Celebrating Stunning Minds: Revolutionary Women Who Disrupted Science, No Cap

Malala Yousafzai, the youngest Nobel laureate and education activist, nailed it when she said, “We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.” We could not agree more with her and everyone who believes that gender equality in every field, especially STEM, isn’t just important—but essential for true progress! And, women pioneers like Marie Curie, the first woman to win the Nobel Prize and Ada Lovelace, the first computer programmer helped level the playing field and paved the way for many more women to shine. 

Historically, Women have always faced hurdles when it comes to equal opportunities like holding office, making legal decisions, fair pay, reproductive rights, property ownership, and education. Luckily, now that times have changed and new mindsets are in, old biases are being kicked to the curb. While it’s still not a walk in the park, but with several global reforms in place and many more in the pipeline, closing the gender gap is a reality now more than ever before!

Today, as we observe the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (IDWGS), let’s celebrate some of the incredible women crushing it in STEM. While women “having it all” still seems like something out of a fiction novel, we’re paying homage to women in STEM knowing what they want and achieving it.

Camille Goldstone-Henry

Camille is an Australian businesswoman and a wildlife scientist, with a deep passion for nature and building a sustainable future by leveraging the latest technologies like AI. She is currently working on a mission to supercharge biodiversity preservation and regeneration across the globe as the CEO and founder of Xylo Systems,

Her dedication to sustainability has earned her some major recognition over the years. Camille has been the recipient of many prestigious awards for her work in biodiversity preservation with the latest feather in her cap being the Superstar of STEM, conferred by Science & Technology Australia. Camille’s proving that you can be a CEO, a scientist, and a planet-saving legend all at once while shattering the glass ceilings of gender biases.

Jill Ann Mikucki

Jill is a pioneering American microbiologist and Antarctic researcher, known for her groundbreaking work in the icy depths of Antarctica.  She leads several international teams exploring and studying ecosystems that thrive beneath thick layers of ice. Her most notable discovery was at Blood Falls showing how microbes can grow in the harshest of conditions, below the ice in the absence of sunlight, offering clues to the potential for life on other icy worlds in our solar system.

Jill is also an educator, teaching microbiology to aspiring professionals in Tennessee. Jill’s achievements are more than just scientific milestones—they’re a powerful testament to the strength, curiosity, and determination that women bring to fields long dominated by men.

Nina Tandon

Nina is an American biomedical engineer, famous for her ground-breaking work in the field of tissue engineering in cardiac, skin, and retinal tissues. As the co-founder and CEO of EpiBone, she’s on a mission to flip the script on orthopaedic surgery by creating customized regenerative skeletal treatments. In fact, EpiBone has successfully made a breakthrough with the first lab-grown bone graft implants in humans.

Nina is known for her TED talks and is also featured on the Netflix series “Human: The World Within”. Her many achievements include being a speaker and guest lecturer at institutions including Columbia University and MIT. She has been honoured as one of Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business, named an Ernst & Young Winning Woman, and recognized by Goldman Sachs as one of the 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs.

Nina is a fierce advocate for feminism, who’s breaking down barriers, inspiring the next generation of women, and proving that girls can do absolutely anything they put their minds to.

Dr. Purnima Devi Barman

Dr. Purnima is a wildlife biologist and conservationist from Assam, India, dedicated to the conservation of adjutant storks in rural Assam. From a young age, she was captivated by these remarkable birds and developed a passion for protecting them. For years, she’s been inspiring local communities, especially women, to take meaningful action.

In a bid to conserve the endangered stork, Dr. Purnima established the Hargila Army, an all-female grassroots movement focused on protecting these majestic birds from extinction. Today, the Hargila Army has grown to over 10,000 women who work tirelessly to safeguard nesting sites and rehabilitate injured storks.

Check out this video about Dr. Purnima to gain more insight into her journey.

Her remarkable contributions to conservation have been recognized globally through prestigious awards including the UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Champion of the Earth, in 2022, the Whitley Gold Award (aka Green Oscar), and the Nari Shakti Award.

Though she faced challenges early on, she overcame every obstacle and succeeded in helping to save the stork species from near extinction. As she puts it, “As a woman in conservation within a male-dominated society, the journey is tough, but the Hargila Army has proven that women can truly make a difference.” Now that’s inspiring!

Empowered Women, Unstoppable Innovation

Women have been straight-up slaying in every field of science, crushing challenges and breaking down barriers in a world that wasn’t always on their side. Their game-changing contributions are literally reshaping the future of science and the world in the most legendary ways.

As Michelle Obama said, (and we quote) “There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.” This couldn’t be more true. It’s essential for global growth and development that women and girls, have equal access to opportunities in STEM—so they fully realize their potential to innovate and lead the world into an era of discovery and inventions such as it has never seen before. Need we say more?

Join us at Green Pistachio in honouring these trailblazers and showing the world what real power looks like. Drop a comment below about how you’re doing your part to uplift the female force in science or tell us about a woman icon you admire!