancer treatments. Currently, she works in a genetics institution at the University of California, Berkeley (Foundation, Gruber).
Cecilia Hidalgo Tapia is a prominent figure in STEM because she was the first woman to win the National Prize For Natural Sciences award in 2006. Born in 1941, in Chile, she attended the University of Chile in 1965 while earning a doctorate in biochemistry. She has taught at the University of Chile and has been a member of many different scientific institutions. She earned the National Prize for Natural Sciences for her outstanding research and work in her field of biochemistry. Currently, she is the vice president of the advisory council for the Foundation for Young Scientists. While she was working with the University of Chile, they awarded her the Amanda Labraras Medal of Merit (Chile, University).
Jo Dunkley is a British astrophysicist, born in the 1970s. She went to North London Collegiate School and the University of Cambridge, where she graduated with a master's degree in Natural Sciences. Currently, her studies are focused on the evolution of the Universe. She works at Princeton University as a professor in physics and astrophysical sciences. Dunkley was the first person to know the age of the universe. She was able to use the information of previous astronomers to further the discovery of space. Even though she has expressed her lack of desire to be in space, she still chooses to work with it. Dunkley has even released a book, Our Universe: An Astronomers Guide, which helps us to understand the universe as she does (Dunkley, Jo).
Each of these women have been recognized for the effort they have put into their fields of study. We can thank Jennifer Doudna for her invention of CRISPR, Cecilia Hidalgo Tapia for breaking the glass ceiling, and Jo Dunkley for her discoveries of the Universe.
JayLynn is a member of student council, human rights club, and the schools newspaper so far. She enjoys helping people but sometimes she does enjoy time to herself, it that spare time she enjoys watching tv and reading books. In her younger age, she enjoyed writing stories, which she still likes to do today.
Sources:
Berkeley, University. “Jennifer A. Doudna.” Jennifer A. Doudna | Research UC Berkeley, 6 Dec. 2021, https://vcresearch.berkeley.edu/faculty/jennifer-doudna.
Foundation, Gruber. “Jennifer Doudna.” Jennifer Doudna | Gruber Foundation, 2015, https://gruber.yale.edu/genetics/jennifer-doudna.
Chile, University. “María Cecilia Hidalgo Tapia.” Portada Universidad De Chile, n.d.,
https://www.uchile.cl/portal/presentacion/historia/grandes-figuras/premios-nacionales/ciencias-/3 0287/maria-cecilia-hidalgo-tapia.
Dunkley, Jo. “Jo Dunkley - About.” Princeton University, The Trustees of Princeton University, 2019, https://physics.princeton.edu/~jdunkley/.
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