Maria Sibylla Merian portrait (17th century)

Cross-Link to The Scientific Revolution and the Scientific Method

Men were not the only people involved in the great discoveries of the Scientific Revolution! Many women made contributions as well, but due to the rigid gender lines of the time, they were often not recognized for their achievements.

Below is a list of female contributors to the Scientific Revolution with links to their biographies.

Margaret Cavendish, 1672

 
Margaret Cavendish (1623-1673): Margaret Cavendish was a British natural philosopher who helped to make some of the major ideas of the Scientific Revolution popular. Cavendish published two books on areas she felt were lacking in terms of discoveries and also advocated for a larger female presence in science as well as better education for girls.

Khan Academy description of Margaret Cavendish's contributions Part 1 and Part 2. 

Maria Winkelmann (1670-1720):

Maria Winkelmann was a German astronomer who worked with her husband, Gottfried Kirch developing astronomical calendars. Since female scientists were not respected at the time, Winkelmann acted as his assistant even though she was actually his co-worker. In 1702, Winkelmann became the first woman to discover a comet.

Maria Sibylla Merian(1647-1717):

Maria Sibylla Merian was a German botanist and zoologist who created an illustrated book of specimens of European insects, moths, and butterflies. In 1672, Merian traveled to Suriname (Dutch South Africa) with only a female companion and collected specimens there which she later published into her noteworthy Dissertation in Insect Generations and Metamorphosis in Surinam.

See also, Maria Sibylla Merian: Scientific Butterfly

Gabrielle Emilie Du Chatelet

(1706-49) Gabrielle Emilie Du Chatelet was a French Mathematician and Physicist.

• Despite most likely being almost entirely self educated, her 1740 writing known as the "Foundations of Physics" gained her significant notoriety and she became an accepted member of the "Republic of Letters".

• She would later be known for besting an acclaimed director at the "Academy of Sciences" by finding a more proper formula for Kinetic Energy. Perhaps her most notorious contribution Physics was her corrections on Galileo's hypotheses.

Maria Cunitz

(1610-1664) Maria Cunitz was a German astronomer who provided much insight into the field of Astronomy. She is best known for writing the book Urania Propitia, which gave a better and more advanced solution to Kepler's Problem, which would more easily determine the position of planets in their paths around the sun.

Sophia Brahe

(1556-1643) Sophia Brahe was a Danish horticulturalist who studied the fields of astronomy, chemistry and medicine. She is best known for working with her brother, Tycho, in finding a supernova and lunar eclipse. Her work helped to allow for a better determination of the planets' orbit around the sun.

Laura Bassi

(1711-1778) Laura Bassi was an Italian physicist who became the first female professor at a European university in history. Bassi is also known for her contributions to Newtonian physics, and the expansion of that field of research.

Women in Science in the 19th and 20th Centuries

Rosalind Franklin was an English Chemist from 1920-1958 who made contributions to the understanding of the molecular structure of DNA, RNA, and viruses. She is best known for her work on X-ray diffraction images of DNA which led to the discovery of the DNA double Helix 

Click here for more information on Rosalind Franklin

This is an interesting link as it explains how Rosalind Franklin did not receive credit or a Noble Peace Prize for her work on DNA.

• Rosalind Franklin, Molecular Biologist

Marie Curie

(1867-1934) Marie Curie was a Polish-born physicist and chemist. She is best known for her outstanding work in radioactivity. She developed the theory of Radioactivity, and discovered the elements radium and polonium. She won a Nobel Prize for Physics and Chemistry, becoming the first woman to win the award.

Click here for a 5 minute video detailing the contributions to science made by Marie Curie

• Marie Curie, Scientist and Twice Noble Prize Recipient

Lise Meitner

(1878-1968) Lise Meitner was an Austrian physicist who focused her research on radioactivity and nuclear physics. Along with Otto Hahn and Otto Frisch, Meitner helped to discover the process of nuclear fission. This finding would lead to the development of the first nuclear bomb, of which was used in WWII.

Chien-Shiung Wu, The First Lady of Physics in 1963

Chien-Shiung Wu

(1912-1997) Chien-Shiung Wu was a Chinese-American physicist, who is most known for her work in nuclear physics. Wu was one of the scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project to develop nuclear weapons during WWII. Her experiment, known as the Wu Experiment, which proved that parity could not be conserved in weak interactions. This finding greatly impacted the scientific community, as it was previously believed that parity could be conserved.

Click here for a detailed account of Chien-Shiung Wu, which describes her process of leaving her home and family in China, in order to further her studies in the United States. Not only was Wu one of a very few female scientists during her time, but she was one of an even smaller few scientists from China working in the United States.

 The Untold Stories of Women in Science and Technology: Let's Write Them into History

Click here for a lesson plan featuring an activity where students have to analyze why there are so few women in STEM fields. They will read about the barriers for women in science, as well as learn about some famous female contributors to STEM fields

Click here for a fun animated video detailing multiple women's contributions to science throughout history

Click here for a timeline detailing the contributions of females to science spanning from 2354 BCE to present day

 Lise Meitner is best known for her contributions to the field of radioactivity and nuclear physics. Along with Otto Hahn and Otto Frisch, her discovery of which of the following led to the development of the first nuclear bomb?

A. Zippe-type Centrifuge

B. Isotopic Enrichment

C. Nuclear Fission

D. Uranium Bioreduction

Answer: C