Author Archives: Stephanie

Women in STEM advent calendar: Day 18 – Sutayta Al-Mahāmali

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This winter, we are celebrating the festive season by honouring 25 amazing women in STEM, some of which you might not know of!

Sutayta Al-Mahāmali

Algebraist and legal scholar
Died 987 CE
Iraq

Born in Baghdad, Sutayta Al-Mahāmali’s knowledge of Islamic jurisprudence informed her mathematics, and she became an authority on the algebraic inheritance formula which defined how much of an estate each heir received. She made original contributions to algebra and arithmetic which impressed later mathematicians and historians, but have now been lost to time.

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Day 17 – Whakaotirangi

 

Women in STEM advent calendar: Day 17 – Whakaotirangi

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This winter, we are celebrating the festive season by honouring 25 amazing women in STEM, some of which you might not know of!

Whakaotirangi

First known Māori horticulturalist
14th Century
Aotearoa (New Zealand)

Whakaotirangi led the Tainui Waka migration from Polynesia to New Zealand, bringing kūmara (sweet potato) and other seeds with her. She established experimental gardens at Aotea where she developed varieties of kūmara that were adapted to the new, colder climate. She also founded the first farm in the area, providing food security for the settlers, growing taro, para (fern), aute (mulberry) and karaka (a fruit tree).

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Day 16 – Etheldred Benett Day 18 – Sutayta Al-Mahāmali

 

Women in STEM advent calendar: Day 16 – Etheldred Benett

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This winter, we are celebrating the festive season by honouring 25 amazing women in STEM, some of which you might not know of!

Etheldred Benett

First female geologist
22 July 1776 – 11 Jan 1845
United Kingdom

Etheldred Benett collected and catalogued thousands of fossils, discovering several new species and the first mollusc fossils with soft tissue preserved. She provided access to vital specimens and stratigraphic data to her male peers, and sent specimens to museums around the UK. Assuming she was a man, Tsar Nicholas I of Russia granted her a doctorate from the University of St Petersburg.

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Day 15 – Professor Honoria Acosta-Sison Day 17 – Whakaotirangi

 

Women in STEM advent calendar: Day 15 – Professor Honoria Acosta-Sison

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This winter, we are celebrating the festive season by honouring 25 amazing women in STEM, some of which you might not know of!

Professor Honoria Acosta-Sison

First Filipina doctor
30 Dec 1887 – 19 Jan 1970
Philippines

Honoria Acosta-Sison was the first Filipina physician, surgeon and obstetrician. At the University of Manila, she helped establish obstetrics and gynaecology as a specialty. She improved medical care for pregnant women and new mothers, and was an internationally renowned expert on trophoblastic disease and pre-eclampsia. She received many awards, including the Presidential Medal.   

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Day 14 – Al-‘Ijliyah al-Asturlabi Day 16 – Etheldred Benett

Women in STEM advent calendar: Day 14 – Al-‘Ijliyah al-Asturlabi

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This winter, we are celebrating the festive season by honouring 25 amazing women in STEM, some of which you might not know of!

Al-‘Ijliyah al-Asturlabi

Maker of astrolabes
Mid-10th Century CE
Syria

Al-‘Ijliyah al-Asturlabi made astrolabes, learning first from her father before being apprenticed to mastercraftsman Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh Nasṭūlus. Her intricate and innovative designs led her to work for Sayf al-Dawla, the Emir of Aleppo, from 944 to 967 CE. She also inspired the titular character in Nnedi Okorafor’s sci-fi novella Binti.

Al-‘Ijliyah al-Asturlabi is also called Mariam al-Asturlabi, Mariam ‘Al-Astrolabiya’ Al-Ijliya, and Al-‘Ijliyah bint al-‘Ijli al-Asturlabi, or in Arabic, العجلية بنت العجلي الأسطرلابي .

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Day 13 – Rupa Bai Furdoonji Day 15 – Professor Honoria Acosta-Sison