Women - Women's Innovations

Rediet Abebe

💻 Computer Science 🤖 Artificial Intelligence

Details

Charlotte Abrams

💡 Inventor

Details

Leanna Archer

💼 Entrepreneur

Details

Yasmine Alexandra Arrington Brooks

🔍 Millennial Influencer

Details

Katy E. Ayers

🔍 Mycology

Details

🔍 Mycology

made a canoe (Myconoe) from mycelium;
currently working on "bee hotels" because bees fed on mushrooms have lower incidents of viruses
was a gas station attendant in 2013 & in 2023 was a Marshall Scholar finalist
her goal is a PhD in metabolic engineering focused on mycology & help develop myco-engineering as a subdiscipline of bioengineering
has 3 notebooks full of different ideas for mushroom builds
Myconoe was on display aat the Nebraska State Fair for 3 years & holds the Guiness World Record for worlds longest fungal boat
likes to crochet, hike, forage & read during her spare time
had a summer internship at Nebraska Mushroom LLC where she learned about creating spawn & harvesting, processing & packaging mushrooms; grew Myconoe there with the help of owner Ash Gordon

Born: 1992

Country: USA

Education: Central Community College AS Biology/Mycology 2021; Washington State University Pullman BS Bioengineering & Biochemistry 2024

Erica Joy Baker

💻 Computer Science

Details

Rayyanah Barnawi

⚛️ Biomedical Engineer

Details

Ayah (Aya on patents) Bdeir

💡 Inventor

Details

💡 Inventor

born in Montreal to a Syrian immigrant family & raised in Beirut with her 3 sisters
as a child would take things (especially electronics) apart & break them open to see what was inside
was given cehmistry sets & programming lessons at age 12
her mother attended University at the same time as her daughters to get her degree
2010 was a design mentor on the reality TV show Stars of Science
before founding littleBits was an interactive artist & held several installations
founded littleBits to make engineering & inventing more fun &her prototype (or little bits) is a system of color-coded, magnetic, electronic building blocks, blurring the boundary between a toy & a tool kit
the bits are thin rectangles between 1 & 4 inches in length & the blue ones provide power, pink allow for inputs like switches, microphones, & motion sensors, green are outputs like lights, motors, & speakers, and orange provide wires or logic functions & all pieces fit together magnetically
the prototype littleBits is in the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
the company produces over 10 different kits & has over 70 interoperable bits & are gender neutral
there are over 300 littleBits Inventor Clubs around the world from San Paolo to San Francisco to Bangkok
littleBits was acquired by Sphero in 2019
she holds 16 patents

Born: 1982

Country: Canada

Education: American University of Beirut BEng Computer Engineering & Sociology 2004; MIT Media Lab MS Media Arts & Sciences 2006

Angela Benton

💼 Entrepreneur

Details

💼 Entrepreneur

Is a cancer survivor
2011 founded NewMe, the 1st startup accelerator for minorities globally
Has helped minority-led tech companies raise over $50 million in venture capital funding
Is the founder of Well Living Farms, a 10-acre permaculture family farm in SW Florida
2007, co-founded Black Web 2.0
2018 founded Streamlytics, a next generation data ecosystem that provides ethical, human powered data to democratize data collection
2017, authored "Revival: How I Rebuilt a Life for Longevity After Cancer, Burnout & Heartbreak"
2017, travelled to Malawi to support local villages with solar-powered electricity through a micro fund; powered 10 villages

Born: 1981

Country: USA

Education: 2004, BFA, Visual Communication specialization in Digital Design, American InterContinental University; 2007, MFA Graphic Design, Savannah College of Art & Design

Kathleen McCaffrey Breitman

💼 Entrepreneur

Details

Sarah Buckel

🎨 Graphic Arts

Details

Ella Kathleen Casano

💡 Inventor

Details

💡 Inventor

diagnosed with Idiopathic Thrombocytopenia Purpura (ITP) & required IV transfusions every 6-8 weeks
ITP is an autoimmune disorder that makes her body destroy its own platelets
her fear of needles & all the IV equipment inspired her to invent the Medi Teddy
Medi Teddy has been awarded nonprofit status by the IRS enabling them to accept donations & provide Medi Teddy's to hospitals & pediatric patients for free
is a world champion rower
started a GoFundMe campaign to raise $5000 to pay for the 1st run of 500 Medi Teddys & raised more than $20,000 in a week
was coxswain & represented the United States in the U19 Women's 4+ and U19 Women's 8+ at the U19 World Championships in the summers of 2022 and 2023, respectively
Medi Teddy comes in two models: a personalized, washable “Bailey” plush with a stretchy mesh rear pouch and a silicone “Hope” bear designed for hospitals to reuse with multiple patients
enjoys fishing & singing
after 7+ years of IV therapy her ITP is in remission & she takes a daily oral medication
holds 2 patents

Born: 2006

Country: USA

Education: Currently a freshman at Stanford University with an expected graduation date of 2028

Alissa Marie Chavez

💡 Inventor 💼 Entrepreneur

Details

Kellyan Coors

💡 Inventor

Details

Aimee Copeland Mercier

🔍 Holistic Psychotherapy

Details

🔍 Holistic Psychotherapy

2012 zip line accident resulted in a cut on her leg which led to a flesh-eating bacterial infection resulting in the amputation of both of her hands, her right foot, & entire left leg
Current mission is to ensure no disabled person is denied the healing power of the outdoors
Created Aimee Copeland Foundation, raised $200,000 to buy 11 all-terrain wheelchairs; with the Georgia Dept of Natural Resources launched All-Terrain Georgia placed the chairs in 11 State parks to allow mobility-impaired individuals to go "hiking," they must complete a safety certification program & be accompanied by a "buddy" before they can borrow a chair at no cost
Since the accident, has become a licensed clinical social worker, holistic psychotherapist, & paid public speaker
Owns & runs Grant Park Counseling Group; has opened the Asheville Center for Inner Healing in Asheville, NC

Born: 1988

Country: USA

Education: University of Georgia BS Psychology 2010; University of West Georgia MA Transpersonal Psychology 2013; Valdosta State University MA Social Work 2016

Kizzmekia Shanta Corbett

🔍 Immunology 🔬 Microbiology

Details

🔍 Immunology 🔬 Microbiology

Helped develop the Moderna COVID vaccine
Is a voice for awareness of racial health disparities & encourages trust in science
Her boss at NIAID, Dr. Anthony Fauci, called her "a rising star"
Her research focuses on viral diseases including dengue, RSV, & MERS
Volunteers at schools encouraging kids, especially minority ones, to pursue careers in STEM
As a postdoc, studied dengue in Sri Lanka
Made videos about COVID for Michelle Obama's Instagram account during the pandemic
1st African-American female to head an NIH vaccine development team
Holds 3 patents

Born: 1986

Country: USA

Education: University of Maryland-Baltimore County, BSc Biological Sciences 2008; UNC Chapel Hill, PhD Microbiology & Immunology 2014

Canan Dagdeviren

🔬 Materials Science

Details

Abigail "Abbey" M. Fleck

💡 Inventor

Details

Heather Friedli Ratzlaf

🎨 Art - Snow Sculpting

Details

Christina "Christy" Gardner

🔍 Para-athlete 🤖 Dog Trainer

Details

🔍 Para-athlete 🤖 Dog Trainer

an Army veteran (served 2005-07, military police) who lost both her legs while on duty
now is a certified dog trainer
member of the United States women's national ice sledge hockey team, she competed in the first-ever IPC Ice Sledge Hockey Women's International Cup in 2014
in high school participated in basketball, field hockey, soccer and track and field
participated in the US Paralympic Trials for the 2016 Rio Paralympics
2023 participated in the Women's Shot Put for F34/56/57 and the Women's Discus Throw for F56/57 taking 1st place in both events
helped the U.S. win gold at the 2023 Para Ice Hockey Women’s World Challenge in Green Bay, Wisconsin
is the only player who has played every position — forward, defense, and goalie — for U.S. women’s sled hockey
went from never having surfed to representing her country at the International Surfing Association World Para Surfing Championship in less than a year
helped start Maine’s only sled-hockey team, the New England Warriors
her initial ambitions in the Army were to serve as a combat photographer but women were not allowed to serve in combat roles so she entered the military police instead
as a result of her injuries is deaf in one ear
teaches classes about training dogs at the local state prison as well as stores like Home Depot or Lowe’s
she can’t reveal where she was injured overseas because it is classified

Born: 1982

Country: USA

Education: Long Island University BA Photography 2005; University of Southern Maine Therapeutic Recreation degree 2015; University of the Incarnate Word MA Organizational Leadership 2007

Timnit Gebru

💻 Computer Science

Details

Shanya Gill

💡 Inventor

Details

💡 Inventor

was 12-years-0ld when she invented her device
has said her goal in creating her device was to design an early warning system that is superior to a standard smoke detector & while smoke detectors sense active fires as smoke begins to rise her system is designed to stop unwanted fires from starting
was inspired to improve fire safety after a restaurant behind her home burned down in the summer of 2022
interests include sports, crafting, coding, and teaching younger kids
hopes to become a biomedical engineer
her system involves connecting an affordable thermal camera to a compact computer (Raspberry Pi retail costs start at about $35) which is then programmed to differentiate between people–which were identified as warm objects moving horizontally–and heat sources, such as an active gas burner, which were identified as hot objects that remained stationary; she then programmed the system to send a text message when it detected a heat source but no human presence for a continuous 10-minute period
testing showed her system accurately detected human presence 98% of the time and heat sources 97% of the time
has put her code up on GitHub, which is open source, so people can make suggestions on how to improve the program, which still has some bugs
has decided not to patent her invention so it is available to all
is working with the U.S. Fire Administration to perfect her device
used to struggle with insecurities tied to her body image, and was called names because of her size but has developed a healthier self-image, and working on the project has helped her build confidence
once her device comes to market she plans to donate a portion of the profits to charities and organizations that help victims of fires
wants to refine her device by combining it with a smartphone app that will allow users to quickly switch over to a camera after receiving a text message so they can see if the alert is correct, as well as a higher resolution sensor, incorporating smarter algorithms, and designing the product for mass production

Born: 2011

Country: India

Education: current a student

Cassidy L. Goldstein

💡 Inventor

Details

Hadiyah-Nicole Green

⚛️ medical physicist

Details

⚛️ medical physicist

one of 66 black women to earn a Ph.D. in physics in the United States between 1973 and 2012
is the second black woman and the fourth black person ever to earn a doctoral degree in physics from The University of Alabama at Birmingham
orphaned at a young age and raised by her aunt and uncle in St. Louis, Missouri
1st in her family to go to college
strong advocate for Historically Black Colleges and Universities
the deaths of her aunt & uncle who raised her from cancer led to her interest in developing new cancer treatments
dedicates much of her spare time to speaking to and mentoring young black students
served as Miss Alabama A&M University 2002-2003
is currently an assistant professor at Morehouse School of Medicine in the Department of Surgery and the recipient of $1.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
holds 1 patent with 6 pending
elected class president both in middle and high school

Born: 1981

Country: USA

Education: Alabama A & M University BS Physics & Optics 2003; University of Alabama at Birmingham MS 2009 & PhD 2012 both in Physics

Kathryn "K-K" Gregory

💡 Inventor 🔍 Textiles

Details

Ashanti Montarius Johnson

🔍 Chemical Oceanography 🔬 Geochemistry

Details

Deepika Kurup

Details

Nicki Lehrer

Details

Alexis Lewis

💡 Inventor

Details

Jessica Matthews

Details

Nadia Murad

✊ Human Rights Activist

Details

Gauri Nanda

Details

Sabrina Gonzalez Pasterski

⚛️ Physics

Details

Clarice Evone Phelps

🔬 Nuclear Chemistry

Details

🔬 Nuclear Chemistry

Part of the team that discovered tennessine
Researches the processing of radioactive transuranic elements at the US Dept of Energy Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL)
1st African-American female involved in the discovery of a chemical element, the 2nd heaviest known element
Previously investigated the industrial uses of nickel-63 & selenium-75
Struggled academically in college
Couldn't find a job after graduation & joined the Navy; went to Nuclear Power School & learned "how to study" & graduated in the top 10% of her class
Spent 4 years on the USS Ronald Reaganoperating the nuclear reactor & steam generator chemistry controls
At a gala at ORNL to celebrate tennessine her name was left off the list & off a plaque; the lab claimed the error was quickly corrected but she fought for several months to have her name added to the plaque before they acquiesced
Is involved in several outreach programs to increase youth participation in STEM

Born: 1981

Country: USA

Education: Tennessee State University BS Chemistry 2000; University of Texas Austin MS Mechanical Engineering 2020; currently a PhD student at University of Tennessee Knoxville

Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

⚛️ Physical Cosmology

Details

Lynnae C. Quick

🔬 Planetary Science ⚛️ Planetary Geophysics

Details

🔬 Planetary Science ⚛️ Planetary Geophysics

Specializes in planetary magnetism & volcanology
Studies Venus, Europa, & Enceladus (a moon of Saturn)
1st African-American staff scientist at the Smithsonian Institute's Center for Earth & Planetary Studies
2019, began working at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center studying ocean worlds in the solar system & beyond; expanded her studies to include Ceres
2020, was the lead author on a NASA study analyzing 53 terrestrial exoplanets of a similar size to Earth; mathematically modelled their geologic activity & determined they could potentially sustain extraterrestrial life

Born: 1984

Country: USA

Education: North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University BS Physics 2005; Catholic University of America MS Physics Astrophysics Concentration; Johns Hopkins University MA Earth & Planetary Science 2011 & PhD Planetary Science 2013

Kelly Reinhart

Details

Zara Rutherford

Details

Jesse Shanahan

⚛️ Astrophysics

Details

Anna Ruth Stork

💡 Inventor

Details