Famous Scientists: H - M

From the Science History Institute. Using X-ray crystallography, Hodgkin determined the structures of penicillin, insulin, and vitamin B12 and was the third woman ever to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Know for her pioneering work on computer technology.

Main achievements: One of the first programmers of the Harvard Mark I computer.

A mathematics genius and computer pioneer, Grace Hopper created computer programming technology that forever changed the flow of information and paved the way for modern data processing.

The first American scientist to discover a comet, and an early advocate for science and math education for girls and the first female astronomy professor.

Her speech was direct, her ideas increasingly radical. “We cannot accept anything as granted,” she wrote in her journal, “beyond the first mathematical formulae. Question everything else.”

McClintock studied chromosomes and how they change during reproduction in maize

Her work has assisted in the understanding of human disease.

Barbara McClintock discovers that genes can jump around on chromosomes, showing that the genome is more dynamic than previously thought.

This article pays tribute to Katherine Johnson and the work she did related to the space program.

A gifted mathematician, Ada Lovelace is considered to have written instructions for the first computer program in the mid-1800s. With accompanying video.

"The Analytical Engine weaves algebraic patterns just as the Jacquard loom weaves flowers and leaves." 1843.

An interview (30 mins) with Rita Levi-Montalcini. Segment are identified so you can watch the part that is of interest or importance to you.

Article from the Scientific American journal.
The Italian researcher faced prejudice and adversity as a woman and as a Jew, but went on to elucidate a growth factor essential to the survival of nerve cells

From the Guardian: Italy mourns loss of Jewish scientist who worked undercover under the fascists and won the Nobel prize for medicine in 1986.

The Woman Who Made Science Beautiful
Where others sought separation, Maria Sibylla Merian saw connection.

Merian discovered facts about plants and insects that were not previously known. Her observations helped dispel the popular belief that insects spontaneously emerged from mud. The knowledge she collected over decades didn’t just satisfy those curious about nature, but also provided valuable insights into medicine and science.

Short biography from the Atomic Archive.

In 1938, Lise Meitner discovered that nuclear fission can produce enormous amounts of energy.
She made the discovery in Sweden, after escaping a few months earlier from Nazi Germany.

Henrietta Leavitt was an astronomer who opened the door to a dramatic enlargement in the size of the known universe.

We used to think the Milky Way was the only galaxy, but with one simple law, Henrietta Swan Leavitt changed that forever – and she didn't even need a telescope.