Women in Science

INTRODUCTION

Nothing says trouble like a woman in pants. That was the attitude in the 1930s, anyway; when Barbara McClintock wore slacks at the University of Missouri, it was considered scandalous. Even worse, she was feisty, direct, incredibly smart, and twice as sharp as most of her male colleagues. She did things her way to get the best results, even if it meant working late with her students, who were breaking curfew. If you think these seem like good qualities for scientist, then you are right. But back then, these weren t necessarily considered good qualities in a woman. Her intelligence, her self-confidence, her willingness to break rules, and of course her pants were all considered shocking!

Barbara had already made her mark on the field of genetics with her groundbreaking work at Cornell University, mapping chromosomes using corn. This work is still important in scientific history. Yet while working at the University of Missouri Barbara was seen as bold and unladylike. The faculty excluded her from meetings and gave her little support with her research. When she found out they would fire her if she got married and there was no possibility of promotion, she decided she had had enough.

Risking her entire career, she packed her bags. With no plan, except an unwillingness to compromise her worth, Barbara went off to find her dream job. This decision would allow her to joyously research all day and eventually make the discovery of jumping genes. This discovery would win her a Nobel Prize and forever change how we view genetics.

Barbara McClintock s story is not unique. As long as humanity has asked questions about our world, men and women have looked to the stars, under rocks, and through microscopes to find the answers. Although both men and women have the same thirst for knowledge, women have not always been given the same opportunities to explore the answers.

In the past, restrictions on women s access to education was not uncommon. Women were

RACHEL IGNOTOFSKY is a New York Times-bestselling author, illustrator, designer. She graduated from Tyler School of Art's graphic design program and formerly worked as a senior designer and illustrator at Hallmark Greetings. Rachel and her work have been featured in many print and online media outlets such as Babble, the Huffington Post, Scientific American, and Buzzfeed. She is the author of The Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth, Women in Science, Women in Sports, and I Love Science.

Praise for the original edition of WOMEN IN SCIENCE

"Here are physicists, astronauts, mathematicians. Vulcanologist and entomologists. Inventors and Nobel laureates. Here is inspiration." Mary Roach, author of Gulp

"A great addition to the shelf of any student, of any age."  Hope Jahren, author of Lab Girl, for The Fader

"In this wittily illustrated, accessible volume, Rachel Ignotofsky highlights 50 women who changed the course of science." Wall Street Journal

"Beautiful and instructive." Entertainment Weekly (online)

" The must-read, girl-power STEM book." InStyle (online)

"[A] beautifully curated collection with a dash of whimsy thrown in." Upworthy

" The world needs more books like this." Scientific American's Symbiartic (online)

"Ignotofsky captures the heartbreaking inequalities that only amplify the impressiveness of these women s feats."
Maria Popova, Brain Pickings (online)

"A clever introduction to women scientists through history." Science Friday