Honored: 2005 (1934 - )
Dr. Rita R. Colwell became the first woman and first biologist to head the National Science Foundation in 1998, spearheading the agency's emphases in K-12 science and mathematics education, graduate science and engineering education/training and the increased participation of women and minorities in science and engineering.
Honored: 1993 (1913 - 2005)
Known as "the mother of the Civil Rights Movement," when, in 1955, she refused to give up her seat on a public bus to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama. The event sparked the Montgomery bus boycott, the first major effort in the Civil Rights struggle.
Honored: 1993 (1921 - 2011)
First American woman trained in the U.S. to win the Nobel Prize for Medicine. Known for pioneering the use of radioisotopes to analyze physiological systems, Yalow made possible very detailed analysis of blood chemistry, saving lives and allowing for proper doses of medication.
Honored: 1998 (1935 - )
Foreign policy advisor under six consecutive U.S. presidents from Richard Nixon to William Clinton. Beginning in 1975, she served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State; her last appointment was Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs. A former Chair of the Atlantic Council of the U.S., a foreign policy think tank, her work has spanned almost four decades.
Honored: 1993 (1916 - )
Founder of the Literacy Volunteers of America, a group which she began in her upstate New York home. The organization has now taught nearly half a million people to read. Its unique approach, designed by Colvin, employs community tutors.
Honored: 2009 (1907 - )
A pioneer in the field of limnology - the scientific study of the life and phenomena of fresh water, especially lakes and ponds - Ruth Patrick provided methods needed to monitor water pollution and understand its effects. Patrick is credited, along with Rachel Carson, as being largely responsible for ushering in the current worldwide concerns with ecology. She was the first female elected chair of the board of the Academy of Natural Sciences and received the National Medal of Science in 1996.
Honored: 2002 (1933 - )
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has spent her career working to eliminate gender-based stereotyping and discrimination. Justice Ginsburg is the second woman appointed to the United States Supreme Court in its 212 year history.
Honored: 2005 (1887 - 1948)
A student of Franz Boas and mentor to Margaret Mead, Ruth Fulton Benedict was a highly influential anthropologist whose theories tremendously influenced the field of cultural anthropology. Her 1934
Patterns of Culture became an American classic and is still a highly regarded publication today.
Honored: 2003 (1790 - Unknown)
A Shoshone woman who served as a guide to Lewis and Clark during their exploration of the American West, Sacagawea was an instrumental part in the success of this legendary Expedition.
Honored: 1988 (1951 - 2012)
First American woman astronaut (1983), when she rode aboard the Challenger into space. A scientist, Ride served as the Director of the California Space Institute at the University of California, San Diego.
