Women in STEM

by Tori Corbett

In addition to marking the start of spring, March is also Women’s History Month. This month celebrates women across the world for their efforts and struggles throughout history. Activism by women has increased rights and awareness for women in the workplace, especially in STEM careers. However, diversity in many fields isn’t as high as it could or should be. Recognizing the impact of women in minority groups is very important. To do this, we will explore the lives of three incredible minority women in STEM.

Dr. Rim Al Turkmani is a strong example of why there should be more muslim women in STEM. Dr. Turkmani is an astrophysicist and researcher at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Turkmani directs the Syria conflict research program at the unit she works in. Her research focuses on identity politics, legitimate governance, transforming war economy into peace economy, and more. Turkmani is a member of the Women's Advisory Board to the UN and she is on the advisory board of airwars.org. This site monitors the international strikes against ISIS. These are just some of Dr. Turkmani’s many accomplishments.




2. Dr. Isabella Abbott

Dr. Isabella Abbott is a native Hawaiian and marine biologist. Abbott grew up to become the first native Hawaiian woman to earn a PhD in science. In 1937, Abbott graduated from Kamehameha Schools. She then earned a bachelor’s degree in botany from the University of Hawaii in 1941 and a master’s degree from the University of Michigan in 1942. After marrying zoologist Don Abbott, she obtained her PhD in algal taxonomy from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1950. In 1972, Abbott became the first female professor in Stanford’s Biology department. After retiring, Abbott was given the Gilbert Morgan Smith Medal by the National Academy of Sciences and became known as a “living treasure of Hawaii.” Abbott wrote hundreds of articles throughout her career and did a large amount of valuable research.

3. Ellen Ochoa

Ellen Ochoa is a Mexican-American engineer. She is a former astronaut and served as the director of the Johnson Space Center until 2018. Ochoa is the first Latina to take this position. When Ochoa graduated from high school in 1975, Stanford University offered her a full scholarship because of her grades, but she wanted to stay close to her family and attended San Diego State University instead. Ochoa wanted to study engineering in college, but since there were few female engineers, her professors encouraged her to study physics instead. After graduating, Ochoa obtained a master’s degree in engineering at Stanford University on a full scholarship. Joseph Goodman, one of Ochoa’s professors, inspired her to enroll in a doctorate program after receiving her master’s degree in 1981. Ochoa worked with two professors on developing a new optical inspection system, and they received a patent for this system. 

When Sally Ride became the first American woman to go to space in 1983, women like Ochoa were inspired. In 1985, she applied to the NASA Astronaut Training Program. Ochoa was not accepted when she first applied, but she got a research job at Sandia National Laboratories after she received her doctorate. Ochoa applied to NASA again in 1987,  and although she was among the top 100 out of thousands of applications, she was not chosen to train as an astronaut. The next year, Ochoa got a new job at the NASA Ames Research Center. Once again, NASA  was accepting new applications for astronaut training in 1990. Ochoa decided to appply and this time, she was selected. On July 11, 1991, Ochoa officially became an astronaut. NASA chose Ochoa to go on her first space mission on April 8, 1993, making her the first Latina to go into space. She and her four fellow crew members spent nine days on their mission aboard the space shuttle Discovery. The team researched the effects of the sun on Earth’s environment. Ochoa ultimately went to space three times throughout her career. 

Discriminatory policy is deeply ingrained in much of the modern day’s job economy. In order to combat this, it is important to show the world and these women themselves that we care about the parts minority women play in making our society better. This is why highlighting minority women in STEM is so important. We can show these women and minorities that their hard work does not go unnoticed, and we can demand they get more opportunity to continue to make change. These three women are just a few of many minority women in STEM. Moving forward, diversity in the workplace will hopefully expand.