#stem inspiration

[itsmythang]

As NASA’s first Black female engineer, Mary Jackson studied how air flows around aircraft, work that helped advance the science of aerodynamics and improve flight. Her career also helped pave the way for greater inclusion in STEM.

Born: April 9, 1921, Hampton, VA

Died: February 11, 2005 (age 83 years), Hampton, VA

[secular-jew]

Meet Gerty Theresa Radnitz Cori, born August 15, 1896, in Prague, who rose from humble beginnings to become the first American woman to win a Nobel prize.

Raised in a Jewish family; her father, Otto Radnitz, managed a sugar refinery, and her mother, Martha, nurtured a home filled with intellectual curiosity. This environment sparked Gerty’s passion for learning, leading her to excel in chemistry and medicine.

In 1914, at the age of 18, Cori was admitted to medical school (the German University of Prague, now Charles University), a remarkable achievement for a woman at a time when scientific programs were largely inaccessible to women. Her uncle, a pediatrics professor, was her early backer who supported her interests and encouraged her to apply to medical school. While the university permitted women to attend, most girl's schools didn't toffee Latin, math, physics or chemistry, so very very few women of this era could gain enough knowledge to pass the medical entrance exams.

Gaining her medical degree in 1920, she married Carl Ferdinand Cori, who she met in anatomy class.

In 1922, during a period of rising European antisemitism following the end of WWI, she left for the U.S.

In 1947, Gerty won the Nobel prize in "Physiology or Medicine", making her the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize, sharing the honor with Carl and Dr. Bernardo Houssay of Argentina for their discoveries on glycogen metabolism.

Gerty uncovered the process of cellular energy storage and release, answering one of the most fundamental questions about how the human body works. She transformed the study of biology.

This achievement was monumental not only for its scientific impact but also for breaking barriers as a Jewish woman and immigrant in a male-dominated field.

Despite facing gender discrimination and antisemitism, Gerty’s brilliance shone through. She and Carl later moved to Washington University in St. Louis, where she became a professor and continued her pioneering research.

Her contributions extended beyond the lab, earning her prestigious accolades such as the Garvan-Olin Medal in 1948 and membership in the National Academy of Sciences, one of the first women to receive that honor.

Gerty’s work on the Cori cycle remains a cornerstone of biochemistry, taught worldwide and applied in medical research for metabolic diseases. Her resilience, intellect, and determination as an immigrant scientist continue to inspire generations, particularly women in STEM.