Women - Women's Innovations

Josephine Garis (later known as Cochrane) Cochran

💡 Inventor

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💡 Inventor

Invented the 1st successful hand-powered dishwasher; patent issued 1886
Founded Garis-Cochran Manufacturing Company to make her machines
1893, 9 of her washers were installed at the World's Columbian Expo in Chicago & were met with interest from hotels & restaurants; won the prize for "best mechanical construction, durability & adaptation to its line of work"
1913, her company became part of KitchenAid through the Hobart Manufacturing Company after her death
Invented the dishwasher because she was tired of her dishes getting chipped during hand-washing & wanted to relieve the tired housewives of the chore of washing dishes after a meal
Her machine was the 1st to use water pressure instead of scrubbers to wash dishes
Held 5 patents

Born: 1839

Country: USA

Education: no formal education past high school

Jacqueline Cochran

🔍 Aviation 💼 business woman

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Judith Love Cohen

⚛️ Aerospace Engineer

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⚛️ Aerospace Engineer

By fifth grade, her classmates were paying her to do their math homework
by age 19 was dancing ballet in the Metropolitan Opera Ballet company in New York
said that she went through both her BS and MS programs at USC without ever meeting another female engineering student
1957, she went on to work at Space Technology Laboratories which became TRW (acquired by Northrop Grumman in 2002) & retired from there in 1990
with her third husband, David Katz published two series of books: The "You Can be a Woman … " series was created to encourage very young girls to pursue careers in science and engineering & The "Green" series focuses on promoting positive environmental practices, aimed at young children
is the mother of actor Jack Black
as a child, sewed lace doilies
a guidance counselor once suggested she go to finishing school and “learn to be a lady”
took a work problem to the hospital as she gave birth to Jack Black, her youngest, and later called her boss to tell him that she’d solved the problem — and that, yes the baby was born
according to her son, Neil Siegel, many of the things we take for granted in today's work environment like the posting of job openings inside of a company so that anyone could apply, formal job descriptions for every position, and so forth – were her creations & she had a profound impact on equality in the workforce

Born: 1933

Country: USA

Education: Brooklyn College 2 years of study in Engineering, no degree; USC BS 1957 & MS 1962 both in Engineering; UCLA Engineering Executive Program 1982

Mildred Cohn

🔬 Biochemistry ⚛️ biophysics 🔍 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging

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Theodore "Theo" Emily Decker Colborn

🔍 Ecology 🔍 Zoology

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🔍 Ecology 🔍 Zoology

at the time of her death was working on a paper called “The Fossil Fuel Connection” in which she attempted to alert the world to the dangers of chemicals used in fracking of oil and gas wells
was a lifelong bird watcher
her controversial message is that even low-dose exposures to many of the man-made chemicals found in common plastics, cleaning compounds, and cosmetics can affect newborn babies and developing fetuses, and can cause a range of problems, including low IQs, genital malformations, low sperm counts, and infertility
she & her husband owned pharmacies in NJ before moving to a farm in colorado in 1964 & raised sheep
1970s began doing field work for the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory examining water for toxicants released by mining activity
developed lung disease from exposure to cadmium & became dependent on oxygen at age 87
suffered from undiagnosed celiac disease until her late 50s when she was diagnosed & removed rice & potatoes from her diet resulting in relief

Born: 1927

Country: USA

Education: Rutgers University BS Pharmacy 1947; Western State College of Colorado MA Freshwater Ecology 1981; University of Wisconsin PhD Zoology 1985

Jane Colden

🔍 Botany

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🔍 Botany

was educated at home by her parents & Father, Cadwallader Colden, provided her botanical training based on the new classification system developed by Carl Linnaeu (Linnaean Taxonomy)
corresponded & traded seeds with botanist Alexander Garden who also educated her in the preservation of butterflies
her involvement in the Natural History Circle enabled her to exchange ideas, seeds & plants with botanists in the colonies & Europe
she met several naturalists of her time, including Linnaeus, through her Father
never had a taxon named after her even though she is thought to have described at least 5 types of flora never described before & the genus Coldenia is named after her Father
married in 1759 & conducted no further botanical studies
reportedly made excellent cheese & recorded them in a document "Memorandum of Cheese made in 1756"
The Jane colden Memorial Garden was constructed in her home town in 1957 & consisted of only flora she described, it is now known as Knox's Headquarters State Historic Site in New Windsor but it fell into disrepair & in 2014 a program was started to restore it but it is not yet completed as it relies solely on donations & volunteer work
it has reportedly taken over 2 years to clear brambles from the Garden
did her research on the 3000 acre farm her Father established in 1728 in a wilderness area 10 miles west of Newburgh NY he named Coldengham
a limited edition of 57 of her drawings & descriptions was published in 1963 by the Garden Club of Orange & Duchess Counties, NY
no known paintings of her exist although several of her mother, sister & 2 female cousins have been mislabel as her over the years
her work has been largely ignored & she has never been given credit for her discoveries & identification of new specimens

Born: 1724

Country: USA

Education: home schooled by parents

Johnnetta Betsch Cole

🔍 Anthropology 🔍 Museum Director 📚 Educator

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Rebecca Cole

⚕️ Medicine

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Elizabeth "Bessie" Coleman

🔍 Civil Aviation

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Catherine Grace "Cady" Coleman

🔍 chemist ⚛️ engineer 🤖 former United States Air Force colonel 🔭 and retired NASA astronaut

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🔍 chemist ⚛️ engineer 🤖 former United States Air Force colonel 🔭 and retired NASA astronaut

1978-89 was an exchange student in Norway with the AFS Intercultural Program
as an undergraduate was a member of the intercollegiate rowing crew
1988 entered active duty at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base as a research chemist & was a surface analysis consultant on the NASA Long duration Exposure Facilty experiement
Retired from the Air Force in 2009 as a colonel
1995 on the NASA science mission USML-2 reported seeing a UFO to Houston Mission control
Retired from NASA 2016 after almost 24 years with them
is part of the band Bandella with fellow astronauts Stephen Robinson & Chris Hadfield & Micki Pettit, wife of astronaut Donald Pettit, playing the flute
took several flutes to space & played a duet with with Jethro Tull & with the Irish band The Chieftains
holds an amateur radio license
2019 was 1 of the astronauts feature on a set of commemorative stamps issued by the Irish postal service
2018 gave a graduation address to the only graduate of Cuttyhunk Elementary School on Cuttyhunk Island, MA
was co-anchor of ABC News Lives' coverage of the SpaceX launch & the Perseverance Mars rover landing
coached Sandra Bullock for her role in the movie "Gravity"
enjoys flying, scuba diving, sports & music

Born: 1960

Country: USA

Education: MIT BS Chemistry 1983; University of Massachusetts Amherst PhD Polymer Science & Engineering 1991

Lizabeth Coller

💻 Software Quality Engineer

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Betty Elaine Collette

🔍 Veterinary Pathology

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Margaret James Strickland Collins

🔍 Zoology 🔍 Entomology

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Eileen Marie Collins

🔭 Astronaut

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🔭 Astronaut

retired as a colonel from US Air force in 2005 & NASA 2006
as a child was shy & needed speech therapy for a stutter
was a Girl Scout
was in Air Force ROTC at Syracuse University
decorated her flying helmet with E=mc2
1st female T-38 instructor pilot & only female flight instructor at Vance AFB Sept 1979-Dec 1982
1995 for the 1st 3 days of her mission she only ate Chex
during her 2nd Space Shuttle mission took a photographic survey of the Mir & pictures of the Comet Hale-Bopp
after STS-84mission she became head of the Vehicle Systems Branch of the Astronaut Office & renamed it Spacecraft Systems Branch as its work now included the ISS in addition to the Space Shuttle
flew 6,751 hours in 30 different aircraft & logged over 872 hours in space flights by the time she retired
taught flying & math at the AF Academ7
1983 participated in the invasion of Grenada by transporting troops & evacuating medical students
is a veteran of 4 space missions
artifacts of her career are held in the collections of the Smithsonian's National air & Space Museum

Born: 1956

Country: USA

Education: Corning Community College AA Mathematics 1976; Syracuse University BA Mathematics & Economy 1978; Stanford University MS Operations Research 1986; Webster University MS Space Systems 1989; US Air Force Test Pilot School 1990

Margarita Hortensia Colmenares

⚛️ Environmental Engineer

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⚛️ Environmental Engineer

1989 1st female President Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
performed traditional Mexican dance and was co-director of the Ballet Folklórico de Stanford University
founded the San Francisco chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
first Hispanic female engineer named a White House Fellow
youngest recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Community College League of California
high school counselors encouraged her to take typing, shorthand & adding machine classes saying she wasn't smart enough to take algebra
parents were immigrants to US & she was the oldest of 5 children

Born: 1957

Country: USA

Education: California State University no degree; Stanford University BS Civil Engineering 1981;

Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter

🔍 Architecture

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🔍 Architecture

was a perfectionist who advocated & defended her aesthetic vision in a male-dominated field
became fascinated by Native American art after receiving some drawings of Sioux art (some say she was given the drawings by a family friend while others note they were given to her by an uncle & were drawn by Sioux prisoners
she donated the drawings to the Little Bighorn Battlefield Monument in 1956 noting they were her most prized & cherished possession
graduated high school in 1883 at age 14
taught art, drafting & architecture for several years including 15 years at Mechanic Arts High School
began doing interior design for the Fred Harvey Company in 1902 on a freelance basis, becoming a full-time employee in 1910 & retiring from the company in 1948
was a chain smoker
donated her collection of Native American pottery & relics to the Mesa Verde National Park
4 of her Grand Canyon buildings are protected within the Mary Jane Colter Historic Landmark district
was also a book reviewer, editor for the Saint Paul Daily globe, a student of archaeology & history, a metal craft practitioner & expert on Native American art
some characteristics of her designs included tiny windows allowing shafts of light to accent red sandstone walls, low ceilings of saplings & twigs resting on peeled log beams, a hacienda enclosing an intimate courtyard, & rough boulder structures built into the earth as if a part of a natural rock formation
she employed indigenous builders, demanded the use of local materials whenever possible & attended to minute historical details she got from touring Native American ruins
some of the grand openings of her buildings were attended by Native Americans & had blessings by tribal elders & shamans
her El Navajo was demolished in 1957 & other buidings of hers fell into disrepair however there have been recent movements to restore them
hired Hopi artist Fred Kabotie to paint designs on the interior of Desert Watchtower

Born: 1869

Country: USA

Education: California School of Design (now San Francisco Art Institute 1886-1891

Ruth Johnson Colvin

📚 Education Literacy

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📚 Education Literacy

became interested in literacy after reading 1960 census report that over 11,ooo people in Syracuse were illiterate
worked with reading specialists at Syracuse University to develop materials to train volunteer tutors
the 1st tutors to complete the tutor training were members of church women's groups
1991-2001 helped develop & set up the only literacy program in Swaziland
trained members of the Rotary Club of Zambia to set up "Readers are Leaders in Zambia" fund
started literacy programs in Madagascar & Papua New Guinea, one used Tok Pisin a form of Pidgin English
in China she trained teachers to incorporate conversational English in their classes
in Cambodia taught 10 women to read & they in turn taught 103 village women
has published numerous books, mostly on training & literacy but has written 1 memoir, 1 on her travels, 1 on golf & 1 children's bood
has worked on literacy in over 60 countries
has received 29 awards & honors for her literacy efforts around the globe
in 2020 at age 103 was still living independently, walked 2000 steps daily with the assistance of a cane, exercised at least 3 times weekly & played at least 9 holes of golf
father died when she was 12 & his brother was then in charge of the money he left for his children's education but when she was ready to attend college her uncle refused to provide funds because she "was just a girl"
was married to her husband for 73 years before he died in 2014 at age 99
after her husband retired at 58 they would spend at least 3 months of every year traveling to different countries (26 total) & taught others to teach adult literacy with Global Ministries paying their expenses
2010 the Ruth J. Colvin Center was created to help Central New Yorkers with limited literacy skills
most of the proceeds from her books are donated to ProLiteracy & the Onondaga Historical Association
is known as "The Mother of Literacy"

Born: 1916

Country: USA

Education: Thornton Junior College (now South Suburban College) AA 1936; attended classes (mostly business) at Moser Business College & Northwestern University; Syracuse University BS Business 1959

Sarah Lightfoot Tarleton Colvin

⚕️ Nursing 🔍 Suffragist

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⚕️ Nursing 🔍 Suffragist

oldest of 3 children, father died when she was 3
stopped working as a nurse after she married in 1897 because it was considered "improper" & turned her attention to improving the education of women in nursing
as a Silent Sentinel participated in the white House Pickets & was arrested in 1918 for burning President Wilson in effigy & again in 1919
was senteced to 5 days in jail for each offense & participated in a hnger strike during 1st jail term
1916 was part of the "Suffrage special" a train tour of the country to bring awareness of suffrage issues
participated in another train tour after her arrests speaking about the experience

Born: 1865

Country: USA

Education: Johns Hopkins School of Nursing 1892

Curtis Seldon "Kitty" Cone

✊ Disability Rights Activist

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✊ Disability Rights Activist

diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at age 15
originally misdiagnosed with cerebral palsy, then polio
received numerous surgeries which she believed worsened her condition
as a teen had walking casts to stretch out her tendons
moved to the California Bay Area in 1972
while attending school at Holton Arms in D.C. her cousins had to carry her up & down stairs to attend classes because the school wasn't handicapped accessible
during her mid-teens her family moved to Kentucky where she observed overt racism for the 1st time & became involved in the civil rights movement much to the dismay of her father
was expelled from Mt Vernon Seminary, a boarding school, after 1 semester after disobeying the rules the headmistress imposed on her because of her disability (rules included not allowing her to bathe in the tub of her 4-student suite so she wouldn't upset her roommates)
began using a wheelchair while in college & had to endure ridiculous rules such as not having a motorized chair & not being allowed to have someone else push her in the chair
was active as a cheerleader for the wheelchair basketball team & was elected to Student Senate in college
mother died after her freshman year in college & she returned home to care for her younger brother
was unaware her mother had throat cancer or was undergoing surgery for the condition
returned to college Fall 1963 & became involved as an organizer for NAACP & the civil rights Movement
dropped out of college 6 credit hours before graduating
became a Marxist while in college & was placed on an FBI watch list
early 1980's moved to Mexico with her partner, Kathy Martinez, & adopted her son Jorge
was an alcoholic & stopped drinking in the 1970s
1064 was very involved with Friends of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)
traveled in Latin & South America & spent time in Nicaragua with the Organization of Disabled Revolutionaries
wrote a novel with politically radical characters
loved opera & was a fierce competitor in pinochle & bridge
Father disowned & disinherited her after bailing her out of jail when she was arrested at a protest in college

Born: 1944

Country: USA

Education: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Eliza "Lyda" Burton Conley

🔍 Jurisprudence

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🔍 Jurisprudence

1st female admitted to the Kansas & Missouri Bar Associations
Wyandot Native American who fought to save the Huron Cemetery (now Wyandot National Burying Ground) in Kansas City
1909, 1st Native American female admitted to argue a case before the Supreme Court
Burials in the cemetery dated back to 1843 & held the remains of many of her maternal family members including her grandmother, mother, & 1 of her sisters
She & her sister Helena built a 6ft by 8ft structure at the cemetery entrance so they could live there & protect it; put up "No Trespassing" signs, standing guard with muskets until the 1916 State law protecting the cemetery was enacted
1914, she was arrested for shooting a policeman at the cemetery
1946, while walking home from the library, a man jumped her, hit her over the head with a brick, & stole her purse containing 20 cents; she died within 24 hours & is buried in the cemetery she fought to protect
1071 the cemetery was added to the National Register of Historic Places & 2017 was designated a National Landmark

Born: 1869 approximately

Country: USA

Education: Park College; University of Missouri Kansas City School of Law 1902

Anna Connelly

💡 Inventor

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Mary Caroline (Parker) Converse

🔍 Naval Navigation

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🔍 Naval Navigation

also known as Captain Mary Parker Converse, was the first woman to be commissioned by the United States Merchant Marine (USMM)
a noted philanthropist
wrote poetry & plays and composed music
Father was lineal descendant of an American Revolutionary War Patriot & victims of the Salem witch trials (Rebecca Nurse, Sarah Cloyce & Mary Easty)
married Harry Converse, her childhood sweetheart, in 1891
Harry worked for his father, President of the Boston Rubber Shoe company (later US Rubber) & very rich
they separated when she was 38 because he was drinking & unfaithful
she & their 5 children moved to Boston & were amply provided for by trust funds Harry established
they never divorced & she inherited his estate when he died in 1920
she wrote the music for Stuart Walker's "Six who Pass While the Lentils boil
taught herself to read & speak Russian
moved to Denver in 1923 & spent 20 years supporting a range of civic, arts & other community organizations including the Denver Symphony Orchestra
attended US Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point NY & earned her 2nd class pilot's license
earned the rank of Captain in the Merchant Marine at age 68
Post-war became interested in astronomy & solar research & became a patron of the High Altitude Observatory (HAO)
donated funds to HAO to provide a room & planned their annual scientific dinners that became known as "Captain Mary Dinners"
1957-60 held the honorary post of research associate at HAO
at one point turned her dining room into a classroom for 125 cadets
by Christmas 1960 had 56 great-grandchildren

Born: 1872

Country: USA

Education: US Merchant Marine Academy Second Class Pilot's License; Washington Technical Institute Unlimited Tonnage Masters License 1940

Susan Taylor Converse

🔍 Textiles

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Lynn Ann Conway

⚛️ Electrical Engineering 💻 Computer Science ✊ Transgender activist

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⚛️ Electrical Engineering 💻 Computer Science ✊ Transgender activist

Is a transgender activist
While working at IBM in the 1960s invented generalized dynamic instruction handling
Initiated the Mead-Conway VLSI chip design revolution in very large scale integration (VLSI) microchip design
1968, was fired by IBM after revealing her intention to transition; IBM apologized in 2020
After transition in 1968, took a new name & identity & restarted her career
1973, joined Xerox PARC & founded the "multiproject wafers" (MPW)
Revolutionalized chip design & chip tools
2012, IEEE published a special issue of IEE Solid-State Circuits Magazine devoted to her career
Went public with her transgender story in 2000; maintains a website to support others in their transition by providing medical information, maintaining lists of successful transgender people, providing news related to transgender issues & transgender & transexual issues in general
Was a cast member in the 1st all-transgender performance of The Vagina Monologues in LA in 2004
Holds 5 patents

Born: 1938

Country: USA

Education: MIT, Physics, 1955-59; Columbia University, BS 1962 & MSEE 1963, Electrical Engineering

Esther Marly (or Marley) Conwell

⚛️ Physics

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⚛️ Physics

held four patents and published more than 270 papers and multiple textbooks
first woman to win IEEE Edison Award
was walking when she was struck by her neighbor's car as he was backing out of his driveway & died of her injuries
was still actively doing research at age 92 when she died
was known to her colleagues for her unwavering devotion to her ballet lessons every Friday morning and her preparation of popcorn all day, every day, at the office
the Conwell-Weisskopf theory, and Conwell’s master's thesis, were classified during World War II, and only made public in the late 1940s
was married to the novelist, Abraham Rothberg
loved dancing, cooking, exercising and spending time with her family
1998 was a full-time professor at University of Rochester & studied the flow of electrons through DNA
was hired at Western Electric as an assistant engineer but payrolldidn't have a code for a female assistant engineer so she was reclassified as an engineer's assistant & her pay was drastically cut to accommodate the existing code
1952-72 was a staff member at Sylvania which then became GTE Laboratories
1981-98 was a research fellow at XeroxWilson Research Center

Born: 1922

Country: USA

Education: Brooklyn College 1942; University of Rochester M.S., 1945; University of Chicago Ph.D., 1948-all degrees in Physics

Laura S. Cooney

💡 Inventor

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Joan Ganz Cooney

⚕️ Media

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⚕️ Media

also worked for the State Dept in Washington DC, as a journalist in Phoenix & as a publicist for TV & production companies in NYC (1954-62)
became interested in educational TV in 1961
1 of the 1st female American TV executives (1968)
2007 the Sesame Workshop founded "The Joan Ganz Cooney Center in her honor to study how to improve chikldren's literacy by using & developing digital technologies grounded in detailed educational curriculum
her paternal grandfather was the president of first National Bank & mayor of Phoenix AZ for 3 terms
started out producing political & current events programs
it took 3 years to create Sesame Street after the initial talks on creating educational children's TV programs
1975 was diagnosed with breast cancer & underwent a radical mastectomy
stepped down as chairwoman & CEO of CTW in 1990
2014 Public Prep launched a full-day pre-K program for low-income 4 year old children in South Bronx NYC Housing Projects called Joan Ganz Cooney Early Learning Progrm

Born: 1929

Country: USA

Education: Dominican University of California (no degree); University of Arizona BA Education 1951

Kellyan Coors

💡 Inventor

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Aimee Copeland Mercier

🔍 Holistic Psychotherapy

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🔍 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

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🔍 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

Nikki Corbett

⚕️ Nurse 🔍 Seamstress ✍️ Author 💼 Entrepreneur

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⚕️ Nurse 🔍 Seamstress ✍️ Author 💼 Entrepreneur

met Katie O'Connor an Inupiaq native illustrator at the Iditarod & they applied & won a fellowship from the Rasmuson Foundation to create a Yup'ik book for young language learners
Sew Yup’ik is her sewing business started in 2015 & the name of her YouTube show and qaspeqs (a hooded garment with a large front pocket and hood typically worn by Yup’ik men and women) are her most popular ware, but she also makes koozies and makeup bags out of fabric scraps
donated at least 350 masks she hand made to healthcare workers during the pandemic
works full-time as a nurse and also teaches qaspeq-making all over Alaska
grew up in Bethel Alaska
doesn't take orders for her creations but posts what is available for purchase on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok & Twitter
refuses to take specific orders for her wares because she believes it stifles her creativity

Born: Unknown

Country: USA

Education: University of Alaska anchorage AAS Registered Nursing 2018, BS Nursing 2020

Margaret Cochran Corbin

🔍 Military Service

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🔍 Military Service

was orphaned at age 5 & she & her older brother were adopted & raised by an uncle
became a camp follower in 1775 & followed her husband into battle
when her husband was killed at the Battle of Ft Washington in Manhattan, she took over his job at a cannon but was subsequently injured almost severing her left arm & injuring her jaw & left chest leaving her unable to use her left arm for the rest of her life
was taken as a prisoner of war after the battle but eventually paroled to a Revolutionary hospital for recovery
joined the Invalid Regiment at West Point after she healed & was discharged from the service in 1783
1779 was awarded a half-pension for life (approximately $3.30/monthly) & a new suit of clothes yearly to replace her clothing ruined in the war
1926 her remains were moved from a grave along the Hudson River & she was buried at West Point with full military honors thanks to the DAR
in 2017 it was discovered the bones in her grave were that of a male & the location of her remains is still a mystery
1909 a plaque at Ft Tryon in NYC was dedicated to her & hails her "as the 1st woman to take a soldier's part in the War for Liberty"
was known as Captain Molly
is sometimes referred to as Molly Pitcher, a common name for women in the war who brought water to thirsty soldiers & also to cool down overheated cannons but it is generally believed there was no 1 Molly Pitcher but she is a mythical composite of many Revolutionary War women camp followers including Corbin & Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley who fought at the Battle of Monmouth 2 years after Corbin was disabled
there is a memorial monument to her at West Point Cemetery
a Veteran's Administration Hospital campus in NYC is named after her
records indicate she became a disagreeable person with a sharp tongue & volatile temper making it difficult to find people willing to help care for her when she was disabled

Born: 1751

Country: USA

Education: Unknown

Gerti Radnitz Cori

🔬 Biochemistry

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🔬 Biochemistry

3rd female to win a Nobel Prize in science & 1st female awarded a Nobel in Physiology or Medicine (1947)
Was named after an Austrian warship
She & her husband, Carl Ferninand Cori, were the 3rd married couple awarded a Nobel
At 16, decided she wanted to be a doctor but lacked the prerequisites in Latin, physics, chemistry, & math; over the course of 1 year studied the equivalent of 8 years of Latin, 5 years of science, & 5 years of math to catch up
1922, immigrated to the US; 1928, became a naturalized citizen
Carl turned down many teaching positions because they wanted him to stop working with Gerti
1st American female to win a Nobel in science
6 scientists mentored by Geri & Carl went on to win Nobels

Born: 1896

Country: Austro-Hungarian Empire (now Czech republic)

Education: Medical School of the German University of Prague, MD 1920

Jill Cornell Tarter

🔭 Radio Astronomy 🔬 Astrobiology

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🔭 Radio Astronomy 🔬 Astrobiology

in her PhD dissertation coined the term "brown dwarf" while researching small-mass objects that fail to stably fuse hydrogen
her astronomical work is illustrated in Carl Sagan's novel Contact
has been featured in John Boswell's Symphony of Science music video, "The Poetry of Reality (An Anthem for Science)"
created the TED-Ed lesson, "Calculating the Odds of Intelligent Alien Life."
she has 13 pieces of titanium and straps embedded in her arm after shattering her elbow after tripping in the dark
she wrote the SETI institute’s founding charter in 1984
she retired as SETI’s director in 2012 so her salary could be used to allow the SETI team members to keep their jobs
served as inspiration for Jodie Foster’s character, Ellie Arroway, in the 1997 film Contact
became hooked on trying to find extraterrestials after reading a copy of “Project Cyclops,” a NASA paper summarizing preliminary ideas of how to detect artificial signals from space while at UC Berkeley
her Cornell legacy scholarship was taken away after she told her advisor she was getting married in her Sophomore year but a professor arranged for a Proctor and Gamble Scholarship to replace the Cornell scholarship
for years her daughter filled in forms requesting “mother’s occupation” with “looks for little green men”
her high school guidance counselor once asked her, "Why do you want to take calculus? You're just going to get married and have babies,"
was only 1 of 2 women in her engineering college & the only female to graduate
her father encouraged her curiosity & desire to be an engineer before his death when she was 12
began working at SETI in 1984
used her TED Prize money to launch SETILive a citizen program that allows volunteers to stream live data from the Allen Telescope Array & help with research

Born: 1944

Country: USA

Education: Cornell University BEP (Engineering Physics) 1965 or 1966; UC Berkeley MA 1971 & PhD 1975 both in Astronomy

Martha Jane Coston

💡 Inventor

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💡 Inventor

As a widow struggling to feed her 4 children, she discovered her husband's notes on night signalling at the Navy Yard & took years to work on his incomplete signaling ideas, eventually coming up with signal flares
Had already developed red & white flares but after watching a fireworks display in 1858, realized she needed blue flares
April 5, 1859, granted a patent for a pyrotechnic night signal & code system; patent granted to her as the administratrix for her deceased husband (Benjamin) who was named as inventor
1871, obtained a patent in her own name for improvement to the system
The US Navy purchased the original patent for $20,000 at the start of the Civil War & she supplied the flares for less than the manufacturing cost during the war; by the end of the war she estimated the government owed her $120,000 for flares but they only offered her $15,000
Her flares are still used today
Held 2 patents

Born: 1826

Country: USA

Education: no formal education

Carol Blanche Cotton Bowie

🔍 Psychology

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Patricia S. Cowings

⚛️ Aerospace Psychophysiologist

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Prudence Crandall

✊ Civil Rights Pioneer 📚 Educator

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✊ Civil Rights Pioneer 📚 Educator

opened a school to teach White girls in Canterbury CT in 1831 & admitted her 1st Black student (Sarah Harris) in 1832 thus creating the 1st integrated school in Connecticut
was harassed by White townspeople & families began removing their White daughters
was arrested & tried 3 times for violating Connecticut's Black Law enacted in 1933 making it illegal to teach African-American students from outside the State without the town's permission
the Black Law was initiated & passed in an attempt to get Crandall to close her school
when townspeople told her the school would encourage social equality & marriage between Blacks & Whites she replied, "Moses had a Black wife" (Wikipedia)
closed her school in 1834 after backlash from the townspeople including refusal to sell them groceries or accept the students at local churches, her arrest, the arrest of 1 of her students, poisoning her well, threats, setting fire to the school & breaking most of the windows
the Black Law was subsequently repealed in 1838
fled Connecticut after the closure of the school & vowed to never return
was involved in the temperance & women's suffrage movements
ran a school in La Salle IL
1886 Connecticut awarded her a $400 yearly pension ($13,600 in 2023 dollars) at the urging of Mark Twain & other supporters
1834 her supporters commissioned a painting of her by Francis alexander that is on display at Cornell University & a printed copy hangs at the Prudence Crandall Museum in Canterbury CT that was designated a US National Historic Landmark in 1991
1973 the Prudence Crandall Center for Women (now Prudence Crandall Center, Inc) a domestic violence shelter opened in New Britain CT
1966 an elementary school in Enfield CT named after her opened
arguments from her 3 trials were used in Brown v Board of Education in 1954

Born: 1803

Country: USA

Education: Black Hill Quaker School; Moses Brown School

Margaret M. "Meg" Crane

🔍 Graphic 🎨 Product Design 💡 Inventor

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🔍 Graphic 🎨 Product Design 💡 Inventor

2004 was a juror in Martha Stewart's trial for lying to federal investigators during an insider trading investigation
was working on a new line of cosmetics packaging at Organon Pharmaceuticals (no longer in business) in west Orange NJ when she invented the home pregnancy test
saw test tubes in a lab at Organon & asked what they were & a scientist informed her they were pregnancy tests sent in by doctors & patients would get results in up to 2 weeks
used a paper clip holder, test tube, mirror, & dropper to create her prototype & presented the results to Organon executives who originally rejected her idea
"crashed" the meeting where the decision for the design of her idea of a home pregnancy test was being made after no consultation with her & placed her prototype among the others being considered, hers was eventually chosen because it looked the most "scientific" & trustworth
partnered with Ira /Sturtevant to do the advertising & marketing of her test named The Predictor & they remained partners in work & otherwise until his death in 2008
she & Ira went on to form their own marketing company they named Ponzi & Weill
although her name was on the patent, she was forced to sell her rights for $1 & never received it or any other money for her design because Organon sold the rights to 3 over-the-counter pharmaceutical companies
in 2015 a prototype of her Predictor & a 1970 packaged product version were acquired by the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History
her original tests gave results in approximately 2 hours, not the usual up to 2 weeks for tests submitted at a doctors office
PREDICTOR a play of her life & the creation of the hoe pregnancy test written by Jennifer Blackmer premiered in Nebraska in FEb. 2023
holds 1 patent

Born: 1941

Country: USA

Education: Unknown

Debbie Catharina Crans

🔬 Organic Chemistry

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