We have finally reached the end of our Advent calendar, having featured some amazing women in STEM from around the globe and across history. Just in case you missed any, we’ve put together this handy little animation, featuring all 24 women. And if you want to go back to the beginning and read through each post – each with links to further reading! – then start with Tapputi, the first known chemist. We hope that you enjoy learning about these women’s work and achievements as much as we enjoyed putting these slides together.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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

Dr Sameera Moussa

First female Egyptian nuclear physicist
3 Mar 1917 – 5 Aug 1952
Egypt

Sameera Moussa was Cairo University’s first assistant professor in the Faculty of Sciences, and the first woman to hold a university post. She founded the Atomic Energy for Peace conference which aimed to make nuclear medical treatment more accessible and reduce nuclear hazards. She was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship and was the first non-American given access to US atomic facilities.

For more info on Dr Sameera Moussa:

• https://afrolegends.com/2012/08/06/sameera-moussa-world-renowned-egyptian-nuclear-scientist/
• http://ignite.globalfundforwomen.org/be-the-spark/sameera-moussa
• https://egyptianstreets.com/2018/08/12/the-story-of-sameera-world-renowned-egyptian-nuclear-scientist/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sameera_Moussa

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

Marie-Anne Paulze Lavoisier

Chemist
20 Jan 1758 – 10 Feb 1836
France

Marie-Anne Paulze Lavoisier worked closely with her husband, Antoine, to identify 33 elements, explain combustion, and debunk ‘phlogiston’. She made detailed drawings of lab equipment, kept strict records of experimental procedures, and translated important papers into French. She was instrumental to the publication of the pivotal Elementary Treatise on Chemistry, which unified the field.

For more on Marie-Anne Paulze Lavoisier:

• https://scientificwomen.net/women/lavoisier-marie-anne-54
• https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00897980249a
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie-Anne_Paulze_Lavoisier

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

Mary the Prophetess

Alchemist
Between 1st and 3rd Centuries CE
Egypt

Mary the Prophetess was an alchemist who invented the bain-Marie, (Mary’s bath), which is still in use in kitchens and labs today. She is considered the first historical Western alchemist. It is said that she perfected the art of distillation, and could prepare caput mortuum, a purple haematite iron oxide pigment. It’s thought that she founded an alchemy academy in Alexandria.

Mary is variously called Mary, Maria, or Miriam the Jewess, Prophetess or Hebrew, or Maria Prophetissima or Prophetissa.

For more on Mary the Prophetess:

• http://scihi.org/mary-the-jewess-origins-chemistry/
• http://web.nli.org.il/sites/NLI/English/library/reading_corner/Pages/maria_the_jewess.aspx
• http://historyofalchemy.com/list-of-alchemists/miriam-the-jewess/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_the_Jewess

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

Zelia Nuttall

Archaeologist and anthropologist
6 Sep 1857 – 12 Apr 1933
USA

Zelia Nuttall was a Mexican-American archaeologist who rescued, translated and published pre-Columbian Mesoamerican manuscripts. She also studied small terracotta heads from Teotihuacan, and discovered a site of human sacrifice on the Isla de Sacrificios. She challenged the idea that ancient Mexicans were “bloodthirsty savages”, and advocated for Mexicans to reclaim their indigenous heritage.

For more on Zelia Nuttall:

• https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/archaeologist-who-helped-mexico-find-glory-its-past-180970700/
• https://trowelblazers.com/zelia-nutall/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zelia_Nuttall
• https://www.penn.museum/sites/expedition/a-crowning-achievement-zelia-nuttall-in-czarist-russia/