Meeting the Challenge: Top Women in Science#

Magdolna Hargittai#

Throughout history, women have overcome tremendous odds to make lasting contributions to science. In Meeting the Challenge, Magdolna Hargittai, member of the Chemical sciences section of Academia Europaea, shares their stories.

For centuries, women scientists have faced seemingly insurmountable barriers to success in their careers. Yet many have excelled in science, achieving some of the most important scientific breakthroughs in history. In her latest book, Magdolna Hargittai discusses over 120 such women scientists. The book details the lives and careers of women scientists from the past and present, from various parts of the world, and representing many different fields, including physics, chemistry, astronomy, mathematics, and medicine.

Among the pioneering women profiled in the book are Nobel laureate and astronomer Andrea M. Ghez, medicinal physicist and Nobel laureate Rosalyn Yalow, Rosalind Franklin, the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA, and COVID-19 vaccine pioneer Katalin Karikó. The book also includes vignettes on the ecologist and author of Silent Spring, Rachel Carson, the primatologist Jane M. Goodall, and many others. These women demonstrate that despite the persistent idea that "science is not for women," women can and do succeed in science, even if success often requires courage and perseverance.

Meeting the Challenge presents compelling human stories to inform and entertain readers and encourage those considering careers in science. By detailing the lives and achievements of many of the most important women scientists in history, the book makes a significant contribution to the history of science and provides role models for those interested in pursuing scientific careers.

ISBN: 9780197574751 | 0197574750
Publication date: 2023
Oxford University Press

About the author#

Magdolna Hargittai is a Research Professor of structural chemistry at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics. She was elected to the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 2004 and to the Academia Europaea in 2006. She has researched and taught on the lives and careers of women scientists and published broadly on women in science, telling the stories of women scientists throughout history and from all over the world to inspire and provide role models for individuals interested in pursuing scientific careers.

Prof. Hargittai and her husband, István Hargittai MAE, have jointly published extensively on symmetry, science history, and conversations with famous scientists. More recently, they have written on the memorials of scientists in Budapest, New York, Moscow, and London.