Virginia Apgar

Christian Women Pioneering in Science

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We have featured various women scientists in our previous blog posts. In this article, we aim to unite over 50 remarkable women who have significantly influenced science and/or science education during their time. The selection process adhered to two specific criteria: (1) their notable impact on science or science education, and (2) the profound influence of their Christian faith on their lives. We sought compelling evidence that their Christian beliefs, irrespective of their faith tradition (Catholic, Protestant, or Orthodox), played a pivotal role in shaping their personal experiences. Mere familial connections, such as being a pastor’s daughter or coming from a Catholic country, were not sufficient for inclusion in this presentation.

  1. Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)
  2. Herrad of Landsberg (1130–1195)
  3. Sophie Brahe  (1559 – 1643)
  4. Maria Cunitz (1610 – 22 August 1664)
  5. Justine Siegemund (December 1636 – 10 November 1705)
  6. Maria Sibylla Merian (2 April 1647 – 13 January 1717)
  7. Laura Bassi (October 1711 – 20 February 1778)
  8. Maria Gaetana Agnesi (16 May 1718 – 09 January 1799)
  9. Caroline Lucretia Herschel (16 March 1750 – 9 January 1848)
  10. Marie-Anne Lavoisier (20 January 1758 – 10 February 1836)
  11. Maria Dalle Donne (12 July 1778 – 9 June 1842)
  12. Mary Somerville (26 December 1780 – 29 November 1872)
  13. Charlotte Murchison (18 April 1788 – 9 February 1868)
  14. Orra White Hitchcock (8 March 1796 – 26 May 1863)
  15. Mary Buckland (20 November 1797 – 30 November 1857)
  16. Mary Anning (21 May 1799 – 9 March 1847)
  17. Maria Mitchell (1 August 1818 – 28 June 1889)
  18. Florence Nightingale (12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910)
  19. Katherine Mary Clerk Maxwell (1824 – 12 December 1886)
  20. Antoinette Brown Blackwell (20 May 1825 – 5 November 1921)
  21. Agnes McLaren (4 July 1837 – 17 April 1913)
  22. Agnes Mary Clerke (10 February 1842 – 20 January 1907)
  23. Ellen Henrietta Swallow Richards (3 December 1842 – 30 March 1911)
  24. Therese von Bayern (12 November 1850 – 19 September 1926)
  25. Marcella O’Grady Boveri (7 October 1863 – 24 October 1950)
  26. Emily Fortey (1866 – 10 September 1946)
  27. Annie Scott Dill Maunder (14 April 1868 – 15 September 1947)
  28. Eva von Bahr-Bergius (16 September 1874 – 28 February 1962)
  29. Elisabeth Schiemann (15. August 1881 – 3 January 1972)
  30. Euphemia Lofton Haynes (11 September 1890 – 25 June 1980) 
  31. Dorothy Annie Elizabeth Garrod (5 May 1892 – 18 December 1968)
  32. Sr. Hilary Ross (1894 – 30 November 1982)
  33. Cecilia Helene Payne-Gaposchkin (10 May 1900– 07 December 1979)
  34. Natasha Dobzhansky (29 August 1901 – 22 February 1994)
  35. Elena Kasimirchak Polonskaya (21 November 1902 – 30 August 1992)
  36. Kathleen Lonsdale (28 January 1903 – 1 April 1971)
  37. Sr Mary Celine Fasenmyer (4 October 1906 – 27 December 1996)
  38. Virginia Apgar (7 June 1909 – 7 August 1974)
  39. Marguerite Perey (19 October 1909 – 13 March 1975)
  40. Dorothy Vaughan (20 September 1910 – 10 November 2008)
  41. Máirín de Valera (12 April 1912 – 8 August 1984)
  42. Piedad de la Cierva (1 June 1913 – 31 December 2007)
  43. Sr. Mary Kenneth Keller (17 December 1913 – 10 January 1985)
  44. Guadalupe Ortiz de Landazuri (12 September 1915 – 16 July 1975)
  45. Sr. Miriam Michael Stimson (24 December 1913 – 17 June 2002)
  46. Anne-Marie Staub (13 November 1914 – 30 December 2012)
  47. Katherine Coleman Goble Johnson (26 August 1918 – 24 February 2020)
  48. Olga Aleksandrovna Ladyzhenskaya (7 March 1922 – 12 January 2004)
  49. Stephanie L. Kwolek (31 July 1923 to 18 June 2014)
  50. Mary Brück (29 May 1925 – 11 December 2008)
  51. Mildred Fay Jefferson (6 April 1927 – 15 October 2010)
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From 31 to 40: Christian women scientists

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Please see our update: https://sciencemeetsfaith.wordpress.com/2023/07/14/christian-women-pioneering-in-science/

“Remember that you are not scientist or Christian, you are Christian scientists. Integrate faith and reason!” – this is paraphrasing from the homily given yesterday at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Catholic Scientists. And all women portrayed here are just this: Christian scientists, some from the Catholic faith tradition, some were Protestant and some were Orthodox. With this blog post, we bring the number of women scientists portrayed on our blog to forty – and counting! The previous installments are here and here. This time, we cover women from two centuries, five from the United States, two from Scotland, and one each from Russia, Ukraine, and France.

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