Royal Society calls for public’s help to build Women in STEM history map of the UK

The Royal Society has launched an online map to celebrate historical women in the UK who have made a positive contribution to science and is asking for the public’s help to map science history.

Launched on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, to coincide with the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the map currently highlights inspiring women who have studied, worked and enabled science around the Royal Society headquarters in London. But now the Society needs the public’s help to identify locations from regions across the UK that are significant to women from science history.

Members of the public can submit a place of science connected to an exceptional woman from scientific history, along with a brief description via the Royal Society website.

Royal Society historian, Dr Louisiane Ferlier, said: "Over the last year, we have been searching through our archives to find stories of incredible women of science. Now we want the public to find and share their own stories from around the country to help inspire the next generations of scientists.

By seeing how these amazing women from history have walked the same streets as them, have conducted experiments in spaces they recognise, we hope more young people are inspired to see themselves in science careers, and think ‘wow, I want to be like her.’"

The map forms part of the Royal Society’s year-long celebrations to mark 80 years since women were first elected to its Fellowship.

The Royal Society hopes that this map will in future serve as a resource to schools and local communities to learn more about inspiring historical women of science in their area.