Women in STEM in the twenty-first century aren’t a statistic.

They’re the continuation of a long line of female innovators who used their scientific and technical knowledge to create solutions so successful we often don’t even consider them solutions anymore; we just consider them part of our everyday lives.

Women have always been in STEM - and for generations have fought for their inclusion in this space. Let’s promote their stories instead of focusing on a numbers game. It’s time for female scientists, engineers and mathematicians, rather than percentage points. Female scientists are not just a minority statistic; they’re groundbreaking innovators with stories that deserve to be told.

The work they do, the research they pioneer, the breakthroughs that they uncover and the lives that they change should be the centre of their stories. Not just their gender.

Groundbreaking female entrepreneurs from history and the innovations that change lives today

1. Mary Engle Pennington

Back in the 1800s, Mary completed university and passed but wasn’t awarded a degree, because she was female. Not to be disheartened, she decided to create her own laboratory and research bacterial analysis with an aim of making dairy products safer. In the course of her research, she developed standards to avoid bacterial contamination and ensure safe transportation of eggs, milk and poultry.

Based on Mary’s research, discoveries and patents, frozen food was able to be safely kept, stored and used. Her work provided the foundations for the modern fridge and freezer, that’s now  present in almost every home. Not only has this been vital for saving time but also for enabling many more people to access affordable, nutrient-rich food.

2. Maria Telkes

Born in 1900, Maria was a Hungarian-American scientist whose research and innovation was the basis for solar energy storage and use - which even earned her the nickname of ‘The Sun Queen’.

Maria’s innovation with solar energy led to 20 patents for solar energy systems, including a water desalination system to help save the lives of airmen and soldiers. She famously worked with Eleanor Raymond to create the very first solar panel-heated house in the 1940s.

The solar technology, energy storage, and green energy solutions that we use to tackle climate change today are possible only due to Maria’s scientific innovation. Her discoveries and breakthroughs have been named as ‘more important than the atom bomb.

3. Marie van Brittan Brown

Living in New York in the 1960s, Marie increasingly felt unsafe alone in her home as neighbourhood crime rates were rising. Police were often slow to respond to calls and Marie didn’t feel comfortable answering the door alone without knowing who was calling. In order to solve this issue and ensure her own safety, Marie utilised the help of her electrician husband to create a system of peepholes and cameras that connected to an indoor monitor. She then added a two way microphone so she could speak with whoever was outside and wireless buttons to unlock the door or sound the alarm.  You’ve probably guessed it by now, but this was the basis of modern home security systems!

4. Jewel Plummer Cobb

As a scientist in the 20th century, Jewel made some of the most vital breakthroughs relating to melanin, skin damage, and light. Her research allowed us to understand skin cancer and how cells become cancerous. Some of her most vital work led to the discovery of methotrexate, which remains one of the most successful drugs for childhood leukaemia. Jewel’s findings are still used in skin cancer and melanoma treatment today. While ongoing research into cancer treatment continues to be necessary, melanoma is one of the most treatable cancers with some of the best outcomes, showing just how much of a difference and how many lives have been saved due to these innovations.

5. Mollie Orshanky

‍Mollie grew up in poverty in the early 1900s and used this first hand experience to collect data relating to family consumptions and levels of living. As a federal economist and statistician, she developed the first accepted levels of income inadequacy and poverty thresholds. Mollie’s work was vital as it helped shape new social policies. Her criteria for poverty included an extra 4 million children as it included new elements related to family size and composition, which changed the eligibility for state programs. This innovative work has laid the framework for poverty protocols across the globe and ensured more help is given to those in need.

Women have always been innovators across science, engineering, technology, and maths spheres.

All the women so far discussed in this article have been from history. They’re women who paved the way for us, as women of the twenty-first century.

So now it’s time to turn and look at the women creating the science-based innovations of the future, right here in the Nordics.

Female innovators from the Nordics making noticeable impacts today

Where the media doesn’t necessarily highlight these stories, we’re choosing to promote three incredible women who are changing the status quo across the globe with their innovative STEM work:

1. Charlotte Rønje, Co-founder of Jamii.one, uses her knowledge as an economist, and her expertise in relation to micro-economy, to change lives in East Africa. Jamii.one leverages the power of community to end poverty in Ethiopia and Kenya.

By creating a digital infrastructure, Jamii.one enables remote communities to access financial services, have affordable insurance and community protection, and build credit data. Through this, communities can take control of their finances, are shielded from financial shock and can access more security and opportunities. The platform has already hit one million users and we can’t wait to see it impact even more lives.

2. Sherry List, Co-Founder of SyntheticAIData,is a skilled engineer with vast international experience, including at Microsoft. SyntheticAIData combats the lack of diversity within AI models to ensure we’re building a future that includes all of us.

‍SyntheticAIData creates diverse and high quality datasets at need, so industries can train their AI models accurately and at scale. As it is a user friendly and no code system, it can be used by anyone, with benefits including reduced cost, ensured privacy, regulatory compliance, and expediting product journeys to the market - all while ensuring they are trained on material that is diverse, representative, and impactful across humanity.

3. Nermeen Ghoniem, Co-Founder of HelloAda, harnesses her experience, education and passion in tech to help kids (especially girls) become more intrigued about technology.

‍HelloAda’s platform makes technology accessible for kids and their families, helping children to learn, create and collaborate with AI. Through empowering kids to become innovators and creators in the digital space, HelloAda ensures that kids don’t just use technology; they shape it.

We were honoured to have Nermeen, Sherry and Charlotte share their stories at an event we hosted recently, and cannot wait to follow their achievements. They are just three female entrepreneurs who are creating solutions that are shaping our future, with many more spread across the Nordics. If you’re interested in learning more from female entrepreneurs, keep an eye on our socials or sign up to our newsletter and we’ll keep you updated about all our upcoming events and opportunities.