Grannies in the lab: Blog showcases influential women in science

By Smithsonian Institution from United States, via Wikimedia Commons

A thank you to my colleagues at Stanford University who pointed out an excellent—and cleverly named—science blog: Grandma got STEM. In this case STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics rather than stem cells, but still.

The blog’s origin story causes me to cringe a bit. The founders write:

Perhaps, like me, you are tired of hearing people say “how would you explain that to your grandmother?” when they probably mean something like “How would you explain the idea in a clear, compelling way so that people without a technical background can understand you?”

Yeah, OK, so maybe I’ve said those words when encouraging scientists to speak more clearly.

The blog includes stories from people all over the world writing about their inspiring mothers and grandmothers, all of whom got stem. They also got some pretty cool images of women wearing lab coats working at big old contraptions.

If you were inspired by a mother, grandmother or aunt who got STEM I’m sure the blog authors would like to hear from you. Their submission instructions are here.

And now, a nod to some of my own favorite women in science, who I blogged about here.

A.A.