International Day of Women and Girls in Science
Celebrating the role of women and girls in science and technology communities
To mark International Day of Women and Girls in Science on 11 February, we highlight the remarkable contributions of women and girls in the field, both past and present. From young innovators to pioneering scientists, their achievements continue to shape the world we live in.
Young minds leading the way
Today’s youth are growing up increasingly aware of topics related to health and environmental challenges, as well as the power of information in addressing social disparities and inequalities. Even at a young age, many are already driving incredible innovations.
Take Samantha Marquez, a teenager whose love of science inspired her to develop 3D organised cell structures, called Celloidosomes, for engineering new tissues and repairing organs. At 16, Elif Bilgin found a way to tackle pollution by using chemistry to transform banana peels into bioplastic. Meanwhile, 15-year-old Hannah Herbst, motivated by her pen pal's struggles with unreliable electricity in Ethiopia, developed a cost-effective solution using ocean waves.
European Inventor Award and Young Inventors Prize
At the European Patent Office, we take pride in celebrating female ingenuity through the European Inventor Award and the Young Inventors Prize. These awards recognise trailblazing minds, from esteemed winners like Katalin Karikó—recipient of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Medicine—and Elena García Armada, the professor behind an adaptable robotic exoskeleton for children who use wheelchairs, to rising innovators shaping the future. Among them are the latest Young Inventors Prize winner, Rochelle Niemeijer, who developed a portable kit for diagnosing bacterial infections, and Olga Malinkiewicz, recipient of the Popular Prize in 2024 for her innovative printable and flexible solar cells.
In 2024, Dame Carol Robinson received the Lifetime Achievement award for her work in mass spectrometry. Her innovative method has transformed the study of proteins and paved the way for drug research and new medical treatments, potentially targeting diseases that currently lack effective treatments. As the first woman to hold a professorship in chemistry at both Oxford and Cambridge, Robinson’s journey was not without its challenges. After taking an eight-year career break to raise her family, she returned to science and now hopes to inspire young women to persist in their scientific careers.
Trailblazers in science
Women have long been at the forefront of innovation, with inventions that were ahead of their time and which remain influential today. Consider Ada Lovelace, who is credited with creating the first computer algorithm in 1843. Or Hedy Lamarr’s wireless communication system that laid the foundation for modern technologies such as Bluetooth.
Fig. 1: Original documents for Hedy Lamar’s patent application for a wireless communication system
Maria Salomea Skłodowska-Curie made a huge contribution to science and medicine, with her discovery of radium and polonium significantly advancing cancer treatment. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the only woman person to be awarded in two different sciences, receiving the prize in physics in 1903 and chemistry in 1911.
Women have also contributed significant innovations used in in everyday life: in 1903, Mary Anderson created the first-of-its-kind wind screen wiper for vehicles; in 1914, Florence Layman received a patent for an electrical refrigerator, while Josephine Cochran patented the dishwasher in 1917. Central heating was the brainchild of Alice Parker in 1919, and in 1988 Patricia Bath patented the Laserphaco Probe, a device still used worldwide to prevent blindness.
Fig. 2: Patent awarded to Josephine Cochran’s dish washer
Addressing the gender gap in STEM
As we spotlight female ingenuity and groundbreaking women inventors, we must also acknowledge the leaking pipeline which exists in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) community. According to the United Nations, women only account for 28% of engineering graduates, 33% of researchers and 12% of members of national science academies.
Now more than ever, it is crucial to highlight the important role women play in shaping the future of science. By recognising and supporting these brilliant inventors, we not only celebrate their achievements, but also inspire a more inclusive and innovative world—one that is safer, smarter and more sustainable for all.
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