Celebrating Women Working in Fields That Were Furthered by Rosalind Franklin’s Research

The 25th of July 2020 would have been the 100th birthday of Dr. Rosalind Franklin, the scientist who first captured an X-ray of the structure of DNA. She has been dubbed a feminist icon by many in the modern science world for her persistence and resilience in her research, despite the discrimination and resistance she faced, particularly from her male colleagues. Her contributions to science changed the field drastically. But what about the women in science who have followed in her footsteps? How have they changed their fields? Since Rosalind Franklin’s time the number of women in science and their representation has improved vastly; the women featured in this article are just a few of the astounding women currently working in fields that were furthered in some way by Rosalind Franklin’s contributions.

Dr. Piraye Beim

Piraye Beim, PhD, (Fig. 1) is the Founder and CEO of Celamatix, a company that aims to change the way women’s reproductive health is treated through the use of genomics and analytics [1]. Her platform seeks to empower women to be proactive about their reproductive health. Dr. Beim has been recognised as a business leader and was named a top female founder by TechCrunch.

Figure 1: Dr. Piraye Beim. Reprinted from Rock Health [2].

Camille Schrier

Figure 2: Camille Schrier. Credit: Greg Weatherford/VCU School of Pharmacy [3].

Camille Schrier (Fig. 2) studied biochemistry and systems biology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and is studying a doctorate in pharmacy at Virginia Commonwealth University [3]. In December 2019, she was crowned Miss America 2020 after showcasing her love for science with a demonstration of an experiment for the talent section. Since her win she has been advocating for STEM education and drug abuse prevention alongside creating science videos for the public to try at home.

Professor Mercedes Pascual

Figure 3: Professor Mercedes Pascual. Reprinted from University of Chicago [5].

Mercedes Pascual, PhD, (Fig. 3) is a Professor of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Chicago. She, along with her team, discovered that the El Niño climate patterns can aid the triggering of outbreaks of cholera in Bangladesh by comparing El Niño climate data with data from cholera outbreaks from the early 20th century and from more recent times [4]. This comparison found that El Niño climates have become more impactful in outbreaks of disease, showing that climate change is influencing disease outbreaks.

Professor Evelynn Hammonds

Figure 4: Professor Evelynn Hammonds. Modified from Harvard University [6].

Evelynn Hammonds, PhD, (Fig. 4) is the Chair of the Department of the History of Science at Harvard University and a Professor of the History of Science and of African American Studies [6]. She has published articles on a range of topics including: the history of disease, race and science, and African American feminism. Her current work centres around the crossovers between scientific, medical, and socio-political ideas of race in the USA. 

Dr Polly Matzinger

Polly Matzinger, PhD, (Fig. 5) is an immunologist who proposed that the immune system does not respond thoughtlessly to foreign invaders but rather to the alert of injured tissue cells [5]. This idea, called the “danger model”, suggested new ways to treat cancers, safely maintain transplants, and give immunisations to newborn babies. She is furthering her research at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Figure 5: Dr Polly Matzinger. Reprinted from National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases [7].

As you can see by the women featured in this article, Rosalind Franklin’s pioneering legacy lives on in many fields, not just in research: it reaches other sectors, such as education and business, illuminating the true impact her research had on science, forever!

References

[1] K. Lawless, “Celebrating influential women in genetics - International women's day”, blog.dnagenotek.com, March 2019. [Online]. Available: https://blog.dnagenotek.com/celebrating-influential-women-in-genetics-international-womens-day

[2] “Announcing the 2017 Top 50 in Digital Health”, Rock Health, December 4 2016. [Online]. Available: https://rockhealth.com/announcing-the-2017-top-50-in-digital-health/

[3] M. K. Brogan, “VCU pharmacy student Camille Schrier crowned Miss America 2020”,  VCU News, December 2019. [Online]. Available: https://news.vcu.edu/article/VCU_pharmacy_student_Camille_Schrier_crowned_Miss_America

[4] K. Svitil, “The 50 Most Important Women in Science”, discovermagazine.com, November 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.discovermagazine.com/the-sciences/the-50-most-important-women-in-science

[5] “Mercedes Pascual”, University of Chicago, Accessed July 26 2020. [Online]. Available: https://eegraduate.uchicago.edu/program/faculty/mercedes-pascual

[6] “Evelynn Hammonds”, Harvard University, March 2017. [Online]. Available: https://histsci.fas.harvard.edu/people/evelynn-hammonds

[7] “Polly Matzinger, PhD”, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, January 2013. [Online]. Available: https://www.niaid.nih.gov/research/polly-matzinger-phd