Women in Science Celebrated by Nobel Committee & White House

Yesterday was a great day for women in science. In the morning, Ada E. Yonath of Israel became the fourth woman to ever win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Dr. Yonath and her American colleagues, Venkatraman Ramakrishnan and Thomas A. Steitz, won "for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome". According to the Nobel Foundation, the trio "showed what the ribosome looks like and how it functions at the atomic level." By using a method called X-ray crystallography and creating 3-D models, Yonath, Ramakrishnan and Steitz have given scientists a better understanding of ribosomes which can be used to develop new antibiotics.

In the afternoon, the National Medals of Science, Technology and Innovation were awarded in a ceremony at the White House. Four women were honored:

Dr. Joanna S. Fowler, Brookhaven National Laboratory - received the National Medal of Science for her "pioneering work in chemistry involving the synthesis of medical imaging compounds and her innovative applications of these compounds to human neuroscience, which have significantly advanced our understanding of the human brain and brain diseases, including drug addiction."

Dr. Elaine Fuchs, Rockefeller University - received the National Medal of Science "or her "pioneering use of cell biology and molecular genetics in mice to understand the basis of inherited diseases in humans and her outstanding contributions to our understandings of the biology of skin and its disorders, including her notable investigations of adult skin stem cells, cancers, and genetic syndromes"

Dr. JoAnne Stubbe, Massachusetts Institute of Technology - received the National Medal of Science for her "groundbreaking experiments establishing the mechanisms of ribonucleotide reductases, polyester synthases, and natural product DNA cleavers -- compelling demonstrations of the power of chemical investigations to solve problems in biology."

Dr. Esther Sans Takeuchi, University at Buffalo, the State University of New York, - received the 2008 National Medal of Technology and Innovation for her "seminal development of the silver vanadium oxide battery that powers the majority of the world's lifesaving implantable cardiac defibrillators, and her innovations in other medical battery technologies that improve the health and quality of life of millions of people

Finally, President and Mrs. Obama held an astronomy night for area school children on the White House lawn.  Talking Points Memo reports that attendees included astronauts Sally Ride and Mae Jemison as well as Caroline Moore, who discovered a new kind of supernova when she was 14 years old. (Astronauts Buzz Aldrin and "Hubble Repairman" John Grunsfeld were there, too.) Ms. Ride also hosted a live web chat on Facebook last night during the event.

Because women and girls are so grossly underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (commonly known as STEM), it is important to take notice when accomplished women in these fields are recognized for their work.