Katherine Johnson: An inspiration to all

On the occasion of International Women’s Day (March 8, 2020), Novosanis celebrates all women in science and health. In particular, we want to take this opportunity to recognize Katherine Johnson - the NASA mathematician, who recently passed away at age 101.

Over the years, women have gained positions and been recognized in various industries, businesses and activities. However, even today, women are underrepresented in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

According to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), less than 30% of the world’s researchers are women (1). Additionally, less than a third of female students choose higher education courses in subjects like mathematics and engineering (2).

In this regard, Katherine Johnson’s work stands out and is an inspiration for women in science. Johnson’s work at NASA greatly contributed to space research. Among other projects, her mathematical calculations helped Apollo 11 land on the moon in 1969 as well as safely return to Earth. Further, she was one of the few black women in her group, breaking stereotypes and actively promoting racial equality in the workspace (3,4).

To recognize her work, the women at Novosanis took our own versions of photos inspired by “Hidden Figures’’, a 2016 movie based on Johnson’s work.

Happy International Women’s Day!

Thanks to Art & Classics, Belgium (https://artandclassics.eu) for a beautiful location for our shoot!

References:

(1) http://uis.unesco.org/en/topic/women-science

(2) https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/02/stem-gender-inequality-researchers-bias/

(3) https://www.nasa.gov/langley/katherine-johnson

(4) https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/24/science/katherine-johnson-dead.html