Matthew Sheridan Debuts Women in STEM Course
By Matthew Sheridan
This fall, I launched a new online Gen Ed course, Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, designed to highlight the often-overlooked contributions of women in these fields from around the world. The course explores stories of resilience, groundbreaking discoveries, and the challenges these women encountered.
Students learn about figures like Wangari Maathai, who connected environmental science with social activism through Kenya’s Green Belt Movement, and Asima Chatterjee, an Indian chemist whose research in organic chemistry made a lasting impact on medicine. The course also covers Chien-Shiung Wu, a nuclear physicist who advanced the field despite systemic biases, and mathematician Maryam Mirzakhani, whose work reshaped our understanding of geometry. Alongside these, students study Kalpana Chawla, India’s first woman astronaut, and Jess Wade, whose advocacy has brought the achievements of many women scientists to Wikipedia. These stories reveal the important influence of diverse voices in science and technology.
The course also examines the barriers women have faced, such as the “Matilda Effect,” where women’s accomplishments are often minimized or misattributed. Rosalind Franklin’s pivotal role in DNA research, for instance, illustrates how her work was overlooked when the Nobel Prize was awarded. Through these discussions, students consider issues of visibility, recognition, and how these inequalities persist today.
A key part of the course is a podcast project, where students research and share the stories of modern women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics not covered in the course. They are encouraged to explore figures like Jennifer Doudna, a biochemist whose work on CRISPR gene-editing technology is transforming medicine; or Hadeel Ayoub, an innovator behind smart gloves that translate sign language into speech. Through this project, students become advocates, celebrating the contributions of those making real-time impacts on science and technology.
Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics invites students to see science as a global endeavour, enriched by diverse perspectives, and encourages them to envision a future where contributions from all voices are valued.
