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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – LONDON, L’Oréal and New Scientist today announce the results of a poll revealing the most inspirational female scientists of all time. Nuclear physicist and chemist Marie Curie topped the poll which was created to celebrate 10 years of the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women In Science programme, with around a quarter (25.1%) of the vote.
Voted for by more than 800 members of the scientific community and
visitors to http://www.NewScientist.com, the poll highlights the absence of
modern role models on the list; Astrophysicist Dame Susan Jocelyn Bell
Burnell (4.7%), responsible for the discovery of radiopulsars, and Jane
Goodall, the primatologist (2.7 per cent) were the only scientists in the top
ten to have research published in recent years, polled 4th and 10th,
respectively.
The poll comes as data from the UK Resource Centre For Women in Science,
Engineering and Technology, confirms that women remain under-represented in
UK scientific research. Statistics reveal that women comprise less than 30%
of those in SET research positions in UK Universities, with lower proportions
at later career stages. While girls make up 42.4 per cent of GCE A level
students in science, this drops to 33.5 per cent at higher education level.
Furthermore, in the workforce, women make up only 18.5 per cent of those
working in science and engineering overall.
Roger Highfield, Editor, New Scientist commented: “The poll indicates the
vital need to celebrate and raise awareness of the many female scientists who
have shaped modern science since Marie Curie, and who are making a bigger
contribution than ever.
When we asked respondents to suggest who else should be included in our
poll, the name of Rita Levi-Montalcini, the Italian neurologist who is the
oldest living Nobel laureate, came up the most, with 1.5 per cent of the
vote.”
The results of the poll coincide with the announcement of the winners of
the four 2009 L’Oréal UNESCO UK and Ireland For Women In Science Fellowships
(http://www.womeninscience.co.uk), at an awards ceremony held at the Royal
Institution today. The fellowships promote the importance of ensuring greater
participation of women in science and are run in partnership with the UK
National Commission for UNESCO, the Irish National Commission for UNESCO, the
Royal Institution of Great Britain and the UK Resource Centre for Women in
Science, Engineering and Technology.
Grita Loebsack, Country Manager, L’Oréal UK and Ireland commented: “Women
are at the forefront of advances in many scientific disciplines, particularly
in health and life sciences. L’Oréal’s business is founded on science, making
programmes like For Women In Science fundamental to our future development.”
She added: “The aim of the poll was to celebrate the contribution women
have made to scientific research but also to highlight the lack of modern
role models to encourage young women to pursue careers in science. It is
through programmes such as For Women In Science that we hope to draw more
attention to the pioneering scientific research undertaken by women around
the world and provide more visible role models for the female scientists of
the future.”
Winners of the 2009 L’Oréal-UNESCO UK and Ireland For Women In Science
Fellowships are:
Dr Nathalie Seddon, Tutorial Fellow, University of Oxford for her
research into the evolution of animal communication
Dr Elizabeth Murchison, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Wellcome Trust Sanger
Institute for her work on understanding the origins and development of
transmittable cancers
Dr Jennifer Bizley, Post-Doctoral Research Scientist, University of
Oxford for her research into the human perception of pitch, tone, and spatial
location of a sound source
Dr Patricia Alireza, Honorary Research Associate, University College
London for her research into new electronic transitions under extreme
conditions of pressure, magnetic field and temperature.
Top Ten Most Inspirational Female Scientists:
(http://www.womeninscience.co.uk/bios.php)
1. Marie Curie 25.1
2. Rosalind Franklin 14.2
3. Hypatia Of Alexandria 9.4
4. Jocelyn Bell Burnell 4.7
5. Ada, Countess Lovelace – 4.5
6. Lise Meitner – 4.4
7. Dorothy Hodgkin – 3.8
8. Sophie Germain – 3.7
9. Rachel Carson – 3.4
10. Jane Goodall – 2.7
For more information on the top 10 most inspirational female scientists,
as voted for by visitors to http://www.NewScientist.com in conjunction with
L’Oréal, click on the links above or go to
http://www.womeninscience.co.uk/bios.php
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