International Women’s Day: Inspiring Influences of Women in STEM

As I sat down to pen my thoughts about the Women’s Day and women in STEM who have inspired or influenced me, faces of several eminent women flashed in my head. At every stage growing up there have been several influences and inspirations. Some of who were world renowned scientists, who made outstanding contributions in the various fields of science and some who have taught about those discoveries and inventions. Some women were those who I have admired as I learnt about their contributions and, some who I knew personally and interacted with, in the years of formal education. 

So, let me start with the Nobel laureate Madame Curie. Any of us who have heard about radium, polonium and the term radioactivity would most definitely have heard about Madame Marie Sklodowska Curie. She was the first woman scientist to have been awarded the Nobel Prize and the only woman to have received two Nobel Prizes in two different fields of science. In times when women had no access to higher education in Poland, she had such great interest and love for learning that she moved to Paris to seek higher education. Her contributions have won accolades in times when women weren't even allowed to address public gatherings. A great progress has been made from then to now, in accommodating more women in various STEM fields. It would be very hard for us now, to imagine how the women in the 1800s accomplished such great breakthroughs against all odds. 

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The contributions and the voices of the earlier generations have paved the way for the next generations to follow. And one of the very important influences of current times happens to be my Chemistry lecturer at the graduate level, Dr. Mala Das Sharma, who was a wonderful teacher, who found innovative ways to make learning more interesting. Her chemistry riddles were one of the most interesting approaches to inculcate an interest in the subject. Later as I moved to the University research level, I happened to draw a lot of inspiration from Prof. Aparna Dutta Gupta, a very accomplished woman scientist, teacher and a fighter. She inspired not just me but so many young minds. Her energy and zest for knowledge kept her working even when she was fighting cancer. 

Yet another inspiring story, is that of the India’s woman entrepreneur Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, a Othmer Gold Medal awardee and a very influential woman who is listed as the 68th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes. Her story inspires many young scientists and entrepreneurs today. She started a business in the small shed with mere ten thousand rupees and went on to establish Biocon India, one of India’s leading Biotechnology Company. Her success story opened up new avenues for many more young minds and encouraged them to take the plunge.

It is these women and their relentless work that helped inspire so many more women to take up STEM studies and be the best in their fields. Kudos to all those brilliant women whose contributions have made people realise that gender has nothing to do with intellect. This international women’s day feels all the more special due the immense contributions that the women all around the globe are making as caregivers, as doctors, as nurses, as scientists and in every walk of life. Their contributions to some very important scientific breakthroughs in the form of mRNA vaccines and new molecular and synthetic biology techniques such as CRISPR are aiding faster and better ways to deal with our current situation. International women’s day gives us the opportunity to acknowledge the contributions made by women for the progress of the society as a whole. 

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