Women's History Month: Celebrating Women Past, Present, and Future

In the United States, March is Women's History Month. This month is a chance to recognize the accomplishments of women throughout history, including researchers and pioneers who have made strides in their various fields. Women's History Month in the US first started as Women's History Week in 1980 and was expanded to a month in 1987. March was chosen to coincide with International Women's Day, March 8th, which has been celebrated on this day since 1914.

During this month, past US presidents have recognized women who have made an impact throughout the history of the US, such as Amelia Earhart, the first woman aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, and Rachel Carson, a marine biologist whose work advanced environmental issues. There are of course many well-known women researchers and scientists from countries outside the US, including Ada Lovelace, an English mathematician who wrote one of the first algorithms for a machine, and Rita Levi-Montalcini, an Italian neurologist who received the 1986 Nobel Prize for her work on the discovery of nerve growth factor. These women have paved the way for women in the present day and future to make their own contributions to science, medicine, education, politics, and more.

We will be celebrating Women's History Month with a collection of articles regarding female trailblazers, both recent and historical, articles discussing some of the more current issues facing women in research, including funding and work/life balance, as well as articles regarding careers that are now open thanks to those women who have come before.