Science & Innovation

Innovation is about more than inventing something new; it is about transforming and iterating on existing products, processes, or ideas.

Read the Story Behind this Object

Margaret Weitekamp, a curator of space history at the National Air and Space Museum, talks about Sally Ride's role as the first American woman in space, and how her leadership changed the perception of women in science.

Collection Objects

Learn the stories of these women or explore more collections related to women in science. 

  • Blue stamp with a sepia photo of Barbara McClintock on it. The stamp also features a scientific drawing of her work on transposons and the words Barbara McClintock Geneticist.
    A Microscope, A Unique Vision, and a Nobel Prize-Winning Discovery
  • James Stewart, Hedy Lamarr, Judy Garland, Lana Turner, Tony Martin in a Paint Book from Ziegfeld Girl. An illustrated Lamarr wears gold.
    Hollywood Beauty Hedy Lamarr Devised Military Technology
  • Leather nametag with gold NASA logo and the name Mae Jemison.
    Mae Jemison: The First Female African American Astronaut
  • Ruby Hirose sits at a lab station. She wears a white lab coat and holds a pipette.
    Ruby Hirose, Lauded Japanese American Scientist
  • Scientific illustration of Arthrostylidium sarmentosum, a bamboo.
    On Mountains and Picket Lines, Botanist Agnes Chase Changed Views of Women
  • This artifact is a Development Test Model (DTM) for the Voyager spacecraft.
    Breaking into Planetary Science and Exploring the Solar System

Conversation Kit

  • Let's Talk! Bessie Coleman: Community Innovator Conversation Kit

    PDF icon Bessie Coleman: Community Innovator Teaching and Discussion Guide

    Grades 6–8. Time: Variable (1–2 class periods). Aligned with C3 standards.

    In this conversation guide, students will learn about pilot Bessie Coleman, an innovator who sought to create change for her community.  In exploring her story as the first woman of African American and Native American descent to earn a pilots license, students will examine the question: How do we bring change to our community?

Videos

  • Unknown to most, Roxy Laybourne was a pioneer in forensic ornithology whose work greatly improved the safety of flight. Carla Dove, program director of the National Museum of Natural History's Feather Identification Lab, shares the story of Laybourne.

Smithsonian American Women book cover.

Smithsonian American Women

Remarkable objects and stories of strength, ingenuity, and vision from the National Collection.

Smithsonian American Women book cover.
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