Category: Against All Odds

Maryam, the mathematician

Mamata Pandya
Mamata Pandya writes about the mathematical genius Maryam Mirzakhani and the extraordinary journey she took from a childhood in war-torn Iran to winning the prestigious Fields Medal.

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Hedy Lamarr: A beauty with brains

Mamata Pandya
In this issue we get to know about a Hollywood actor, known for her beauty, who also had a lifelong passion for invention and often spent her evenings working at her drafting table and studying research texts.

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Ada Lovelace: STEM pioneer

Mamata Pandya
“Charles Babbage is the father of the computer”, this is one of the first things that children are taught when the subject is introduced in school. While Babbage conceived the Analytical Engine, it was the notes, explaining the workings of the machine, by another mathematical genius that inspired Alan Turing to work on the first modern computer. This genius was one of the pioneers of computer science and she was a woman: Ada Lovelace.

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A. Lalitha: Engineering woman power

Mamata Pandya
About a century ago, how would it have been for a woman, in India, to pursue engineering? Were families and colleges open, accepting and supportive? If a woman became an engineer what were the places she could professionally associate with?

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Angela Ruiz Robles: e-book pioneer

Mamata Pandya
Print is making way for electronic devices and we are now reading e-books instead of books. Michael Hart is credited with the invention of the e-book, but did you know that the original pioneer of the idea was a woman? Angela Ruiz Robles, a Spanish teacher and inventor, designed the Mechanical Encyclopedia, a precursor to the e-book.

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Janaki Ammal: Magnolia Lady

Mamata Pandya
Magnolia kobus Janaki Ammal. If women scientists are a rare species, what is rarer is to have inventions named after them. In the 19th century, Janaki Ammal was a woman much ahead of her time. Her work as a botanist both in India and outside is truly inspiring.

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Maria Mitchell: Stargazer to trailblazer

Mamata Pandya
A woman who has a comet named after her! A woman deeply involved in the movement for woman’s right to vote, own property and receive the same time of education and opportunities offered to men. Know more about Maria Mitchell born in the year 1818.

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Bridge-building women

Mamata Pandya
Do we associate women with bridges? Well, more than 2 centuries ago a woman, in Europe, made plans and design for bridges! Another woman, an Indian, in the 20th century, made a name for herself in bridges. Both of them also secured patents for their innovative work. Let us know more about them.

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Mamitu Gashe: Frontline warrior surgeon

Mamata Pandya
An illiterate young African woman who went on to become a world renowned obstetric fistula surgeon, this month we present you Mamitu Gashe, who still can’t read and write but can perform complex obstetric fistula surgeries.

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