I want you to close your eyes, relax your mind …. and then think of a scientist. Who or what comes to mind?

Why is it, when asked to think of a significant figure in science, it's almost always a man?

I won’t deny that I’m also guilty of this. I immediately thought of men such as Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking. And while I’m not discrediting the vast number of innovations and discoveries men like these have introduced to our society, I think it’s become increasingly more important for us to recognize and hold women’s accomplishments to the same, high standard.

Here is a list of five female scientists that continue to inspire me as I pursue my degree in Biology that, I think, deserve some recognition.

1. Mae C. Jemison.

Not only was she the first black woman in space, but she also was a doctor while serving in the Peace Corps.

2. Jennifer Doudna.

Doudna helped developed CRISPR. CRISPR is the engineering method that is the foundation of gene editing technology. Despite its controversy, this method continues to lead to the eradication of HIV, sickle cell anemia, Huntington’s disease and cystic fibrosis.

3. Francoise Barre-Sinoussi.

This biologist contributed work which would help identify HIV as the cause of AIDS. Due to the discovery of the human immunodeficiency virus, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in 2008.

4. Maria Mayer.

Mayer was a physicist who was only the second woman to win a Nobel Prize in physics after proposing the nuclear shell model of the atomic nucleus.

5. Gertrude Elion.

Last but not least, Elion was a biochemist and pharmacologist (what I strive to become). She also received the Nobel Prize in 1988 for Physiology or Medicine for her contribution in discovering crucial principles for drug treatment.

So, the next time someone asks you to think of a scientist, you can name one of the strong woman above who defied more than just physics.