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Women in STEM Throughout History
So many women have powerful minds filled with revolutionary ideas, but have never truly been thought of as equal to men. One of these brilliant minds was Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, also known as Juana Ramírez de Asbaje. She spoke 5 languages by the age of 16, and wrote plays, books, poetry, and studied everything from Natural science to advanced math. She was born in the 17th century, and because of this, she was not congratulated for her work—she was punished. Asbaje was viciously attacked for her intelligence and was forced to abandon her work which included the 4,000 books she had created.
For centuries, powerful women have strived to make a difference despite the gender-related hardships they have had to overcome. It is because of women like Mae Jemison, an Astronaut, Educator, and Doctor, that we are at this near-equality today. Jemison followed her passion, even with the hurdles that were in her way. Attending Stanford University, and majoring in chemical engineering in 1922, she became the first African American woman to go to space. Another powerful woman, Annie Easley, was one of the few women to go into the STEM fields as a computer programer, mathematician, and rocket scientist.
These women have faced a tremendous amount of discrimination, but pushed on to get where they were. From then, women have undoubtedly moved forward, we have more rights than we ever did, and we are being given many more opportunities. Women and girls all over the world are stepping up and taking major roles in the STEM fields. Although the STEM fields still do not have a balance in terms of gender, progress is definitely being made. We must perseverance, for we are bound to one day exceed the goals we are striving for.
- Layanga, builder on Prototype G - 11306
Now on our second year, we are proud to say that Prototype G, a reputable all-girls FIRST Tech Challenge robotics team from Princeton, NJ, is once again made up of 10 girls all of whom are united by our love for robotics.
FIRST is a global robotics program that is dedicated to educating, inspiring, and connecting students by engaging them in an interactive robotics program which incorporates computer science, engineering, and technology skills that inspire innovation. This program nurtures the skills needed in everyday life such as public speaking; it stresses the importance of teamwork, building connections, hands-on problem solving and much more.
Our team was created and is funded by SES who hosts our weekday meeting venue and YWCA Princeton (who strives to eliminate racism and empower women in all fields of study).
https://www.energy.gov/articles/celebrating-history-women-stem