Hidden Gems: under-recognised figures in STEM

Nicola Williams explores the career of Irene Manton and the challenges women scientists encountered accessing electron microscopy in the wake of World War II. Manton attended Cambridge in the 1920s, at a time when women were allowed to attend and study, but not awarded degrees. She went on to garner an international reputation as an expert in the cytology and evolution of ferns. This culminated in 1946 when she became the first female professor at the university of Leeds.

Until the 1950s, pharmaceuticals were largely products derived from natural sources. The work of Gertrude ‘Trudy’ Elion and her colleagues revolutionised drug development, paving the way for a plethora of new medicines to be designed to specifically target certain diseases. I will be discussing the life, work, and legacy of Elion, including the challenges she faced as one of the first female scientists in her cohort, the techniques she pioneered for rational drug design, and her eventual rise to recognition upon her receipt of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine.

Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958) was a British chemist whose x-ray diffraction images constituted crucial evidence for solving the DNA double-helix structure. She did not initially receive credit for this groundbreaking discovery, which together with her premature death contributed to the mythology around the ‘unsung heroine’ of DNA research. In my talk, I revisit the story of Rosalind Franklin, focusing on the social realities and the misogyny within the scientific establishment, which shaped her life and career, and how we now remember her contributions to science.

This talk will cover Dr. Ben Barres, a groundbreaking neurobiologist at Stanford University (1954-2017), who made significant contributions to our understanding of glia cells, which support the central nervous system. In 1997, Barres transitioned, becoming a leading voice for transgender rights within science. He was the first openly transgender scientist elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2013, and a champion for diversity in academia. Barres tirelessly advocated for both transgender and women researchers, inspiring many with his courage and dedication.