21. Marie Curie
Dates: November 7, 1867 - July 4, 1934
Known for: Marie Curie was the:
• first well-known woman scientist in the modern world
• called tha "Mother of Modern Physics" -- pioneer in research into radioactivity, a word she coined
• first woman awarded a Ph.D. in research science in Europe
• first woman professor at the Sorbonne
• discoverer of and first to isolate polonium and radium; she established the nature of radiation and beta rays
• first woman to be awarded a Nobel Prize, first person to win Nobel Prizes in two different scientific disciplines: (1903) Physics and Chemistry (1911)
22. Gertrude Bell Elion
Also known as Gertrude Belle Elion
Dates: January 23, 1918 - April 21, 1999
Known for: Gertrude Elion is known for discovering many medications, including medications for HIV/AIDS, herpes, immunity disorders, and leukemia. She and her colleague George H. Hitchings were awarded the Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine in 1988.
23. Dian Fossey
Dates: January 16, 1932 - December 26, 1985
Known for: Primatologist Dian Fossey is remembered for her study of mountain gorillas and her work to preserve habitat for gorillas.
24. Rosalind Franklin
Dates: July 25, 1920 - April 16, 1958
Known for: Rosalind Franklin had a key role (largely unacknowledged during her lifetime) in discovering the helical structure of DNA.
25. Sophie Germain
Dates: April 1, 1776 - June 27, 1831
Known for: Sophie Germain's work in number theory is foundational to the applied mathematics used in construction of skyscrapers today, and her mathematical physics to the study of elasticity and acoustics. She was also the first woman not related to a member by marriage to attend Academie des Sciences meetingsand the first woman invited to attend sessions at the Institut de France.
26. Lillian Gilbreth
Dates: May 24, 1876 - January 2, 1972
Known for: Lillian Gilbreth was an industrial engineer and consultant who studied efficiency. With responsibility for running a household and raising twelve children, especially after her husband's death in 1924, she established the Motion Study Institute in her home, applying her learning both to business and to the home. She also worked on rehabilitation and adaptation for the disabled. Two of her children wrote of their family life in Cheaper by the Dozen.
27. Alessandra Giliani
Dates: ~1307 - March 26, 1326
Known for: Alessandra Giliani was reputedly the first to use the injection of colored fluids to trace blood vessels. She was the only known woman prosector in medieval Europe.
28. Maria Goeppert-Mayer
Dates: June 18, 1906 - February 20, 1972
Known for: A mathematician and physicist, Maria Goeppert Mayer was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1963 for her work on the nuclear shell structure.
29. Winifred Goldring
Dates: February 1, 1888 - January 30, 1971
Known for: Winifred Goldring worked on research and education in paleontology and published several handbooks on the topic for laypeople and for professionals. She was the first woman president of the Paleontological Society.
30. Jane Goodall
Dates: April 3, 1934 -
Known for: Primatologist Jane Goodall is known for her chimpanzee observation and research at Gombe Stream Reserve.
