News (2015/03/10)

This news post will be a short one as there isn't actually all that much news to report. One thing I will say is that in terms of the blog I've been working on an exciting new project, a series of posts on a topic which has interested me for a number years now, exterior algebra and exterior calculus. It will be a slightly different format to the usual, with shorter posts in greater numbers. This has been much easier for me to write and I hope it will be much easier for you to read. I haven't yet decided on how to release them, but I am thinking of perhaps on a weekly or twice-weekly basis once they are all complete. As such the next post will likely not be for a little while, but after it comes there will be a steady rate of updates for a decent period of time.

The main reason for this news post is that on the 8th of March it was International Women's Day. I know I'm a couple of days late, but if anything, previous news posts should show that that is par for the course when it comes to these things. I am personally a very strong believer in improving the participation and representation of women in science and engineering which is generally dismal to say the least (and very well-documented if you are interested in reading more about it, which I strongly suggest). As such I was heartened to see a lot of articles posted on or around International Women's Day that were about great women in science (and especially physics, astronomy and mathematics). I thought I'd share some of them here, along with a couple of others I've seen in the past. I hope that you will learn something about someone you may not have heard of and gain an appreciation for the incredible work that they've done, and perhaps even find yourself a role model. Remember, systemic discouragement of women towards science only turns great minds elsewhere -- these women (and many others) are evidence enough that women can and do excel in science!

Marie Curie (xkcd)
Pioneering Women of Physics (Perimeter Institute)
You probably haven’t heard of these five amazing women scientists – so pay attention (The Conversation)
Chien-Shieng Wu: The First Lady of Physics (From Quarks to Quasars)
Of symmetries, the strong force and Helen Quinn (Symmetry Magazine)
How Ada Lovelace, Lord Byron’s Daughter, Became the World’s First Computer Programmer (Brain Pickings)
Mildred "Millie" Dresselhaus (Physics Central)