Mind the gap

WHO WE ARE

CURRENT RESEARCH

INVISIBLE WOMEN

A CALL FOR HELP

WHO WE ARE

We are 3rd year Sport and Exercise Scientists from Lancaster University

Our mission is to educate people on the gender gap in science and what can be done to help

Historically women's scientific achievements have been overlooked - did you know less than 4% of Nobel prize winners are women?

This is not just an issue froom the past! Women hold less than 11% of senior research positions in Europe currently

This not only affects women's scientific careers but also their health and wellbeing - over 1.4 million more men are taking part in sport related research than women however the findings are generalised to women

WOMEN ARE NOT JUST MINI MEN!

Explore this website to understand more about the role women have played in scientific history and what currently being done to help

Click on our image to find out more about us and the work we have been doing to educate people on the gender gap in science.

INVISIBLE WOMEN

THE FOLLOWING WOMEN HAVE MADE PHENOMENAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO SCIENCE

prematurely of ovarian cancer and 4 years later Wilkins, Watson and Crick received a Nobel prize for the discovery of the structure of DNA. Rosalind Franklin was never recognized.

Rosalind Franklin used X-rays to photograph DNA. Whilst working as a research associate in the same lab as Maurice Wilkins, she took an image of DNA known as photo 51. This photo was passed onto James Watson and Francis Crick without her knowledge; this allowed them to work out the structure of DNA. Franklin died

Rosalind Franklin

repression or denial of the contributions of female researchers to science. Thomas Hunt Morgan, a prominent geneticist at the time, is often credited with discovering the genetic basis for sex determination.

Stevens determined that an organism's sex was dictated by its chromosomes rather than other factors. She was able to deduce that men produced sperm with X and Y chromosomes and that women produced reproductive cells with only X chromosomes. This was evidence supporting the theory that sex determination is directed by an organism's genetics. Stevens fell victim to a phenomenon known as the Matilda effect - the

Nettie Stevens

Esther Lederberg

Esther Lederberg, alongside her husband, developed a way to transfer bacteria from one petri dish to another which allowed the study of antibiotic resistance – the Lederberg method is still used today. Esthers Husband received the credit and

the Nobel prize alongside his colleagues George Beadle and Edward Tatum. Esther Lederberg never received credit for her contributions.

19. As well as this it helped lead to the development of blood tests to detect the presence of HIV.

Flossie Wong-Staal

As a molecular biologist, she was part of a team that identified HIV as the cause of AIDS. She is also credited with being the first person to clone HIV and determine the function of its genes. Her research helped lay the foundations for investigating treatments for emerging infectious diseases like COVID-

Lise Meitner

Lise Meitner was from Austria and worked in nuclear physics and led to the discovery of nuclear fission and the fact that atomic nuclei can split in two. That finding laid the groundwork for the atomic bomb.

Meitner who was Jewish had to make her way to Stockholm to continue her work as the Nazis

annexed Austria. She worked alongside Otto Hahn - Hahn published Miters findings on nuclear physics without including her as a co-author.

Jocelyn Bell Burnell

Jocelyn Bell Burnell discovered pulsars in 1967 while still a graduate student in radio astronomy at Cambridge University. Pulsars are the remnants of massive stars that went supernova. Their existence demonstrates that they didn't blow themselves into oblivion—instead, they left behind small, incredibly dense, rotating stars.

The finding resulted in a Nobel Prize, but the 1974 award in physics went to Anthony Hewish—Bell Burnell's supervisor - Jocelyn Bell Burnell wasn't acknowledged.

Chien-Shiung Wu

Chien-Shiung Wu overturned a law of physics and participated in the development of the atom bomb. In the 1940s she was a key player in the Manhattan Project. She stayed in the United States after the war and became known as one of the best experimental physicists of her time. Tsung-Dao Lee and Chen Ning Yang approached Wu to help disprove the law of

parity. This milestone in physics led to a 1957 Nobel Prize for Yang and Lee—but not for Wu, who was left out despite her critical role.

Dorothy Johnson Vaughan

bathrooms. Six years after she was hired, Vaughan became the manager of her division and its first Black supervisor.

Known as a “human computer", Vaughan was part of a team that did math calculations to help launch satellites—and later humans—into space. The group used math to figure out how wind and gravity affects aircrafts. When she was first hired she was segregated by race, she had to use seperate dining areas and

CURRENT RESEARCH

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WOMEN ARE NOT SMALL MEN

DR STACY SIMS

Dr Stacy Sims is an exercise physiologist and a nutrition scientist who aims to revolutionize exercise nutrition and performance for women.

Her contributions to the international research environment and the sports nutrition industry have established a new niche in sports nutrition; and consolidated her reputation as the expert in sex differences in training, nutrition, and health.

Dr. Sims has published over 70 peer-reviewed papers, several books and is a regularly featured speaker at professional and academic conferences.

many rewards. Take support and advice from where you can and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Find a mentor that can help to guide you through some of the ups and downs.

THE POWER OF WOMEN IN SCIENCE

DR NICOLA MUTCH

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Dr Nicola Mutch studies biological processes that help the body form, stabilise and dissolve blood clots (a blood clot can lead to a heart attack or a stroke, by restricting or completely blocking oxygen-rich blood supply to the heart or brain). This will help identify why certain people develop blood clots.

Here is Dr Mutchs' advice for other female researchers...

Don’t give up! It may be challenging but there are

THE DECADE OF ACTION

The Women’s Sport Collective is an inclusive, collaborative network for women working in the sports sector with an ambition to see a gender equal sports industry.

The game changers podcast by Sue Anstiss talks to front runnders in women sport. These are the individuals who are knocking down barriers and challenging the status quo for women and girls everywhere.

The STEMettes inspire and support girls, young women and non-binary people in STEM and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) careers!

Click on the images above to find out more about these fantastic organizations that are creating positive change for women in STEM

More about us and what we have been doing...

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