There’s such a huge push for young girls to get into STEAM, which there absolutely should be! But what about women who are already in their careers? Or women who don’t have a career but don’t even know what STEAM is? (It stands for that's Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math.) What about moms? Believe it or not, STEAM isn’t just for kids, — it’s something that can enrich the lives of anyone, and if you don’t believe us, take a look at these five women (who yes, are also moms!) who succeeded in their STEAM careers.
Rebecca Cole, Health Reformer & Doctor
A mother of five, Dr. Rebecca Cole lived in the late 1800s and was an advocate for health care equity and access for marginalized communities, specifically for Black Americans, according to mothersinscience.com. She was also the second African-American woman to become a doctor in the United States. Cole was an evidence-based researcher who disproved the notion that disease in poor Black communities was inevitable, ultimately challenging stereotypes that prevented the Black community from getting needed care.
Katherine Johnson, Mathematician
Katherine Johnson died in 2020, but throughout her illustrious life she was known for her aeronautics work at NASA. Specifically, her work created calculations that helped NASA launch its first astronaut into space in 1961 and to safely land Apollo 11 on the moon in 1969. This would be an impressive career for anyone, but Johnson was a working single mom as well.
Vera Rubin, Astronomer
An expert in all things space and sky, Vera Rubin provided unequivocal evidence of dark matter — i.e. the “invisible” material that makes up 30% of our universe. Infuriatingly, Rubin was never awarded a Nobel Prize for her work in the science community, but as a mom of four she managed to get her PhD while pregnant with one of her four children. The rewards came later, when all four of her kids graduated with their own PhDs in the sciences.
Youyou Tu, Pharmaceutical Chemist
Youyou Tu’s work has saved millions of lives. The Chinese researcher discovered artemisinin, a drug that cured malaria. Tu’s work forced her to spend most of her time away from her children. They spent their early years with their grandparents, and she took on more of a role in their lives when she turned 35. Her parents’ support gave her time to be dedicated to her work, and she was, very rightly, later awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Jane Goodall, Primatologist
You’ve almost certainly heard of Jane Goodall, known for her work with the chimpanzee population at Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania. But her role as a mother to Hugo Eric Louis van Lawick, lovingly dubbed “Grub,” is sometimes overlooked. Hugo grew up in the jungle with his mother and never left her side as she studied the chimpanzees. Their relationship had their rough moments, but ultimately Hugo stayed in Tanzania and now works as a boat builder and has a family.
