Pioneers, the Present, and a Projection of Tomorrow
This piece is a vertically oriented reflection of and honor to all the women who have made moves, left impressions, and otherwise shine in the STEM fields. This has not ever been easily afforded, and in the not so far off past just to be given the opportunity to educate oneself, as a woman, was hard won. It is with great honor that I lay my talents down in a tribute, a love letter to all the women of the world, and as a manifestation of the future I know we are all working diligently to create. The world is opening its eyes to the realization that women are crucial and essential to the fields in which they've been sadly underrepresented. By orienting this piece upward, I hope to let the eyes of the viewers travel upward through time into the atmosphere and beyond, their vision free from obstruction or limitation, so that they might contemplate what is possible, and what part they can play here and now to make that dream a reality.
The first panel, titled “The Pioneers”, is built upon the foundation of the Brooklyn Bridge. This iconic structure was a renowned feat for its time. We owe its completion to Mrs. Emily Warren Roebling, who has been credited the title of first female engineer. The original foreman, her husband, took sick to his bed and Emily stood up and stood in, assuming all of his responsibilities with input from her husband decreasing over time. She wore many hats with great success and was honored by all involved by being the very first person to cross upon the bridge's completion. Biochemist and bacteriologist Ruby Hirose was among ten women recognized by the American Chemical Society for accomplishments in chemistry, and later made major contributions to the development of vaccines against infantile paralysis. She is pictured in this panel working in her lab. The trail of numbers leads to Maryam Mirzakhani was an Iranian mathematician and a professor of mathematics at Stanford University. Her research topics included Teichmüller theory, hyperbolic geometry, ergodic theory, and symplectic geometry. She was honored with the Fields Medal, the most prestigious award in mathematics, becoming the first Iranian to be honored with the award and the only woman to date. Mary Jackson was among an entire team of black women working at Langley for nasa. An acclaimed mathematician, and Nasa’s first female engineer, her story has gained recognition since the publication of the non-fiction book Hidden Figures, a film adaptation of the book put Mary in the Spotlight for even larger audiences.
It is due to the accomplishments of women like these that today, more than ever, from an early age, girls are being empowered to perceive themselves as having the abilities, the brains, and other resources required to find what captivates them and go get after it. The young friends embracing each other are sharing friendship and encouragement. Women supporting each other and building each other up is a crucial ingredient to the future portrayed. In the thought bubble of the lone young black girl is a scene portraying Mae Jemmison, the first African American woman to go into space. From the depths of the sea to the stars, with the technology and access to information available today, no dreams should be off limits for anyone willing to work for it.