Physics, Represented: A luncheon celebrating underappreciated scientists
Written by Carissa Skye and Athira Vijayakumar, edited by Susan Born
On Tuesday, October 13, Women and Gender Minorities in Physics (WGMP) hosted Physics, Represented, a PowerPoint luncheon celebrating underrepresented scientists and those whose contributions to science have gone unrecognized or overlooked. The event brought together graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and faculty in the Physics Department to recognize the diverse people and stories that have shaped the scientific community.
Each student presenter shared a slide highlighting a scientist they admire, sharing stories of remarkable individuals whose lives and work deserve greater recognition. The scientists represented a wide range of backgrounds, cultures, and disciplines, but their stories shared common threads of persistence, passion, and dedication to the pursuit of knowledge. Beyond celebrating their scientific achievements, these stories reminded us of the people behind the discoveries and the challenges they overcame along the way. They were not only inspiring but also offered encouragement to graduate students navigating their own uncertainties in research.
Thank you to all our student presenters for bringing these stories to light!
Athira Vijayakumar presented Bibha Chowdhury
Bibha Chowdhury was an Indian high-energy physicist who contributed to the first measurements of cosmic ray mesotrons using photographic plates.
Carissa Skye presented Grete Hermann
Grete Hermann was a German mathematician, philosopher, and political activist who published an overlooked early critique of John von Neumann’s “no hidden variables” proof.
Cianan Conefrey-Shinozaki presented Toshiko Yuasa
Toshiko Yuasa was a Japanese nuclear physicist who studied beta decay and published early warnings about the dangers of the Bikini Atoll nuclear experiments.
Hannah Aguirre presented Mildred Dresselhaus
Mildred Dresselhaus was an American physicist and materials scientist who earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her work as the “Queen of Carbon Science.”
Kaviranjana Babu presented Kamala Sohonie
Kamala Sohonie was an Indian biochemist who contributed foundational research to improving nutrition and agriculture in impoverished areas.
Keshav Kapoor presented E. K. Janaki Ammal
E. K. Janaki Ammal was an Indian botanist who created high-yield sugarcane that could be grown in India and advocated for environmental preservation.
Layla Ahmed presented Sophie Germain
Sophie Germain was a French mathematician and physicist who pioneered elasticity theory and contributed foundational work to the study of Fermat’s Last Theorem.
Rebecca Chan presented Xie Xide
Xie Xide was a Chinese semiconductor physicist who became president of Fudan University.
Shubhang Goswami presented
Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad
Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad was a people’s science movement in Kerala, India.
Suhas Sheikh presented Manidipa Basu
Manidipa Basu is an inspirational Indian chemical physicist—and his mother! 😊
Susan Born presented George Carruthers
George Carruthers was an American physicist who invented the far-ultraviolet camera that Apollo 16 took to the moon.
The luncheon also welcomed faculty members who shared their personal journeys in physics. Professors Smitha Vishveshwara, Karin Dahmen, Lance Cooper, Fahad Mahmood, and Aida El-Khadra shared stories that motivated them to pursue physics and described the passions that continue to drive them.
Hearing these stories was a powerful reminder that uncertainty and challenges are not unique to any one person or stage of a scientific career. Learning about those who have persevered through difficult circumstances helps us feel more grounded in our own journeys. It also reminds us that science has room for many different minds, backgrounds, and paths, and that our community continues to evolve as we work toward making that space more inclusive.
The idea behind Physics, Represented is to bring the stories of underrepresented scientists into our physics space, make their contributions visible, and rediscover the people whose contributions history may have left behind. By sharing these stories, we hope to broaden our understanding of who shapes science and inspire the next generation of physicists to see themselves as part of its future. We look forward to hearing more stories at the second edition of Physics, Represented next fall!
WGMP extends its heartfelt gratitude to the Physics Department for its continued support and for sponsoring this event.