51. Lise Meitner
Dates: November 7, 1878 - October 27, 1968
Known for: Lise Meitner and her nephew Otto Robert Frisch worked together to develop the theory of nuclear fission, the physics behind the atomic bomb. In 1944, Otto Hahn won the Nobel Prize in physics for work that Lise Meitner had shared in, but Meitner was slighted by the Nobel committee.
52. Maria Sibylla Merian
Dates: April 2, 1647 – January 13, 1717
Known for: Maria Sibylla Merian illustrated plants and insects, making detailed observations to guide her. She documented, illustrated and wrote about the metamorphosis of a butterfly.
53. Maria Mitchell
Dates: January 15, 1850 - February 10, 1891
Known for: Maria Mitchell was the first professional woman astronomer in the United States. She was the first woman member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
54. Nancy A. Moran
Dates: December 21, 1954 -
Known for: Moran's work has been in the field of evolutionary ecology. Her work informs our understanding of how bacteria evolve in response to the evolution of the host's mechanisms for defeating the bacteria.
55. Florence Nightingale
Dates: May 12, 1820 - August 13, 1910
Known for: Florence Nightingale is remembered as the founder of modern nursing, as a trained profession. Her work in the Crimean War established medical precedent for sanitary conditions in wartime hospitals. She also invented the pie chart.
56. Emmy Noether
Dates: March 23, 1882 - April 14, 1935
Known for: Called by Albert Einstein "the most significant creative mathematical genius thus far produced since the higher education of women began," Noether escaped Germany when the Nazis took over, and taught in America for several years before her early death.
57. Antonia Novello
Dates: August 23, 1944 -
Known for: Successor to the controversial C. Everett Koop as United States Surgeon General, Antonia Novello was the first Hispanic and the first woman to hold that position. As a physician and medical professor she focused on pediatrics and child health.
58. Elena Cornaro Piscopia
Dates: June 5, 1646 - July 26, 1684
Known for: Elena Piscopia was the first woman to earn a doctoral degree, and became a university lecturer in math.
59. Margaret Profet
Dates: August 7, 1958 -
Known for: With training in political philosophy and physics, Margaret (Margie) Profet created scientific controversy and developed a reputation as a maverick with her theories about the evolution of menstruation, morning sickness and allergies. Her work on allergies, in particular, has been of interest to scientists who have long noted that people with allergies have a lower risk of some cancers. She mysteriously disappeared from 2005 to 2012.
60. Dixy Lee Ray
Dates: September 3, 1914 - January 3, 1994
Known for: A marine biologist and environmentalist, Dixy Lee Ray taught at the University of Washington. She was tapped by President Richard M. Nixon to head the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) where she defended nuclear power plants as environmentally responsible. In 1976, she ran for governor of Washington state, winning one term, then losing the Democratic primary in 1980.
