Some of the UK’s best minds are women’s and we need to make sure we are using their full potential to break scientific boundaries. As the UK’s first dedicated female science minister, one of my first priorities is to open up opportunities for the next generation of inspiring female scientists and engineers. When it comes to inspirational female leaders in science, you need look no further than Katherine Johnson, who passed away last month aged 101. Katherine literally reached for the moon, as the NASA mathematician who guided the first manned spaceflights and the first moon landing. Her achievements were hidden in plain sight until they were recently chronicled on cinema screens in the Hollywood film, Hidden Figures.

Source: The Times March 10, 2020 00:00 UTC