Stories About Female Researchers For Children

Society has always left female researchers in the background and placed greater emphasis on the exploits of their male colleagues. Of course when they have not been persecuted or accused of witchcraft.

In 2015, the United Nations declared 11 February to be “International Day for Women and Girls in Science.” The purpose is to recognize all the female researchers and honor their achievements.

Today we will show you a few of them. We would need countless articles to really justify all female researchers.

3 stories about great female researchers throughout history

In this article, we will show you three incredible stories about three great female researchers that you can read with your children. They are truly icons of past, present and future generations. 

Female researchers: Hypatia of Alexandria

She was the first mathematician in history. We know she was born in 370 AD. in Alexandria, Egypt. Well versed in philosophy, physics and mathematics and astronomy, she was sentenced to death by a group of Christians who accused her of heresy.

They brutally murdered her when she was 46 years old. Her research in science and knowledge of literature was so great that she was better than the men of her time. 

Hypatia: the truth in mathematics

This is a story by Jordi Bayarri. It is part of a collection of scientific comics that are perfect for children between the ages of 10 and 12.

Throughout her story  , Hypatia will teach you about the ancient library of Alexandria. Furthermore, she will tell about what it was like to be a teacher and researcher during the time of Constantine the Great.

Marie Curie

She was the mother of chemistry and physics. Marie Salomea Sklodowska-Curie was born in 1867, and she was the  first woman to win two Nobel Prizes,  both in physics and chemistry. She was actually the first person to achieve them at all.

To begin with, her husband received recognition for all her studies on radiation. In fact, she had to ask to clear up the misunderstanding. However, she did not record her findings, so all researchers had access to them. 

Marie Curie: radium activity

This is in the same collection of comics as Hypatia by Jordi Bayarri. In his fourth book, Bayarri brings you closer to the life of this amazing woman who discovered things such as radium and polonium. 

Both her love of science and her dedication to free collaboration among researchers worldwide make her  the best example of a female researcher. 

Jane Goodall

Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall was born in London in 1934. She is world-renowned for her studies in primatology with chimpanzees and anthropology. Her scientific research into the behavior, society, and use of tools among chimpanzees  made her famous in the scientific community. In 2013, she received the Prince of Asturias Award for Scientific and Technical Research.

Jane Goodall – An Inspirational Story

It’s a perfect story to encourage girls to pursue their dreams. Albert, the security guard for the camps, tells the true story of Jane every night. Furthermore, through Jane’s fascinating life, she reminds children that they should never stop trying to achieve their goals.

Finally, some books on female researchers

We cannot conclude this article without mentioning certain female researchers in our history. There is, for example, Barbara McClintock, who specializes in cytogenetics and who has won the Nobel Prize for her theory of jumping genes. In addition to McClintock, there is Jocelyn Bell, a British astrophysicist who discovered the first radio signals from a pulsar.

Fortunately, there are some published books that are like little encyclopedias about the lives of these female researchers and and more:

• Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World. This book is written by Rachel Ignotofsky. We recommend it for children from 8 years and older.

• Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women. This book is written by Catherine Thimmesh and focuses on scientific inventions that women have brought into the world.
• 10 Women Who Changed Science and the World (Trailblazers, Pioneers and Revolutionaries). Catherine Whitlock explains the fascinating stories of 10 women from the 19th and 20th centuries who have made significant contributions to science.

We hope these stories about female researchers will help you inspire girls to do research and help them pursue their dreams.