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Women of colour who have broken barriers in the world of science
Our new Women in Science: Women of Colour Tour tells some inspiring stories.
Learn about female scientists past and present, their passions, their inspiration and how they got into science. Each tour is slightly different, but here are some of the women you might hear about.
1. Miranda Lowe CBE
Our Principal Curator of Crustacea, pop science speaker and diversity advocate Miranda has always been passionate about the natural world and is particularly interested in the role exhibits play in our understanding of it. During the tour, you can discover the fascinating collections she looks after and her important role in championing fair representation in museums.
Image: NASA
2. Katherine Johnson
Katherine loved to count from an early age. She would count everything, from the steps to the road to the number of dishes she washed. This affinity for numbers led Katherine to break gender and race barriers and become one of the first African American women to work at NASA as a scientist. Find out more about Katherine’s story and her crucial role in helping us get to the Moon.
3. Professor Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan
Anusuya is a palaeobiologist at the University of Cape Town and an expert on the teeth and bones of vertebrates, particularly dinosaurs and birds. She leads a course on extinctions past and present and has written four books and two children’s books. Anusuya is passionate about furthering the popularisation and public understanding of science.
4. Nadine Gabriel
Nadine has been interested in the fascinating world of rocks ever since she started collecting them when she was young. In 2013, she visited the Natural History Museum in London for the first time and decided she wanted to work here, and now she does as our Curator of Minerals. Nadine is finding new and alternative ways to engage people with science and specimens.
5. Dr Natasha Almeida
Natasha’s mother always told her that nothing was out of her reach, so she reached all the way to space. Now our Curator of Meteorites, Natasha works with extra-terrestrial materials, including meteorites and Moon rocks. She’s also a wonderful science communicator who loves bringing space closer to people.
6. Dr Margaret Strickland Collins
In 1950 Margaret became the first female African American entomologist and the third female African American zoologist. She said, ‘My parents collected an impressive library for their income level.’ It was this early exposure to reading that sparked her curiosity. She added, ‘Because of my family and my community, my childhood was unique. I never learned what I couldn’t do - as a child, as a woman or as a black person.’
7. Dr Blanca Huertas
Born in Bogotá, Columbia, Blanca is our Senior Curator of Butterflies and is responsible for the care, development and access of the world’s largest and oldest collection of butterflies. She’s also an advocate for the inclusion of females and marginalised groups in science.
