EYE ON SCIENCE

Bibliotheca Alexandrina Planetarium Science Center SPRING 2016 | Year 9, Issue 2

THE PEOPLE OF SCIENCE: WOMEN AND SCIENCE IN THIS ISSUE...

Planetarium Caroline Herschel: Science Center 4 An Iconic Woman Astronomer

Red Planet Mission: SPRING 2016 5 Women Onboard Year 9, Issue 2 Lise Meitner and the 6 Nobel Prize Controversy Cultural Outreach Sector And Then She Changed Educational & Promotional 7 the World Publications Unit (COPU) Grace Hopper and Maissa Azab 8 the Invention of the Head of Unit Information Age WOMEN: Editorial Team The Ladies of the BATTLEFIELD SCIENCE Shahenda Ayman 9 Coding World By: Maissa Azab Esraa Ali Sara Khattab Challenging Obstacles It is no secret that, despite all historical and contemporary 10 and Overcoming Hurdles Lamia Ghoneim evidence of women’s unlimited prowess in all aspects of life, Jailane Salem for some reason or the other, most societies have and still to a Moataz Abdelmegid Why We Need More certain extent regard women as less capable professionally. For Sherine Ramadan 12 Arab Women Scientists centuries, endless outdated societal constraints kept them in their homes and deprived them of, not only education and working in Men vs Women: Are competitive fields, but also their simplest rights as citizens, such Design 13 They Mentally Different? as voting, and often even their human right to choose their own Asma Haggag paths in life. Top Ten Most Amazing Although most of this is something of the past for most Publishing Department 14 Women in Science countries, even after they have finally been liberated from Language Revision Today many of these societal constraints, girls and women still face discouragement, disregard, and outright discrimination in many Contact Us: Rachel Carson and the cases when it comes to competitive professional fields, especially [email protected] 16 Silent Spring those related to science and technology. SCIplanet However, as is the case with every other aspect of life, 17 She Against the World women have proven over and over again their dexterity in these SCIplanet_COPU fields. Indeed, in this issue, we highlight just a few examples of Maria Montessori and women’s ingenuity throughout the ages; from Hypatia in Ancient 18 the Development of Alexandria, to the famous Arab Maryam “Al-Asturlabiyya”, to Young Minds the iconic Caroline Herschel and Marie Curie, whose name has become synonymous with the phrase “Women in Science”. Women in Science We also refer to other significant women, whose contributions 19 Fiction have changed the world as we know it; a couple of cases in point are Rachel Carson and Maria Montessori. Not only that, we Hypatia: The Bride and For additional information 20 highlight modern day women warriors of science, their battles, | WINTER 2014 Martyr of Science and reservation, please and their victories; women who have the power and the will to contact: take mankind to Mars, reshape information technology, cure [email protected] | SPRING 2016 21 Maryam al-Asturlabiyya: tenacious human ailments, just to name a few of their endeavors. Tel.: +(203) 4839999 Arab Astronomer Pioneer Indeed, we promise you an exciting and enlightening read Ext.: 2350, 2351 that just might change how you think of the world and maybe Fax: +(203) 4820464 Marie Curie: Up Close your purpose in it. www.bibalex.org/psc 22 and Personal

2 “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” “We look at science as Jane Goodall; something very elite, which “If I had not been primatologist, ethologist, only a few people can learn. discriminated against or had anthropologist and That is just not true. You just not suffered persecution, I UN Messenger of Peace. have to start early and give kids a foundation. Kids live would never have received up, or down, to expectations.” the Nobel Prize. Above all, do not fear difficult moments; the Mae Jemison; physicist best comes from them.” and astronaut. Rita Levi-Montalcini; neurobiologist and winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

“Humans are allergic to change; they love to say ‘We have always done it this way’. I try to fight that; that is why I have a clock on my wall that runs counter- clockwise.” Grace Hopper; computer QUOTES programmer. BY WOMEN SCIENTISTS

“Do not be afraid of hard “Imagination does not become work; nothing worthwhile great until human beings, given comes easily. Do not let others the courage and the strength, use discourage you or tell you that it to create.” you cannot do it. In my day, I Maria Montessori; was told women did not go into physician and educator. chemistry; I saw no reason why we could not.” Gertrude Elion; “If you know you are on biochemist, pharmacologist, the right track, if you have this and the winner of the inner knowledge, then nobody 1988 Nobel Prize in can turn you off, no matter Physiology or Medicine. what they say.” Barbara Mclintock; “I think it is important for little girls Cytogeneticist and winner growing up, and young women, to of the 1983 Nobel Prize in have one in every walk of life. So Physiology or Medicine. from that point of view, I am proud to be a role model!” Sally Ride; Physicist and astronaut. Caroline Herschel

An Iconic Woman Astronomer

German-born English astronomer, The Caroline Herschel, was the first woman to discover a comet, to be officially recognized in a scientific position and get paid for her contribution to science, to be awarded a Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society, and to receive honorary membership into Britain’s prestigious Royal Society.

Caroline Lucretia Herschel By: Moataz Abdelmegid A COSMIC POINT OF VIEW was born in the town of Hanover, Germany, on calculations from her brother’s 16 March 1750. At the age observations. She learned to of ten, Caroline was struck copy astronomical catalogues with typhus, which stunted and other publications that her growth, so that she never William had borrowed; she also learned to record, reduce, grew past 120 cm. Her family During the following ten worked on cataloguing every and organize her brother’s assumed that she would never years, Caroline successfully discovery she and William astronomical observations. marry; her father wished her to discovered eight comets; had made. During her lifetime, She recognized that this work receive an education, but her the first being discovered on she received several awards demanded speed, precision, mother opposed this. Her father 1 August 1786. Her comet including the Gold Medal and accuracy. sometimes took advantage of came to be known as the “first of the Royal Astronomical In 1781, while observing her mother’s absence to teach lady’s comet” and brought Society. Many of the comets the night sky with the powerful her directly or include her in her with it the fame that secured she discovered bear her name; telescope they built together, brother’s lessons. her a place in history books. the asteroid 281 Lucretia Caroline and William discovered When Caroline was 22 years In recognition of her work and was named after her second the planet Uranus; this was the old, she found her way out from as an encouragement for her given name, and the crater point that turned astronomy Hannover with the help of her to move forward, in 1787, she C. Herschel on the Moon is into their livelihood. Expectedly, brother William, who had moved was granted a salary of £50— named after her. Moreover, two it was William who was greatly to England seven years earlier equivalent to £5,700 in 2016— of the astronomical catalogues celebrated by the scientific and made a life for himself as by the King of Great Britain, published by her are still in use society for this discovery, while a musician. William exhibited a George III, for her work as an today. Caroline’s contribution was special interest in astronomy as astronomer, making her the Thanks to her brother rather slighted. a hobby; he would then explain first woman paid for scientific William, Caroline is one of William feared that to Caroline the amazing things services. the few historical women Caroline’s name would remain he learned about the stars. Following the discovery of astronomers of her time whose unmentioned if she continued Caroline grew fascinated with her eight comets, she studied life is well documented and working under his supervision; her brother’s new hobby, and the “star catalogue” published discoveries well recognized. She at his suggestion, Caroline she urged him to train her to be by the great English astronomer passed away on 9 January 1848; began to separately make his assistant. With time, William John Flamsteed, compiling and the inscription on her tombstone observations on her own in 1782. became known for his work on cataloguing over 3000 stars. reads: “The eyes of her who is She spent long hours every day high performance telescopes, She conducted a long 20-year glorified here below turned to the observing the sky with her and Caroline found herself survey of the night sky to cross- starry heavens”. 27-inch focal length Newtonian supporting his efforts. index this star catalog, and telescope, detecting a number References | SPRING 2016 Caroline spent many hours eventually submitted more than of astronomical objects between www.nasa.gov polishing mirrors and mounting 550 stars that had not been 1783 and 1787. Most notably, she www.britannica.com telescopes in order to maximize included in the original version. www.womanastronomer.com made an independent discovery the amount of light captured. In the wake of William’s of M110 (NGC 205), the second Although she never memorized death in 1822, Caroline companion of the Andromeda her multiplication tables, it was returned home to Germany and she who did the complicated Galaxy.

4 Women Onboard only becomearealityonceengineers and for theireventualtraveltoMars, thiswill 15 to20 years. While the astronauts prepare mission that is expected to take place in Mars a for prepared and trained be to first is nosmallfeat. which jets, supersonic pilot to how is learn obvious reasons. Another thingtheymust is sometimescalledthe“vomitcomet”for thatsimulatesfeeling. plane The plane outer space;theydosobytakingaridein the weightlessnessthatgoeswithbeingin of One the thingstheyhavetodoisexperience space. outer into journeys their in they must learn many skills that will aid them suitable theyareforaspacemission. physical andpsychologicalteststoseehow anastronaut. The trainees have to go through many tobecome is it difficult and applicants, whichshowshowcompetitive and four men;theywerechosenoutof6100 of astronautsiscomposedfourwomen and trainingprocess.NASA’s 2013batch have togothroughanintensiveapplication astronauts areofthehighestcaliberand new astronauttrainees;theselected have womenonboard. to theRedPlanetwill sights set on Mars, the first manned mission travelled intospace,andnow, withour astronauts. Sincethen,manywomenhave in 1978 that NASA hired its very first female part ofthisgreathumanendeavor;itwas kilometers awayfromEarth.Women are of one daysetfootonasurfacemillions people, especiallythosewhowishto Red PlanetMission: This batchofastronautswillbethe Years of intense training follow, where accepts NASA years, five or four Every Working atNASA isadreamformany

the RedPlanet. withstand a nine-month long travel period to the spacecraftthatistobemadehas Mars mission is still being developed, since allow foramanned technology thatwill scientists createasuitablespacecraft. The mission to Mars amongst many other things overseeing the efforts for the manned as necessary”. vary overaparttoaddorremovestrength a single piece, and wall thicknesses can into housings,multiplepartscanbebuiltas straight lines.Coolingpassagescanbebuilt constrainedtotooling accessand longer the todesigning engines; Robertsonsaidthat:“We areno it comes when flexibility of makingthespacecraftheadedtoMars. which will help in speeding up the process also lower than traditional manufacturing, parts needed. The costof3Dprintingis alternations astheymanufacturetheengine gives them the chance to tweak and make test whattheyaremakingasgo,which great becauseitallowsthose working to to makecannowtakeonlymonths. This is and leaps bounds; what used to take years 3D printing. The 3D printing is helping by and shewasabletomanufactureitusing of the launch engine fortheMarsspacecraft. of thelaunchengine to manufactureaturbopumpthatwillbepart mission to Mars. She and her team were able just who Alabama, thatwillhelpwiththe a breakthrough had in Center Flight Space is apropulsionengineerattheMarshall ElizabethRobertson.Robertson engineers, Another NASA engineer who is By using3Dprintingthereismuchmore This pumpisquiteacomplexpiece On this task is one of NASA’s female where weoncethoughttheywillnevergo. new technology that will soon put humans by sidebreakinggroundsincomingupwith of now, men and women are working side be makingtheirwayonMars’ surface. As near future, however, human footsteps will unmanned spacecrafts as visitors; in the mission toMarsareality. manned first the make to center the at on is most enthusiastic about is the work going viewing device”.However, whatVanhooser Telescope—the mostpowerfuleverspace testing forthenewJamesWebb Space Chandra X-rayspacetelescope,andcritical shuttle. environmental data satellite SERVIR, the aspace on She isalsoresponsiblefor“…leadingthe flies that laboratory a missionforSpacelab,whichisthe head to center the at woman first the was Marshall FlightCenterinthe1990sand budget ofthecenter. Mars, andisinchargeoftheUSD2.5billion astronauts who will be going toexplore staff ofthecenter. Sheisinchargeofthe 6000peoplewhomakeupthe leading Center in Alabama, andisinchargeof charge atNASA’s Marshall SpaceFlight is Teresa Vanhooser. Sheisthesecondin References www.forbes.com www.smithsonianmag.com So far, the Red Planet had only Vanhooser startedworkingatthe By: JailaneSalem 5 | SPRING 2016 LISE MEITNER and the Nobel Prize Controversy moved to and settled in Sweden, where she had the chance to work with the man who established the foundation of our understanding of atomic structure: Niels Bohr. During that time, she continuously corresponded with Hahn and other German scientists. To that point, Hahn had already performed

THE STORY BEHIND SCIENCE the experiments that isolated the evidence for nuclear fission, finding that neutron bombardment produced elements that were lighter than Uranium. He was mystified by those results; in one of his letters to Meitner he wrote “Perhaps you can come up with some sort of a fantastic explanation. We knew ourselves that Uranium cannot actually burst apart into Barium”. Meitner carefully reviewed Hahn’s results and formulated a theory By: Moataz Abdelmegid that explains how nuclear fission happens; her theory resolved Hahn’s mystery, and all of a sudden the experiment results made The splitting of atoms—nuclear fission—was a discovery that sense. Soon after, Hahn published his discovery of “a chemical changed our world. Few, however, know that a woman physicist evidence of nuclear fission” without listing Meitner as co-author. participated in the discovery of the real power of nuclear energy. Some believe that he genuinely wanted to list her as co-author, The irony of the story of Lise Meitner is that her laboratory partner of but was forbidden from doing so by the Nazi authority. Whatever his thirty years, Otto Hahn, was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry intentions were, it remains an undeniable fact that her insights were in 1944, while she was excluded, resulting in the consequent social key to this discovery and to the developments in radioactivity and “marginalization” of her important physics research and discoveries. the nuclear processes based on this discovery, which changed the Meitner was born in Austria, in 1878, to a Jewish family. Women world. In 1944, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded were not allowed to attend institutions of higher learning in those the Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Otto Hahn for the discovery of days, so she had to study privately to earn a doctoral degree in nuclear fission, overlooking Lise Meitner. Meitner’s name was never physics, in 1905, at the University of Vienna. She was only the mentioned and was never associated with the discovery for many second woman to do so; afterwards, she went to Berlin, where she years to follow. met the physics legend Albert Einstein, and attended lectures by The realization that nuclear fission leads to a chain reaction Max Planck himself. of huge explosive power had meanwhile urged members of the Planck had previously refused to teach women, but after a year, scientific community to act. Knowing that German scientists had she became his assistant and teamed up with chemist Otto Hahn the required knowledge, it was only a matter of time before Nazi with whom she worked for years; together they discovered several Germany developed an atomic bomb. The result was the Manhattan new element isotopes. When Meitner and Hahn moved to the new Project that gave birth to the US atomic bombs. Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Berlin, in 1912, she worked unpaid in Meitner took it as her duty to work on peaceful applications of Hahn’s department of Radiochemistry. She got a paid position at nuclear fission; refusing to move back to Germany, even when it the Institute in 1913; she was given her own physics section at the was safe for her to do so, she worked in Stockholm doing nuclear prestigious academy in 1917. She and Hahn discovered the first research into her late 80s. It is worth mentioning that her research long-lived isotope of the element Protactinium. included work on Sweden’s first peaceful nuclear reactor: R1. With the discovery of the neutron in the early 1930s, the It was not until 1966 that Meitner received attention; by then, her scientific community began to speculate that it might be possible name was accompanied to the discovery of nuclear fission and she to create elements heavier than Uranium in the lab. A scientific received many awards later in her lifetime. An under-valued scientist race to confirm this began between Ernest Rutherford in Britain, slighted by the Nobel Prize Committee, Lise Meitner passed away in

| SPRING 2016 Irene Joliot-Curie in France, Enrico Fermi in Italy, and the Meitner– 1968, at the age of 90. Described by Albert Einstein as “our Madame Hahn team in Berlin. Curie”, Meitner stands as an example of great women scientists The situation changed when Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933. overlooked. In 1992, and in humble recognition of her great scientific Meitner was the Acting Director of the Institute for Chemistry, and discoveries, element no. 109 was named after her: Meitnerium. her Austrian citizenship protected her, while other Jewish scientists lost their positions and were forced to leave Germany. Soon after, References www.jwa.org she realized that her Austrian citizenship could no longer protect her www.wired.com when Austria was annexed by the Nazi regime; she had to flee. She www.planet-science.com 6 And Then By: Lamia Ghoneim She Changed the World hen you think of famous Winventors who changed The Windshield Wiper a coffee jug. Ground coffee was spooned the world, you probably think of Mary Anderson came up with this idea into the paper cone and hot water poured Thomas Edison and his work with while travelling on a motorized tram in New over it. The paper cone provided a simple the light bulb, Alexander Graham York, in the snowy winter of 1903. Visiting answer to the problem of how to stop coffee Bell and the telephone, and Carl from the hot, dry State of Alabama, she grounds getting into the cup. Benz with the automobile; all men. noticed that the driver frequently had to stop Women, however, have also played the tram to clear snow off the windshield. Dipped Headlights a great role with inventions that have Anderson devised a gadget that had a It was Emily Canham from Highbury, helped further develop the world as rubber-bladed squeegee on the outside of North London, who first addressed the we know it. Here are a few of their the windshield, which was connected to a problem of blinding light from oncoming car amazing inventions. handle on the inside by a spindle through headlights in 1908. To lessen the glare, she the top of the window. All the driver had to proposed dividing the lenses into zones. do was turn the handle on the inside to clear Over the top half of the lens would be The Dishwasher the rain or snow outside. placed opaque, ground glass—patterned th Since mid-19 century, men and This simple solution later became an with wavy lines or geometric shapes—or women have been devising machines to essential and legal requirement for all colored transparent material. The bottom ease the endless household chores of vehicles. half would be the only one emitting pure, washing clothes and dishes. In the 1880s, bright light. Josephine Garis Cochrane, the daughter Disposable Diapers of an engineer, tired of servants breaking Marion Donovan deserves the gratitude Computer Language her fine china, and decided to work on of parents around the world for this Lord Byron’s daughter, Ada Lovelace, perfecting a dishwasher. ingenious invention; if it were not for her mathematician and scientist, was the Cochrane patented her design in 1886; persistence, they would never have made world’s first computer programmer. In the it consisted of a wire crate to hold plates, it to market. In the early 1950s, Donovan 1840s, Countess Lovelace collaborated cups, and saucers, which fitted into a wheel fashioned a special type of paper that was with Charles Babbage, the inventor of an inside a copper boiler. A motor turned the strong, absorbent, and conveyed water analytical engine that is generally claimed wheel and, as the crate of dishes rotated, away from the baby’s skin. Incredulously, to be the first computer. a continuous stream of either soap suds or everyone she talked to thought her idea In 1843, at the age of 27, Lady Lovelace clear hot water was squirted up from the was “superfluous and impractical”. Almost suggested to Babbage that she should work bottom of the boiler, streaming down over a decade later, in 1961, Victor Mills drew out a language for the engine, based on her the dishes before draining away. upon her vision and created Pampers®. knowledge of advanced mathematics. This With this prototype, Cochrane is now considered to be the first computer established the Garis-Cochrane Dish The Coffee Maker program. The software developed by the Washing Machine Co. Her machine was It was a German housewife, Melitta Benz, United States Department of Defense was displayed at the Chicago Exhibition in 1893, who introduced the world to filter coffee; named “Ada” in her honor in 1979. unhappy with dregs in the bottom of her and won an award for “the best mechanical Not all female inventors were honored cup, she came up with a nifty idea. She construction for durability, and adaptation to or even acknowledged for their inventions rolled blotting paper into a cone, put it into a its line of work”. though. It was not always easy for a woman brass pot drilled with holes, and placed it on to get patents, a female inventor would often have a patent registered in her husband or her father’s name, and never receive credit

for her invention. We owe those unknown | SPRING 2016 women gratitude for many of the practical inventions that we use today. References www.theguardian.com womenbusinessownerstoday.com Encyclopaedia Britannica

7 By: Lamia Ghoneim

In today’s male-dominated computer programming industry, it is easy to forget that a woman, Grace Hopper, helped usher in the computer revolution, and is hailed as the inventor of computer programming. Although men are credited with the invention of computers, back then they primarily focused on hardware; it was women who saw early on the Grace Hopper importance of programming. and the Invention of the Information Age After the War, Hopper accepted a position with Eckert-Mauchly Computer Corporation and helped develop the UNIVAC computer, a name that became synonymous DISCOVER LIFE with “computer”. Admiral Hopper believed that the major obstacle to computers in non-scientific and business applications was the shortage of programmers for these far from user- friendly new machines. The key to opening by her army recruiter, she persevered and Admiral Grace Hopper was the one up new worlds to computing, she knew, persuaded him to accept her into the navy who realized the need for a universal was the development and refinement of as a junior grade lieutenant. coding language that was simple enough programming languages. She was then assigned to the Bureau of for ordinary people to use for coding, and With perseverance and dedication, she Ordinance Computation Project at Harvard it was her who relentlessly pushed for, and finally created the first revolutionary compiler University; to her surprise and delight, she eventually created, such a language. From in 1952; a program that translates human became part of the programming staff for being the brains behind COBOL, the first readable language into computer executable the Mark I computer—the first large-scale common coding language, to putting an end machine language. Two years later, she was automatic calculator and a precursor of to World War II, Grace Hopper contributed named Director for automatic programming, electronic computers, weighing over 4500 kg. so much to the world in her lifetime than and it was her department that released the As World War II was a war of science, the can possibly be written in an article. The first programming languages, which were Navy had requisitioned Mark I to undergo fast following words are simply a mere segment compiler based; these included ARITH- and accurate wartime scientific calculations, of her life work. MATIC, FLOW-MATIC, and MATH-MATIC. such as missile targeting trajectories and the Born in New York City, in 1906, to a In 1959, the Conference on Data range of mine sweeping detectors. Hopper’s prosperous family, Grace was supposed to Systems Languages (CODASYL) brought assignment was to create a way to talk to grow up as an ordinary upper class lady of together different computer experts for a Mark I—to translate complex differential her time. Instead, her early curiosity meant two-day conference. Hopper had been the equations into commands that the computer she preferred dismantling alarm clocks to committee’s technical consultant; along could execute. find out how they work instead of playing with her previous employees, helped define Though Hopper knew nothing about with dolls; a habit which her mother did not the Common Business-Oriented Language programming at the start, she learned quickly discourage. (COBOL), which is still one of the most and soon began using Mark I to solve critical With this encouragement, she went on to famous business languages. war problems. The most important problem study math and physics at Vassar and then Later, Hopper invested a great deal of that her team solved during this period was Yale, earning her PhD in Mathematics in time advocating validation procedures to an impossibly complicated partial differential 1931, becoming one of the very first women bring about the international standardization problem that could not be solved using to achieve such a degree. After graduating, of computer languages. She remained traditional methods. Grace stayed at Vassar to teach math for the working well past her 80s, continuously It took three months to solve it, but next ten years. contributing to the field of computers, and Hopper and her team did the impossible and In 1941, Japan attacked the shores as a navy publicist and lecturer all her life. of Pearl Harbor and pulled America into figured out how to make a sphere collapse | SPRING 2016 She passed away in 1992, certainly as the upon itself and how to assemble the force war. Patriotic women were volunteering longest serving computer enthusiast of her point locations for its collapse. Hopper found all over the country to serve in Women day. Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service out after the War that the sphere problem (WAVES); Grace was not one to be left she solved was in fact the implosion problem References out. She filed for a leave of absence and for the nuclear bomb. This was the same iq.intel.com bomb that was then dropped on Japan, and www.cs.yale.edu after an initial struggle due to her age— news.harvard.edu 37 years old—and “slight build” as deemed six days later the War ended. www.britannica.com 8 of theCodingWorld The Ladies keys foreternity. Incomeswhatisknown someone endlesslypressingthe1and0 just than solution better a is there course, over togetthecomputerwork?Of and patience to input 1 and 0 over and called bytes. Who would have the time are madeofgroupseight,which of millions combinations. The combinations and comes inandtheycancomemillions mean anything? what todo.Howcouldthosetwodigits code that essentially tells the computer and iscalledthebinarycode. This isthe be?Well,language itconsistsof1and0, you mightthinkwhatcouldthiscomputer andcomputerlanguage.Now language that works as a medium between human non-profit us findoutwhatthiscodeis. This before delvingmoreintowhattheydo,let science. organization doessoinvariousways; computer in young girlsintodevelopinganinterest initiative thathasthemainaimofinspiring which needstobeaddressed. shows thatthereisanearlyonsetproblem, computer scienceinuniversity, which school girlsshowaninterestinstudying United Statesof America, only0.4%ofhigh to find jobs in competitive companies. In the favoring males, making it difficult for women female rolemodelstofollow, tocompanies having not to fields, scientific pursuing from causing this;fromgirlsbeingdiscouraged working init. ofcomputer field science, thereisaseverelackofwomen the in fields, work all in While womenareyettobefullyincorporated where thisismoreevidentthanothers. equality fields; is yettobeachievedandthereare areas work many in challenges It has todowiththecombinationsit A coderisessentiallyatranslator In comes“GirlsWhoCode”,abrilliant There are, of course, many factors It is 2016, and women are still facing fundamentals ofprogramming, mobile for high-school girls that teach them the provides many organization programs start implementing effective solutions. The to time high was it decided and field, saw thegender gap in the technological Officer of Girls Who Code, Reshma Saujani, a computerscienceinhighereducation. will be more interested and to willing pursue their education,thechancesarethatthey are exposedtocomputerscienceduring to address; if more female school students exactly theissueGirlsWhoCodeistrying women studyingcomputerscience. This is women, to go could because simplytherearenotenough jobs those half that imagine to difficult be would it progressing, job openings. At theratethingshavebeen specialist computer million 1.4 be will the DepartmentofLaborthatby2020there by projected was it USA, the In specialist. a cornerstoneforcareerascomputer science. and thisiswhyitessentialtocomputer screens everywhereistheresultofcoding, the requiredresult. All thatweseeonour be processedbythecomputertocreate translate it into binary codes that can then these inturntakewhatcoderswriteand use different programminglanguages, and websites, and applications, one needs to how acodecanbewritten. havetheirownrulesthatdictate languages with and are less detailed. Programming designed especiallytobeeasywrite easier touseprograminsincetheyare to use; whereas high-level languages are difficult more are these but languages, closest tothebinarycodearelow-level levels: LowLevelandHighLevel. The one as programminglanguages. It isclearthatlearninghowtocode To createdifferent computer software, Programming languages come in two The FounderandChiefExecutive development anddesign. development, robotics,aswellweb www.forbes.com www.microsoft.com girlswhocode.com fields could be more attainable inthe References attainable be more coming future. could fields Who Code,genderequalityintechnological the dedication of organizations like Girls them andabrightereconomicfuture”.With know is a gateway to better employment for of acareerincomputerscience,whichwe Code “…opensgirlsuptothepossibility of theCompany, believesthatGirlsWho its creation. Marissa Shorenstein, President been involvedwiththeorganizationsince such companyis AT&T New York, whichhas providing support to Girls Who Code; one many moreinthefuture. across theUSA,andarehopingtoreach life; theyhavealreadytutored10,000girls encourage them to enter the field later on in organization’s The to computer science education in order to field. this mission is to expose more and more girls in path a the hardandsoftskillsneededtoforge understanding of it. Inthisway, they gain real-world a gain to order in field the from chance tointeract with actualprofessionals environment, butalsooffers themthe science trainsgirlsnotonly in aclass Many techcompaniesareinvolvedin This essentialschoolingincomputer By: JailaneSalem 9 | SPRING 2016 Women in Science: DOSSIER womenChallenging in science globally. This new Obstacles addition to the awards helps accelerate the careers of 15 young women of great caliber, chosen from a pool of 230 women who are awarded Fellowships. and The jury body that chose this year’s award recipients consisted of twelve well- known scientists from around the world The development of humanity is also chosen by the President of the Jury, our the story of the development of science; it very own Professor Ahmed Zewail. Two of has been our ever evolving understanding the laureates are Prof. Rajaâ El Moursli and of the sciences that has helped us arrive Prof. Yi Xie; both have made contributions at where we are at today. However, due to to their fields and are great role models for the patriarchal nature of many societies, importance of the award being given to a all scientists. women were excluded from contributing to diverse group of women that “It is essential Prof. Rajaâ El Moursli, a Moroccan the scientific fields, or were admitted with because we want to support the idea that scientist working in the field of high energy great difficulty, greatly decreasing women’s the vocations of tomorrow may just as likely physics and nuclear physics, was honored contributions. be found in Africa as on the campuses of because of her crucial contribution in proving There have been gains for women American universities or in Asia”. the existence of the Higgs Boson—the wanting to join the scientific field, and great As of now, only 30% of science particle that is responsible for the creation improvements have been made; however, researchers are women; much still needs of mass in this universe. Prof. Yi Xie from that does not cancel out the fact that much to be done to lessen the gap between China, on the other hand, is a researcher more needs to be done until women are men and women working in the scientific in inorganic chemistry; she contributed treated equally to men. While women field. One main reason is that women are greatly to the creation of nanomaterials that scientists have increased in numbers with discouraged from studying science in the could possibly be used in converting heat or more and more women finding a scientific first place; young girls and women showing sunlight into electricity. career appealing, the numbers are still in interest in science are often steered away While this is very encouraging and is of the low ranges considering we are in the from their field of interest because it is great help to the women who receive such 21st century. perceived as a field for men and too difficult support, it does not lessen the obstacles Two Organizations trying to make a for a woman to handle. many women still face. So, what are the difference by joining hands are the United This is why the L’Oréal–UNESCO obstacles that make the number of women Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Partnership has created a program in the scientific field significantly less than Organization (UNESCO) and the L’Oréal specifically targeting young women working that of men? Corporate Foundation. In 1998, they in scientific fields. Doctoral and post-doctoral This prominent gender gap is launched the For Women in Science Award, researchers who have received fellowships perpetuated by factors that are financial, which was the first time an international from the L’Oréal–UNESCO For Women in social, as well as cultural. Starting with the award was created to encourage women in Science national and regional programs culture, in many countries, women are not the scientific field. Since then, many women are chosen to take part in the “International encouraged to pursue their education, let have been recipients of this prestigious Rising Talents” program, which aims at alone join universities. Many are advised to award; it has helped shed light on the accelerating the advancement of young choose career paths that are more “female- accomplishments of women in science, and friendly”, and to stay away from fields like has brought to light the obstacles faced by women scientists and researchers. The award is aimed towards women from all around the world, to help encourage them persevere and instill confidence in other women who wish to embark on similar journeys. The awards go to five laureates

| SPRING 2016 from five continents, highlighting the diversity of scientific research being carried out around the world. Béatrice Dautresme, who is the Managing Director of the L’Oréal Corporate Foundation, as well as being one of the founders of the program, said of the

10 Challenging Obstacles for auniversityprofessorshipinscience, average, paidabout£5,000lessthanmen According field. scientific to theIndependent(UK):“Women are,on the to extends inequality this and job, same the doing for men tendtogetpaidmorethanwomen it comes to salaries in general, where salaries; thereisahugegendergapwhen position theyearned. try toshowthattheydeservebeinthe have to prove themselves and constantly up pursuing them, they always feel like they from thesecareer paths, and if theydo end encouragement makeswomenturnaway counterparts. This lackofsupportand male their as that confidence their increase can thesupport not given are scientific they fields, competitive in careers pursuing harder andstudymore. parents, unlikeboyswhoaretoldtowork motivation to do well by teachers and not giventhesameencouragementand many and steer awayfromthembecausetheyare subjects those in well perform school girls are not pushed as hard to as biology, physics,andmath; by high such subjects in well perform both schools age; eventhoughgirlsandboysinprimary the sciences is perpetuatedfrom a young are deemedtobefieldsformenonly. chemistry andengineeringbecausethey

and Hurdles Overcoming This can also be reflected in their in reflected be also can This As womenarediscouragedfrom This encouragement to stay away from their research,insteadofhavingtomakea having aneasiertimeofcontinuingwith for scientists,wewillbeabletoseewomen where be includedingrants childcare supportwill afuture, in Perhaps fields. chosen dedicated all their time and energy to their advancements as those people who have time basisdonotachievethesame scientific in highly competitive, those working on a part- being fields the women with and research, of advancements option. pursue theresearchisnotalwaysaneasy where they have settled, and relocating to labs are not always in the same place end updoingpostdoctoralresearch,the for some women. Moreover, women who therefore, pursuingadegreeisnotfeasible needed for women who have and families, academic institutionsofferall thesupport demanding ones. Another issueisthatnot a career both for and motherhood,sincebothpathsare find time make families to difficult start it who women because post-doctoral research. This isinpart PhDs, andevenlesswomenpursue many not and continue ontoobtaintheirMaster’s careers, scientific pursuing up asabout£21,000”. high Economics (LSE),thedifference canbeas Bristol UniversityandtheLondonSchoolof but insomeacademicinstitutionssuchas All thesefactorsworkagainst the Even thoughmanywomendoend References people needtojointhewindsofchange. efforts areunderway, moreand discrimination againstwomen.Whilemany but to also challenge some societies’ women andmenaretreatedequally, not onlytoinstitutionssoasmakesure However, manychangesneedtobemade, stereotypes and outdated ways of thinking. making and all breaking as well as fields, their in waves careers scientific choosing genders anequalchance. favor menlikethem,insteadofgivingboth is hiredintoleadingpositions,andmany they haveasayinwhogetstenureand stage ofaresearchcareer, andtherefore, who aretheonestomakeitlater partly due to the higher percentage of males it isachieved. a longwaytogountil This is anyone thatfairnessandequalityhavestill of departments and labs will quicklyshow at thenamesofpeoplewhoareincharge women in have scientific fields, but simply looking gains major been madein improving thepresenceof and addressed slowly being is prejudice deep-seated This job. the for qualified is woman a if even male, a position isopen,thosehiringtendtochoose discrimination againstwomen,whereifa a career. choice betweenhavingafamilyand www.independent.co.uk www.uis.unesco.org www.science20.com www.tms.org www.businessinsider.com www.care2.com www.fwis.fr/en/home sciencecareers.sciencemag.or www.loreal.com There aregreatexamplesofwomen Of course,anotherobstacleisoutright By: JailaneSalem 11 | SPRING 2016 DOSSIER Why

By: Lamia Ghoneim We Need More Arab Women Scientists My seven-year old daughter has all are not replicated in the workforce and Unique Challenges the makings of a future scientist. She research, of which women comprise less Globally, women and girls need help in is fascinated by science and extremely than 12%. This universal phenomenon is overcoming barriers: the raised eyebrows; interested in nature’s mysteries. She dubbed “The Leaky Pipeline”, when women the isolation of being the only female in questions every rule and tries to master often abandon their careers in Science, the class or office; the double standards in every skill, and she works very hard to Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics applying for jobs or research grants; and reach the end result she wants. She collects (STEM) shortly after receiving their degree, the insufficient supportive laws for childcare rock samples for fun, she chooses to watch to pursue a more “practical” alternative. and maternity leaves. Discovery Channel in her screen time, Setting aside factors that lead women Regionally, the challenges are double- and last month she asked for a children’s to abandon science, why should we care if fold. Societal inclination to view women encyclopedia as her “good behavior reward”. more women choose to become scientists? primarily as wives and mothers leads to the Watching her conduct yet another This question seems to arise whenever assumption that they are less willing and experiment in my kitchen fills me with pride the issue of addressing the challenges capable of taking on the long hours required and joy, but I am also filled with dread and of women in science comes up, but I can for scientific work. As such, opportunities worry. I worry that her childhood enthusiasm easily think of a few answers. to advance scientific careers through may be interrupted by social norms and For one, attracting and retaining more scholarships and promotions are mostly stereotypes, telling her that science is not women in the STEM workforce will maximize offered to males. for women, and that the lack of sufficient innovation, creativity, and competitiveness. For women scientists to advance in role models may one day dissuade her from Scientists and engineers are working to Arab societies, countries must prioritize pursuing her true passion. Most of all, I worry solve some of the most difficult challenges improving the status of women in general, about a lifetime of challenges and isolation of our time, and engineers design many of and new laws are needed to protect that she might face if she goes against odds— the things we use daily. When women are women’s rights to education, work, equal as I believe she will—and decides to venture not involved in science and engineering, wages, and criminalizing all types of into the male-dominated world of science. experiences, needs, and desires that violence and harassment against women are unique to women are likely to get at the workplace, in addition to securing Why Should We Care? overlooked. We should care because a equity in access to training and promotion Globally, there are significantly fewer male-centric view of science is just that— opportunities. women scientists than men. In the Arab male-centric. Only then a new generation of Arab girls region, this gender gap is even more With a more diverse workforce, scientific who love science and yearn to innovate pronounced. A combination of social, and technological products, services, and and discover may face less challenges and cultural, and financial factors play a role solutions are likely to be better designed and therefore thrive. For my part, I will do my in perpetuating this gender gap, spanning more likely to represent all users and the best to encourage my little girl/scientist, and from early education through the higher | SPRING 2016 direction of scientific inquiry will be guided make sure she knows how her country, and levels of scientific research. by a broader array of experiences. In Arab the entire world, really needs her and her While the percentage of women countries, where we sadly lag behind in scientific mind. studying science in the Arab region have science and research, we especially need dramatically increased in the past few References to maximize the potential of all our brain decades, often even surpassing men news.nationalgeographic.com power, and that includes women who make in many Arab countries, their numbers www.inc.com up—more or less—half the population. www.care2.com www.natureasia.com 12 Men and maintainingspeedofinformationprocessing. personality, flexible a having environment, stimulating intellectually maintain his/hermentalabilitieslevelthroughlivinginacomplexand time pressure.However, lateron,psychologistsarguedthatonecan are morestablethanabilitiesthatconcernedwiththinkingunder proven thatabilitiesconcernedwithstoredinformationandknowledge retested after around forty years. According to these tests, it was soldiersweretestedwhileservinginWorldof Canadian War II,then Different? Mentally Are They matter andotherprocessingcenters together. around thenervoussystem,mainly connectingthebrain’s gray signals transmit that fibers nerve of bundle a is hand, other the on as seeing, hearing, memory, emotions, and speech. White matter, which areinvolvedinmusclecontrolandsensoryperception,such neurological activitylevelsinvariousbrainregions. as thegrayandwhitematters,inadditiontophysiological investigate differences insizesofstructuralbraincomponents,such Imaging (MRI) and Computerized Tomography (CT) scan, to They usedsomemedicaltechniques,suchasMagneticResonance and femalebrains:processing,chemistry, structure,andactivity. these differences donotnecessarilyrelatetodifferences inintellect. brains processlanguage,information,emotion,cognition,etc.,but between menandwomen;therearedifferences inthewaytheir that there are very small differences in general mentalability are causedbysocialconditioning,notgenes.Studiessuggest women and men, whether in interests, mental abilities, or emotions, toadaptone’sability environment. trait, othersthinkthatitismalleable,whilethe fixed a is it that say scientists Some power”. “brain as considered canbe generalintelligence whichis“generalintelligence”; abilities, not yetunderstood. There isa“generalfactor”thatpowers allmental bases of differences in mental abilities are being explored, but are debate among researchers and scholars. Cognitive and biological of topic a been specifically, always men have and women between The graymattercontainsmostofthebrain’s neuronalcellbodies, Scientists exploredfourprimaryareasofdifferences inmale Feminists arguethatanypsychologicaldifferences between There isathoughtthatmentalabilitiesfadewithtime. A number Differences inmentalabilities, betweenhumansingeneral,and vs Women www.theguardian.com www.webmd.com References with goodlanguageandwritingskills. gender rule;therearemanywomenwithgoodspatialskillsandmen Moreover,abilities. therearealwaysexceptionstoevery so-called fact differences ormental betweenwomenandmeninintelligence in are there whether disapprove or prove to difficult is it therefore, inmathematicaltasks thanwomendo. higher mathematical ability; this explains why men frequently perform left side,thaninwomen. This areaisthoughttocontrolmental the on especially men, in larger significantly is which (IPL), Lobule abilities. There is an area in the brain called the Inferior Parietal skills; such as spatial awareness, motor skills, and mathematical Syndrome. Yet, men scorehigherin IQ tests in certain specialized also morelikelytobediagnosedwithautism, ADHD, and Tourette’s found moreboyswithdyslexiaandlanguageproblems.Boysare speed, memoryskills,andverbalusage. score higherinIQtestsrelatedtosocialcognitionskills,perceptual centers ononlythelefthemisphere;thatiswhywomentendto verbal centers on bothsides of the brain, while men have verbal connections intothehippocampusinfemales.Women alsohave is oftenlargerinfemales;therealsoahigherdensityofneural the twohemispheres.Ourhumanmemorycenter, hippocampus, of thebrain,whilewomentendtoprocessequallywellbetween task-focusedprojects. highly This mayexplainwhywomenaremulti-taskers,whilemenexcelin brains containmorethan9.5timesasmuchwhitemattermen. contain about6.5timesmoregraymatterthanwomen,whilefemale more organizedinwomen,andarebiggervolume.Malebrains the frontalareaofcortexandtemporalare Otherstudiesarguethat absolutely nothingtodowithintelligence. volume than a femaleby 8–13%; however, this size difference has IQ and mental tests cannot accurately measure intelligence; IQ andmentaltestscannotaccuratelymeasureintelligence; thangirls;researchers Boys aremorepronetolearningdisabilities Moreover, mentendtoprocessbetterinthelefthemisphere It wasproventhatthemalebrainhasalargertotal By: SaraKhattab 13 | SPRING 2016 TOP 10

Close your eyes and try to imagine the picture of a scientist: what do you see? Is it a white man in a lab coat? Now close your eyes and try to imagine a woman 3. Maryam Mirzakhani scientist: what do you see? Is it an old picture of Marie Curie in a dim lab? In 2014, Maryam Mirzakhani, an If you answered “Yes” to the above questions, you are not alone. To this day Iranian Mathematics Professor at Stanford and age, in the male-dominated world of Science, Technology, Engineering and University, became one of only four people to ever receive a “FieldsMedal Award”—an Mathematics (STEM), women scientists and their role in driving science forward award regarded as the most prestigious remains fairly invisible. award in mathematics since there is no It is time to stop talking about Marie Curie whenever the issue of giving credit Nobel Prize in Mathematics. She is also the to women in science comes up. Yes, her work was groundbreaking. And yes, she first woman to ever receive the award. changed the world. But she would have wanted young girls to have more role models The award recognizes Mirzakhani’s to look up to on their path of pursuing STEM fields, and she would have wanted other spectacular and highly original contributions remarkable women scientists to be recognized and appreciated. to the fields of geometry and dynamical Today, we highlight ten amazing female scientists who are currently making systems, particularly in understanding the some of the most important and inspiring contributions to our world. So next time symmetry of curved surfaces; such as someone asks you to name a notable female scientist, you would not have to solely spheres, the surfaces of doughnuts and of rely on the amazing Marie Curie. hyperbolic objects. Although her work is considered “pure 1. Katrin Amunts mission to change the healthcare industry. mathematics” and is mostly theoretical, it As leader of the European/Canadian That same year, she founded her company has implications for physics and quantum neurological project “BigBrain”, German “Theranos”; a blood-testing company that field theory. Her contributions will have Professor and Neuroscientist Katrin Amunts uses a prick of blood to obtain the same test impacts on the theoretical physics of how has successfully managed to develop the results as you would get from an entire vial. the universe came to exist, and because it first high-definition 3D model of a complete The concept is disrupting and could inform quantum field theory, can lead human brain. Her team’s BigBrain map is so revolutionizing the industry by making to secondary applications in engineering precise and detailed, and is available to use blood tests faster, simpler, and most and material science. by neurosurgeons and scientists all around important, cheaper. Investors jumped at 4. Emmanuelle Charpentier, and the world, in ultra-resolution, for free. her innovative idea and its potential; her 5. Jennifer Doudna The fine-grained anatomical resolution company grew from a small start-up into a American Jennifer Doudna and French- of the BigBrain allows the scientists who use USD 9 billion biotech company in 2014, born Emmanuelle Charpentier co-authored it to gain insights into the neurobiological of which she owns a 50% stake at a key study published in August 2012 that basis of cognition, language, emotions, and USD 4.5 billion. demonstrated the technical power of a other processes. It now serves as an atlas Since then, Theranos has drawn some technique they named “Crispr-Cas9” to cut for neurosurgery and provides a framework skepticism from the scientific community; and splice genes with extreme efficiency for research in many directions, including in part because they are being secretive down at the highest resolution possible enhanced understanding of brain diseases, about how their process actually works, on the DNA molecule of life. Known as the such as Alzheimer’s disease. and because they are still waiting for FDA creators of gene-editing, the two scientists approval of their finger-prick blood test 2. Elizabeth Holmes together created a controversial technology for some diseases. Holmes, however, is At 31 years of age, Elizabeth Holmes that gives scientists the power to remove or confident that her company will get the FDA is the youngest self-made billionaire in the add genetic material at will. approval for all testing very soon. United States of America. Her money and Since then, CRISPR/Cas9 has been | SPRING 2016 Meanwhile, Walgreens are already fame came from an unconventional source: shown to work in life forms ranging from offering her approved blood-tests in many her love for science. bacteria, insects, and plants to fish, farm of their stores. Now you can just step into When she was 19 years old, her uncle animals, and humans. It has snowballed the pharmacy, get your finger pricked died of cancer; in her opinion, the healthcare into a force that has taken the world of quickly instead of having your blood drawn he had received was inadequate. She, molecular biology by storm, promising new by injection, and a day later, receive your thus, dropped out of college and went on a cures, new drugs, and even the possibility test results.

14 Most Amazing

By: Lamia Ghoneim

of eradicating some inherited diseases in Science Today by the creation of “genetically modified” babies.Womenare performed. Ideally, these bones can be HIV mutates so quickly that it can Working with cells in a lab, geneticists grown to the exact shape and size needed outmaneuver traditional vaccines made have applied this technology to cut out HIV, and are easily implanted into the body from viral proteins or weakened viruses. to correct sickle-cell anemia, and to alter because they are made from the patient’s Worse, a vaccine made from a weakened cancer cells to make them more susceptible own cells. virus could prove deadly if the virus mutated to chemotherapy. With CRISPR/Cas9, a Nina began by studying electrical and regained virulence. Liu’s work has scientist could, in theory, alter any human signaling in the context of tissue engineering, shown that DNA may offer the hope of gene. This is a true breakthrough, the with the goal of creating “spare parts” for better, more stable vaccines that can be implications of which we are just beginning human implantation and/or disease models. rapidly produced. DNA injected as a vaccine to imagine. After receiving her Bachelor’s degree in will signal the body to churn out proteins electrical engineering from Cooper Union, that protect against HIV by provoking an 6. Katherine Freese Nina worked on an electronic nose used to immune response to the virus. Author of The Cosmic Cocktail, “smell” lung cancer as a Fulbright scholar Katherine Freese was one of the first in Rome. Along with running her company 10. Cynthia Kenyon women undergraduate students to EpiBone, Nina continues her research on Kenyon is an American molecular graduate with a physics major from electrical stimulation for broader tissue- biologist known for her groundbreaking Princeton University. She has since taken engineering applications. work in slowing aging. Since the early a position as the director for one of the 1990s, Kenyon, has gained prominence in most prestigious theoretical institutes in the 8. Sara Seager the science community for her discovery world in Stockholm and is credited for her Sara Seager is an astrophysicist and that altering a single gene in roundworms groundbreaking work to better understand planetary scientist with one big goal: To could vastly prolong their life span; a dark matter—a mysterious, invisible find another Earth. While that discovery discovery which has broad implications. material that makes up 26% of matter in remains elusive, she has already helped Since then, she and her team have the universe, and is considered the longest discover a whopping 715 exo-planets using doubled, quadrupled, and in some outstanding problem in all of physics. the Kepler Space Telescope. By studying instances sextupled the worm’s life span Scientists are not sure what the and understanding the composition and by manipulating several of its genes. They substance is, but they call it dark matter temperature of these planets, scientists have also found that the same metabolic and there are dozens of instruments around are a step closer to being able to identify pathway, controlled by genes, appears to the world trying to discover particles of it. atmospheres similar to Earth’s. Ultimately, function in other organisms, including yeast, Freese has been an early force in dark if Seager succeeds in finding another life- fruit flies, and mice. Kenyon hopes that her matter and dark energy science; she was sustaining planet, the scientific possibilities method also functions in people—and might one of the first to propose ways to discover are endless. be manipulated to extend human life. Kenyon now works as the Vice- dark matter. 9. Margaret A. Liu President of Google’s “Calico” venture, She recently developed the theory of Nicknamed “The Mother of DNA where she helps a team of scientists “dark stars” that are a type of star powered Vaccines”, Liu is known for her work in develop methods to slow aging and prevent not by nuclear fusion, but dark matter. developing DNA injections as a vaccine age-related diseases. The goal of Calico is Part of Freese’s work is to determine how to combat viruses. Using dormant viruses to extend human lives by up to 100 years. these dark stars might be observed in the as vaccines runs the risk of the virus universe. If she is successful in spotting becoming active again, which makes one, it could be the first time anyone has Liu’s work in DNA vaccines a safer References ever observed dark matter directly. alternative. www.aaas.org www.businessinsider.com 7. Nina Tandon Liu began working on a DNA vaccine www.time.com for the Influenza virus, and was successful Chief Executive Officer and Cofounder www.businessinsider.co | SPRING 2016 of “EpiBone”, Nina Tandon is revolutionizing in creating a DNA vaccine that would news.stanford.edu be effective across many strains of the www.independent.co.uk medicine. Her company is the first in the www.ted.com world to use a patient’s stem cells to grow virus. Now working as the Vice-Chair of www.washingtontimes.com human bone that can then be used to repair Transgene in Strasbourg, France, Liu is www.smithsonianmag.com bone defects like bone loss, potentially working on a way to combat the HIV virus changing how 900,000 surgeries per year by using DNA injections.

15 A BEAUTIFUL MIND 16

| SPRING 2016 Rachel Carson movement. modern science,andinitiatedthecontemporaryenvironmental pesticides suchasDDT, questionedthescopeanddirectionof the dangers to all natural systems from the misuse of chemical Her sensational book challenged thenotionthathumanscouldobtainmasteryovernature. financial worry. immediate best-sellerandfreedherfrom Us, whichbecamean until in 1951, through the1940s, she published elegant, and non-technical prose. She retained her government job book, first in1941,whichshedescribedmarinelifeclear,published her writing is started This 1936. she in Service when Wildlife and Fish US the joining before 20 system isimmediatelyaffected. theeco- percentofallinsects aregood,andiftheykilled, Ninety economy ofnatureasmucharevolutionupsetssocialeconomy. who warnedthatasprayasindiscriminateDDT canupsetthe new miraclecompound.Onewasnaturewriter Edwin Way Teale, were onlyafewpeoplewhoexpressedsecondthoughtsaboutthis awarded theNobelPrize. it was used as an effective de-lousing powder. Its inventor was islands of malaria-causing insects for US troops; while in Europe Pacific South clearing II, War World during itself distinguished first of killinghundredsdifferent kindsatonce.Developedin1939,it limited to destroying one or two types of insects, DDT was capable pesticides. Unlikemostpesticides,theeffectiveness ofwhichis influential most her in work, published chain, food the on pesticides of th When DDT became available for use civilian in 1945, there During the 1950s, Rachel conducted research into the effects In herearlylife,shewaseducatedattheUniversityofMaryland, An century;sheisrememberedtodayasthewomanwho Silent Spring, which condemned the indiscriminate use of Rachel outstanding conservationist,marinebiologist Carson was one of the finest nature writers of the Silent Spring, published in 1962, warned of & Under theSea-Wind, The Sea Around The the SilentSpring

www.theguardian.com www.biography.com www.nrdc.org References that wasthepointrealenvironmentalismborn. believed in order to protecttheenvironmentbecame widely accepted. It is a result, and for the first time, the need to regulate chemicals industry threats Carsonoutlined,however, weretoofrighteningtoignore. As vulnerable tohumanintervention. of manufacturers. It is certain, thus, that the most important legacy the opponentsofunrestrainedpesticideusetochemicals’ pesticides were dangerous”, and the burden of proof shifted from quickly from“whetherpesticidesweredangerous”to“which supervision and was eventually banned. The public debate moved its author. book raised,itsreportthoroughlyvindicatedbothSilentSpringand President’s Science Advisory Committee to examine the issues the defense, andwhenUSPresidentJohnF. Kennedyorderedthe and approvedthemanuscript.Manyeminentscientistsrosetoher fewer than55pagesofnotesandalistexpertswhohadread had compiled integrity, motives,andevenhersanity. tookitfurthertoapersonallevel,questioningCarson’sopinions vermin would once again inherit the Earth. Some of the attacking would returntotheDark Ages, andtheinsectsdiseases that if Man were to faithfully follow the teachings of this book, we profits selling DDT. One of the remarkable critic opinions highlighted chemicals industrywhich,not surprisingly, was making enormous human children,hadbeen“silenced”bytheinsidiouseffects ofDDT. American town where all life, from fish to birds to apple blossoms to and famouschapter, A FableforTomorrow, depictedanameless contaminated theentireworldfoodsupply. The book’s mosthaunting after itwasdilutedbyrainwater. but countless more, and remained toxic in the environment even killed insectsforweeksandmonths;notonlythetargetedinsects, and geneticdamage. A singleapplicationonacrop,shewrote, fatty tissuesofanimals,includinghumanbeings,causingcancer described howDDT enteredthefoodchainandaccumulatedin birth to. repeatedly rejected the idea; this was when conductednotfarfromwhereshelivedinMaryland. being They all and magazinestoproposeanarticleaboutaseriesoftestsonDDT Silent Springwasanewpublicawarenessthatnature Conservation hadneverraisedmuchbroadpublic interest; the As aresult,DDT cameundermuch closer government Anticipating thereactionofchemicalsindustry, Carson Once herbookwaspublished,itheavilyattackedbythe Carson concludedthatDDT andotherpesticideshadirrevocably Silent SpringtookCarsonfouryearstocomplete;itmeticulously His warning influenced Rachel, who wrote to several newspapers as one would a lawyer’s brief, with no Silent Spring as one would a lawyer’s By: Moataz Abdelmegid By: Silent Springwasgiven By: Shahenda Ayman By: By: Shahenda Ayman By: to anewwatersupply. 4%; thiswasafterthecityhadswitched blood hadnearlydoubledfrom2.1%to with elevated levels of lead in their found thatthenumberofFlintchildren 3000 students in and around Flint and studied test results from more than an emergencyandthatshehad to do water. the pipes,andlettingleadleechinto through city plumbing, eating away at cause was highly corrosive water flowing water supplyformorethanayear;the hadbeenseepingintothecity’slead andfoundhighlevelsoflead. blood The Attisha and her team analyzed patients’ University CollegeofHumanMedicine. Professor ofPediatricsatMichiganState Hurley Children’s Hospital and Assistant is Director of Pediatric Residency at the School of Public Health. Currently, she policy, attheUniversityofMichigan focusing on health management and degreeinPublicHealth, Master’s Hospital ofMichigan,sheearneda and chiefresidencyattheChildren’s doctors; after completing her residency has becomeoneofFlint’s best-known the United Kingdom from Iraqi parents, Flint Riverasitswatersource. the StateofMichigantoenditsuse pediatrician andmotheroftwohadforced exposure. lead This comesafteraFlint Flint community’s population-wide Public HealthInitiativetoaddressthe Hospital announced a new Pediatric University andtheHurleyChildren’s She felt that her State was facing Using her hospital’s records, she In September 2015, Dr. Hanna- Dr. MonaHanna-Attisha,bornin Early in2016,MichiganState Against THE WORLD a stateof emergency; Governor Rick findings. State and her federal officials declared assured results the findings; Attisha’s research anddoublechecktheaccuracyof more do to State the pushed official State a Then, findings. Attisha’s dismiss to tried officials insisted that the water was safe and response was not as she expected; State results at a press conference. The early something aboutit;thus,shesharedher Flint ChildHealthandDevelopment Fund; she andhercolleagueshavefounded the who need special education. As a result, coming yearstherewillbemorechildren offenses. Attisha, thus, predicts that in the children’s IQandisdirectlylinkedtoviolent generational impact; it causes a drop in irreversible neurotoxinwithalifelong,multi- It is worthmentioningthatleadan residents. to filters water and water bottled sent theNationalGuardtodistribute SHE Snyder education classes. Nutrition Assistance Program(SNAP) these recipes through its Supplemental addition, MSUExtensionhasshared the absorptionofleadintobody. In and vitaminC,allofwhichhelpblock including recipeshighiniron,calcium, Center toprovidenutritionaleducation, are workingwiththeHurleyMedical Extension nutrition staff members and medical/health. overarching areas: education, nutrition, exposure.Itfocusesonthree lead in itsresponsetotheFlintwater based interventionsforinclusion The Initiativewillemployevidence- community and workforcedevelopment. geography, education,aswell epidemiology, nutrition, toxicology, child development,psychology, initiative bringsexpertsinpediatrics, from leadexposure. Children’s long–termneedsresulting they willcollectdonations to face Flint Flint—thank you,Dr. Mona”. “The best news I have heardyetfor 13 January 2016 for her work, writing praised Hanna-AttishaonFacebook 1993 groundwater contamination case, settlement from aCalifornia utility in a assistant whohelpedwinamultimillion education.hurleymc.com www.democracynow.org humanmedicine.msu.edu www.usatoday.com mashable.com References Michigan StateUniversity(MSU) The PediatricPublicHealth Erin Brockovich,thenow-famouslegal 17 | SPRING 2016

DOSSIER Maria Montessori and the Development of Young Minds By: Sherine Ramadan Lately, the Montessori Method has interaction and the education of the whole with materials that first teach through the become very popular with early childhood personality, rather than the teaching of a senses and later lead to reading, writing, A BEAUTIFUL MIND professionals and parents in Egypt; it is not specific body of knowledge. advanced mathematics, problem solving, new, however. The method dates back to “The child can develop fully by geography, science and cultural studies. more than one-hundred years ago, when means of experience in his environment. Visual arts, music, and movement are Dr. Montessori gave the world a scientific, We call such experiences ‘work’.” interwoven throughout the days’ activities. practical, and tested educational method, —Maria Montessori designed in favor of bringing forth the very Surprisingly, children made extraordinary 4. Multiage Classrooms best in young human beings. progress, and soon 5-year-olds were writing Children are grouped by interest and Maria Montessori (1870–1952) is an and reading. News of Montessori’s new ability rather than age; multiage classrooms Italian physician, intellectual, lecturer, full- approach spread rapidly, and within only one help students learn from and support one time educator, and innovator. She first year many kindergartens were transferred another, re-creating a family structure. Older became interested in education while into Case dei Bambini, ushering in the students enjoy stature as mentors and role caring for mentally challenged children in spread of the new educational approach. models; younger children feel supported. a psychiatric clinic in Rome. Her innovative The Montessori Educational Method practices—including a combination of 5. The Prepared Environment Dr. Montessori’s visionary ideas flourish sensory-rich environments and hands- Classrooms tend to fascinate children; as the cornerstone of the educational on experiential techniques—soon elicited they are normally bright, furnished with practice; her pioneering work created a positive learning behaviors from children child-scaled pieces, warm, and inviting, blueprint for nurturing all children from previously left behind by society. filled with plants, animals, art, music, and gifted to learning disabled. She designed a special teaching books. Classrooms permit freedom of program that allowed them to read and 1. The Absorbent Mind movement for active preschool children and write, surprising everyone when she The child is naturally eager for easy observation for adults. presented her students at a public school knowledge and capable of initiating learning 6. Respect for the Child for an examination together with normal in a supportive, thoughtfully prepared Teachers show respect for children children, and they passed the examination learning environment. Dr. Montessori when they help them do things and learn for successfully. The success of her method believed that young people learn best when themselves. When children have choices, triggered her to ask questions about engaged in purposeful activity rather than they are able to develop the skills and “normal” education and why children failed. simply being fed information. abilities necessary for effective learning In 1907, Maria accepted a new 2. Children Are the Center of autonomy, and positive self-esteem. challenge to open a childcare center in a Learning Thanks to Dr. Maria Montessori’s poor city district. This became the firstCasa The method is designed to help each beautiful mind, the source of her approach dei Bambini or “Children’s house”, a quality student discover and develop their unique and philosophy, which values the human learning environment for young children. talents and possibilities. They treat each child spirit and the development of the whole child She expanded the range of practical as a unique individual learner; children learn in all aspects; physical, social, emotional, activities and exercises for care of the at their own pace, and learn in the ways that and cognitive. She was nominated twice for environment and the self; such as flower work best for them as individuals. The goal the Nobel Peace Prize, awarded the Dutch | SPRING 2016 arranging, hand washing, gymnastics, care is to be flexible and creative in addressing and French Legion of Honor, and received of pets, and cooking. each student as a unique individual. an Honorary Doctorate from the University She also included large open air of Amsterdam. sections in the classroom, encouraging 3. Education is Fun children to come and go as they please in The curriculum is focused on hands-on References www.education.com the room’s different areas and lessons. She learning, as students work on activities that taught teachers how to respect individual www.montessori.edu teach language, math, cultural and practical www.infed.org differences, and to emphasize social life lessons. Each classroom is equipped www.puremontessori.com 18 www.dailymontessori.com which MaryShelleywasraised.Herfather, that questioncouldbetheenvironmentin so very hideous an idea?” The answer to girl, cametothinkof,anddilateupon, norgd e t ji conversations of whomwereactivelyengagedinthe study join many time, her of minds scientific influential to that took place in his home with the most her journalist, encouraged English political philosopher, and novelist— Godwin—an William Science Fiction Science Fiction Women in Women in was credited with founding Sci-Fi as a field. her well-knownnovelFrankensteinandshe he hadmade.Herdreamlaterevolvedinto what by horrified was and life created who it for days, she dreamt about a scientist to comeupwithastory. After thinkingabout she becameanxiousthatwasunable see who could write the best 1851) accepted her friends’ challenge to statusasSci-Fi. higher male while fantasies were granted some Female writingswereregardedasfantasies, as a predominantly male-oriented genre. genders, it has traditionally been perceived Sci-Fi works were written by and for both of Sci-Fiworks. Although earlypublished women asauthors,charactersinorreaders forms; various in is (Sci-Fi) fiction science in thelaboratory”toachievefantasticresults. decision” and “turns to modern experiments the centralcharacter“makesadeliberate a Science-Fiction writer, has argued that work Sci-Fi true first if comparedtoearlierstories.Brian Aldiss, the be to argued was Mary Shelleynoted“HowI,thenayoung In 1817,whenMaryShelley(1797– The relationshipbetweenwomenand Frankenstein, or The ModernPrometheus, horror story,

deceased. theory ofusingelectricitytoanimatethe using dead bodies for study and the newer her novel; she wasfamiliarwiththeideasof of anatomy. That factor appeared clearly in landmark workofSci-Fi. and today it is generally considered a critical receptionhasbeenlargelypositive, However, since the mid-twentieth century, for the “feminine” nature of its author. criticized and attackedin some reviews William Godwin,thenovelwasinitially author was identified as the daughter of daughter the as identified was author received anddisregarded.Whenthe publication in1818,itwasbothwell- about maleadventuresinfuture worlds, writings were concerned with writing are hardlyanywomen.” there fiction; science in women of images in ScienceFictionwith“Thereareplentyof concluded heressayTheImageofWomen of manyessaysonfeminismandSci-Fi;she Joanna Russ’s powerliesinhercontribution small outputmadeahugeachievement. Joanna Russ(1937–2011), whodespiteher and perspectivesinSci-Fiworks. authors haveincreasedwomen’s visibility feminist Sci-Fi subgenre emerged, where members, aliens, or enemies. Then, the in distress,companions,lovers,family female charactersappearingasdamsels centered around a male protagonist, with countless stories;mostofthemremained published, Frankensteinhasinspired Before the1970s,femaleSci-Fi is Sci-Fi afeminist for figure key A In thetwocenturiessinceitwas After Frankenstein’s anonymous

following decades,thenumbersoffeminist subordinate roleforwomen. Yet, inthe which reinforced the status quo of a publishing industry;theyareactivein generation offemaleauthors. publishers scramblingtosignupanew leaving Hunger GamesbySuzanneCollins, as onreading raised great Sci-Finovelsbyfemaleauthors;such generation a new find also beengainingrecognition. Thus, we but morefemaleSci-Fiauthoresseshave originated genrebeliefbeensurpassed, have increased.Notonlyhastheoldmale- Sci-Fi, as well as women writing Sci-Fi, T.S. Miller, “Women andScienceFiction”.Academia . Storming theMaleCitadelsofSci-Fi”TheGuardian . Sarah Hughes,“FeedingtheHunger–Female Writers are Encyclopedia. Janice M.Bogstad, New YorkerFiction”. The . David Haglundetal.,“OutLoud:Women inScience Guardian. Damien Walter, “Science Fiction’s Invisible Women”. The ofScienceFiction. Encyclopedia “Women SFWriters” and “Women in SF”. “Feminist ScienceFiction”and“Frankenstein”. “10 Women Sci-Fi”.BBC. WhoChanged References of thepastandpresentSci-Fi. part definitely thus, are, Women audience. be bestsellerbyalienatingtheirfemale not risk what awould- publishers will that more women than men buy books; protagonist. However, surveys have shown written byfemaleauthorsorwith are stillsomemenwhodonotbuybooks Old stereotypesarestillaround;there fighting challenges such as marginalization. Sci-Fi publishing,editing,andwriting, Women areanintegralpartofthe Harry PotterbyJ.K.RowlingandThe “Science Fiction”.Women’s Studies By: Esraa Ali By: Wikipedia. The

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DOSSIER SCIENCE & CULTURE Hypatia: dreadful typesoftormentandthemostheinouspunishment. dreadful to summonheresyandblasphemy, whichdeservedthemost direct targetoftheserepugnantinquisitions;theirtalksweredeemed those inpowerorauthorityloyalistclergymen.Scientistswerea tempted todeclarewhatisnotpleasanthis/hersuperiors,whether Both accusationsweretheonlymeansfordislodginganydissenter women withchargesoscillatingbetweenheresyandwitchcraft. and sixteenth centuriesrevealtheexecutionofmillionsinnocentmen faith inscience,applyingit,andnotacceptinganalternativeforit. losing ofscientists their lives,beingkilled,burnt,ortorturedtodeath,forsimplyhaving sadscenes and dreadful with filled are records of sciencehaveenduredconfrontingextremismandintolerance.Its The BrideandMartyrofScience she opened her eyes on the world to find her father, Theon the Theon father, her find to mathematician, tobethedirectorof theLibraryof world Alexandria. the on eyes her opened she for environment, scientific distinguished a in up grew she CE; 415 Alexandria, was born around 470 CE and died tragically around not forcehertodootherwise.Hypatia,thedaughterof Theon of science, followednothingbutit,andhersavageexecutionerscould virtuous human,Hypatiaof Alexandria, theEgyptian,sheathedwith intelligence. The professor scientist, distinct philosopher, and the of “Hypatia”,withherelegantbeauty, masterfulscience,andbright a pressingdemandthatrequiredimmediateexecution. is thatofcertainty;gettingriditanditspeoplehad,thus,become doubt, whichisdifferent thantheapproachtakenbyreligion,which aiming todislodgethesciencethattakesanapproachbasedon extremism craneditsnecktoviolentlysnatchaplaceforitself, extremism begantorearitsheadinopposition.Likewise,religious knew science and scientists and, at the same time, intellectual persecution. Ithadbegunhundredsyearsearlier, whenhumanity modernism. and However, the Middle Ages arenottherealbeginningofscientists’ urbanization towards moving injustice, obscene a tremendous price, before it was liberated and revolted against this “Middle Ages” or the “Medieval Period”, during which humanity paid Here, we yearn to the horizons of history to find the memory the find to history of horizons the to yearn we Here, That tookplaceduringtheDark Ages, whichareknownasthe The Inquisitions’ recordsinEuropebetweenthetwelfthand Human historyhaswitnessedtragediesandhorrorsthatthepeople scientists hailHypatiaamongthepioneersofthisfield. the explanationsofastronomyandplanetarymotion;thatiswhy of development the on impact major of were interpretations These study of this field enabled her to provide new interpretations of ellipse. of Appolonius ofPergaconcernedwithconicsections. The thorough However, Hypatiawassolelydistinguishedforfocusingontheworks Euclid’sand analyzed ElementsandClaudiusPtolemy’sAlmagest. his by authored withherfatherseveralbooks,inwhichtheycriticized influenced prominently was specialization inmathematics,whichsheexceled.Hypatiaco- she culture; and knowledge largely dead,andonlythoseofscience arealive.” Seek knowledgeanddonotacceptanalternative;peopleare he excels; thus, ignorant are the enemies of the people of science. forthoseseeking direction. guidance A person’s valueliesinwhich lose her. True indeedare thewordsofImam Ali ibn Abi Talib: ever works, wehavenotlostheressence,andIdothinkwill lived through her science and beauty. Even if we had lost her written the extremistswantedmustprevail. ina burnt that believingin science isdangerousand forbidden, andthatwhat was hercorpse bloody, Finally, violent,andscary scene,todeliveramessageeveryone seashells. using flayed then stripped of her clothes, dragged through the streets of Alexandria, decided to get rid of her completely and instantly. She was attacked, condemners didnotgrantherthechancetodefendherself;itwas Heraccusersand wished todislodgeherandinstigatedkilling. at thealtarofscience;yet,shewasnotsafefromhaterswho historians asserted that she did not get married, becoming a nun seek authority;shewassolelypreoccupiedwithherscience.Most assume thatshehadanengaginganddistinctiveteachingmethod. on the works of Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus, and Heraclitus. We may Neoplatonism. Sheisattributedasthebesttoexplainandcomment by 400 Hypatia was deeply and directly affected by her father’s Hypatia wasdeeplyanddirectlyaffected byherfather’s “Virtue belongsonlytothepeopleofscience,whoareright Nevertheless, sciencehastriumphedattheendandHypatia Hypatia wasneveranadvocateofincitement,nordidshe Philosophy wasnotfarfrom the mathematician andastronomer; CE, Hypatia became the leader of the Alexandrian School of In ChargeofCulturalProgramsand Activities, BA Center forFrancophone Activities By: Dr. ShaymaaElsherif Maryam al-Asturlãbiyya: ARAB ASTRONOMER PIONEER

By: Dr. Mohamed Soliman Director, Manuscripts Museum Bibliotheca Alexandrina

Arab Muslim contributions to the human civilization has never al-Nujūm —The Complete Origins of Star Making— Usūl Sināʻat al- been restricted to men; women have always had a great role in Nujūm wa Jumalaha wa al-Turuk ilā al-Tasaruf fīhā wa Istiʻmālihā — these contributions. Naturally, the humanities and religious sciences The Origins of Rules Making, Its Phrases, and Methods of Dealing have these had the greatest share of women’s contributions East with and Using Them. It is worth mentioning that the Library of and West. Indeed, the names of numerous women shine through Alexandria owns an original copy of the manuscript al-Zīj al-Jāmiʻ — biographies and translations, especially in the field of “Hadīth”—the The Complete Zīj —which was written in 577 AH, and is copied from study of the sayings of Prophet Muhammad and his companions— a handwritten copy by the author himself. It is considered the oldest reaching around 8000 Hadīth female experts according to the book scientific manuscript amongst the Alexandria Municipality Library Tabaqāt al-Muhaddithāt —The Classes of Female Hadīth Experts—by Collection, which was handed over to the Library of Alexandria. Muhammad Akram Nadwī, Researcher at the Oxford Center of Islamic As we see, young Maryam was raised amidst a mathematical, Studies. astronomical environment, which led to her inheriting these sciences However, the role of female experts has not been restricted to the from her father. She delved into both sciences to the extent that she Hadīth. There are indeed many female experts of Fiqh—the study of became deft at their complicated equations and calculations; she Shari‘a/Islamic Law—who are mentioned in the encyclopedia al-Daw’ catapulted from this field—the field of astronomy, now known as al-Lāmiʻ li-Ahl al-Qarn al-Tāsiʻ —The Shining Light of 19th Century space science—to design and build the “complex” astrolabe. People—by the prominent Šamsul-Dīn al-Sakhāwī; the number The astrolabe science is a branch of astronomy, which is of mentioned female experts of both Hadīth and Fiqh reach about concerned with the study of simple heavenly objects, their positions, a thousand. That is in addition to famous women in the fields of their motions, and their adjustment. It is defined by Hājī Khalīfa in literature and poetry, the names of whom are abundant in our history. his book Kašf al-Zunūn —Revealing Suspicions—as “A science On the scientific front, which is our concern here, there have that researches the use of the astrolabe, to understand many been significant women scientists of considerable influence; today, of the matters related to the stars, the easiest path, the nearest we tackle one such scientist: Maryam al-Asturlābiyya, who excelled weakness, revealing the height of the Sun, the horoscope, the in astronomy, mathematics, and geometry. We do not know when azimuth direction, countries’ width, etc.” exactly she was born or died; it is proven though that she lived during It is worth mentioning that the first invention of the astrolabe the Abbasid Age, during the reign of Saif ul-Dawla al-Hamadānī, was here in Alexandria, during the Greek Era, at the hands of 303-356 AH/915-967 CE, who is the founder of the Emirate of Claudius Ptolemy in 320 BCE. Whatever its definition is, compared Aleppo, north of Syria. It is also well known that she is the daughter to its modern-day equivalent, we can say that the astrolabe is a of the famous geographer and astronomer Kūšyār al-Jīlī, who died in Global Positioning System (GPS). That is how significant Maryam 420 AE/1029 CE, and is also known as Kūšyār al-Kīlānī after the al-Jīlī’s contribution through the invention of the complex astrolabe

Persian city of Astān Kīlān —one of current Iranian Governorates. has been, as it is the ancestor of the GPS, as astrolabes took | SPRING 2016 Kūšyār authored several works about astronomy; amongst them many different forms during her time; her invention of the complex Risālat Dalālāt al-Kawākib —A Thesis on Planetary Markers— astrolabe was, thus, of great importance in observation, location al-Lāmiʻ fī Amthilat al-Zīj al-Lāmiʻ —Illustrious Examples of the and timing determination, as well as calendar definition. Illustrious Zīj— al-Zīj al-Jāmiʻ wa al-Bāligh —The Comprehensive Even though she was not mentioned in detail in translations and and Extreme Zīj —— al-Asturlāb wa Kayfiyat ‘Amalah wa Iʻtibāruh biographies, with hardly any information about her life, how she ‘alā al-Kamāl wa al-Tamām —The Astrolabe, How It Works, and lived and died, she contributed greatly to a scientific transformation Its Consideration Complete and Perfect— al-Mujmal fī Usūl Sināʻat in astronomy and the manufacture of astrolabes, so much that her legacy remains to this day. 21 Marie

SCIENCE & CULTURE Curie: Up Close and Personal “It has been your By: Dr. Omar Fikry Head, Planetarium Section, BA Planetarium Science Center fortune to accomplish an immortal work for On 20 May 1921, the President of the USA, our mother’s health”; their mother was very surrounded by the Ambassador of France, the sick and eventually died of tuberculosis humanity. I have been Minister Plenipotentiary of Bologna, members when Manya was ten years old. After the of the cabinet, scientists and members of mother had passed, the family used to gather commissioned to the judiciary, received in the courtyard of the around the table sad and poor, for their father present to you this little White House a humble, skinny lady dressed had lost his job at the secondary school in black. The President told her: “It has been because of his political activity towards the phial of radium—one your fortune to accomplish an immortal work liberation of Poland from the tyranny of the gram. To you we owe for humanity. I have been commissioned to Russian Czar. He opened a boarding school present to you this little phial of radium—one that received little success; the family, thus, our knowledge and gram. To you we owe our knowledge and suffered from poor living despite their open possession of it, and so to you we give it, minds and their appetite for life. possession of it, and confident that in your possession it will be the Those were the difficult circumstances so to you we give it, means further … to widen the field of useful in which Manya was raised; poverty and knowledge and research, and to alleviate need from one side, resistance and political confident that in your suffering among the children of man.” The activity and disorder from the other; yet, possession it will be lady was Madame Curie. the family survived it all. Years passed Marie Skłodowska, known today as and Manya graduated from high school, the means further… Madame Curie, was born in Warsaw, earning a gold medal for excellence in Poland, on 7 November 1867. Her father 1883. One year later, Manya returned from to widen the field of was a teacher of physics at a secondary her mother’s hometown, the countryside, useful knowledge school in Warsaw and her mother was a to Warsaw to face an uncertain future. She skilled pianist; Mania—Marie’s nickname— and her elder sister Bronya dreamed to and research, and inherited her father’s brains and the hands of study at the Sorbonne, but how could they to alleviate suffering her mother; she showed an early efficiency achieve that while they barely had enough and great fondness of experimental science. money to cover the tuition of only one? among the children of However, her parents did not allow any of It seemed an intractable problem; Manya their five children to overstrain themselves dealt with it saying “I have a solution” and man.” studying, as tuberculosis ran in their family. disclosed her idea to her sister “I will find The Skłodowska children prayed every a job and help you till you complete your evening: “We appeal to you God to restore studies, and then exchange assistance”. : result oftheinheritedinfectioninherfamily. thus, suffered damageinher left lungasa out painstakingandcontinuouseffort, and for her PhD degree in physics. She carried gave birthtotwogirlswhileshewasstudying was responsibleofthehomeaffairs; she adopted hisnamelater. Dr. Curie was thirty-five years old and Marie value. of great contributions scientific of Chemistry and Nature in Paris and had of theLaboratoryatMunicipalSchool married Dr. PierreCurie,whowastheHead both physics and mathematics in 1893. She in conditions andacquiredherMaster’s her work. However, she overcame all these experiments; and exhaustionbetweenstudy scientific health worsenedduetomalnutrition preparing washing labtools,cleaningovens,and fulfill herpromisetoher. her livingexpensesaftersisterfailedto studying, working,andsavingmoneyfrom four years of continued struggle between Faculty the joined of Scienceattheage23andspent She agreement. their Sorbonne, anditwasManya’s turnasper completed herstudiesofmedicineatthe the assistanceofManya,hersisterBronya did not give up her plan and ambition. With the girlworkingforthem. to son her of marriage the rejected course, who was sonofthisstubbornwoman,who, love, first her Kazimierz, with love in fond of gambling. Unfortunately, Manya fell from the salaries of her employees and was rude, bad tempered lady, who economized off.paid Manyaworkedasanannyfor This wastheplanthatachievedand of science. her name firmly in the timeline of the history more ofthesecretsawomanimprinted Prizes. This article was not enough to reveal one PhD degree but ended with two Nobel the beginningofRadiumdiscovery. was that and Sorbonne the from in field that degree PhD her obtained She objects. stunning propertiesinpassingthrough Roentgen’s discovery of theX-rayandits husband to conduct further tests on William achievements. Sheencouragedher husband, accomplishing unprecedented and continuedherresearchwith hospital, but she did not pay attention Manya worked at the Faculty of Science Years andeventspassed,butManya Madame Curiestartedona path seeking Doctors advisedhertostayina After marriage, Marie, or Madame Curie,

Visitors INFO • • • 10:30, 11:30, 12:30,13:30,14:30,15:30 Sunday–Thursday: Guided Tours Schedule Saturday: Sunday–Thursday: Opening Hours History ofScienceMuseum History • • Visitors INFO holders. Museum Tours arefreeforticket Museum entryfeesareEGP 2.- For non-audienceofthePlanetarium, all Planetariumshowstickets. Museum entryfeesareincludedin at any time without prior notification. the righttocancelorchangeshows reasons, thePlanetariummaintains Kindly note that, for technical www.bibalex.org/psc officialwebsite: Center’s and fees,pleaseconsultthe For thePlanetariumdailyschedule 45 min.LiveShowbythePSC VISITORS INFO VISITORS Alexandria, TheCradleof 22 min.Full-domeShow 35 min.Full-domeShow 33 min.Full-domeShow 30 min.Full-domeShow 35 min.Full-domeShow 25 min.Full-domeShow Stars ofthePharaohs Resident Astronomer Available Shows Mystery oftheNile Planetarium 35 min.IMAXShow 45 min.IMAXShow The Life ofTrees Seven Wonders Cosmic Voyage Oasis inSpace Kaluoka’hina Stars Show Astronomy 12:00-16:00 9:30-16:00 Tuesday:

Non-students: EGP 15.- Students: EGP 10.- 4D shows: Non-students: EGP 10.- Students: EGP 5.- 3D shows: Non-students: EGP 4.- Students: EGP 2.- DVD shows: Show fees • • Listen andDiscover Non-students: EGP 10.- Students: EGP 5.- Entry Fees Tuesday: Saturday: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Guided Tours Schedule Saturday: Sunday–Thursday: Opening Hours Discovery Zone Visitors INFO 9:00, 10:30,12:00,13:30,15:00 before thedesireddate. PSC Administrator, at least one week For reservation,pleasecontactthe www.bibalex.org/psc. officialwebsite: Center’s the schedule, please consultthe at the“ListenandDiscover” For the list of shows available ALEXploratorium 12:00, 14:00

9:00, 10:30 9:00- 12:30 12:00-16:00 9:00-16:00 Thursday:

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24 Illustrated by: Mohamed Khamis ” article, page 13. Are they Mentally Different? Check out the “ Men vs Women: