Missile Woman, Rocket Woman & Unsolvable Math Problems | #243
+ How Brad Pitt's face was used for SRK 🤯
Hello friends,
Happy Women's day!
In an ideal world, we shouldn’t require a single day in a year to remember 50% of the population, but here we are.
There is an unfortunate myth that Women and STEM are not meant to be together. Women account for just 36% of STEM bachelor's degrees. The disparity is even more pronounced in high-paying fields like engineering and computer science, where men dominate, making up four out of five degree-holders.
This week, we celebrate Indian women who overcame this unfair bias to emerge as leaders in STEM fields.
Things we learnt this week 🤓
We all know that Dr APJ Abdul Kalam was called the ‘Missile Man’ of India. Ever wondered who is the ‘Missile Woman’ of India? That honour goes to Tessy Thomas. Tessy was named after Mother Teresa (Tessy is from Teresa), grew up near Thumba, Thiruvananthapuram and this instilled a fascination of missiles and rockets. She joined the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in 1988, where she worked under the legendary Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. She became the first woman to lead a missile project in India, directing the Agni-IV and Agni-V missiles. She's a role model for young women in STEM, proving that with hard work and determination, you can blast off into any career you want.
Ritu Karidhal is often called the "Rocket Woman of India." Born in Lucknow, she was fascinated by space from a young age, often gazing at the stars and wondering what lay beyond. Coming from humble beginnings, she earned a Masters in Aerospace Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). In 1997, Karidhal joined ISRO and quickly made her mark. She was the Deputy Operations Director for India's Mars Orbiter Mission, Mangalyaan, which became one of ISRO's greatest achievements as the mission was completed in just 18 months and at a fraction of the estimated cost. Vidya Balan played a fictionalized version of her in the film Mission Mangal, though the film took some creative liberties. Karidhal's latest triumph was leading the Chandrayaan-3 mission, which successfully landed on the lunar South Pole—a first for any country. Truly out of this world!
Neena Gupta, ahem Prof Neena Gupta, is a mathematician who defied expectations and solved one of the world's greatest mathematical problems. Neena's claim to fame is her solution to the Zariski Cancellation Problem, a puzzle that had mathematicians stumped since 1949. The story goes that in 2009, while a PhD student, Neena approached a professor with some ideas on how to crack this problem. However, she was advised to drop it, as it was deemed too challenging. But Neena didn't let that deter her; the problem lingered in her mind like a persistent puzzle. Fast-forward to 2012, when Neena had her "eureka" moment. She found a workable solution, which was a significant breakthrough. In 2014, she received the Indian National Science Academy’s Medal for Young Scientists for her achievement. Seven years later, she won the prestigious Ramanujan Prize for her work in affine algebraic geometry and commutative algebra, particularly for solving the Zariski problem. Abhi iski problem nahi tha.
From IWTK, with love 💌
Have you wondered how the Columbia pictures logo has evolved? Take a look here.
Shah Rukh Khan’s face was made using Brad Pitt’s cheeks. Wondering what it is? Take a look here.
Only In India 🇮🇳
Mr. Steal Yo Girl Passbook Printing Machine
💟 IWTK