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After getting the idea from the radio and social media, IB Biology teacher Julie Schilz had her students present research about female scientists for International Women’s Day.

“I (had) my students research a female scientist and create a poster highlighting her achievements,” Schilz said. “They presented their posters to the class on International Women’s Day.”

Schilz said female scientists experience difficulty under a huge stigma, so she wanted to have her students rise above and appreciate women.

“Women are seriously underrepresented in science, (and) as a science teacher, on International Women’s Day, I (wanted) to celebrate the brave and strong women who accomplished amazing things,” Schilz said.

Senior Eben Manegbe said she did her research project on ophthalmologist Gail Robert Martin with senior Alexandra Smith. Manegbe said it was amazing to learn more about female scientists and their work.

“(This type of project) was something we should do more often. It’s our responsibility to educate ourselves about the people who thought (of scientific) ideas,” Manegbe said.

Senior Ryan Gemilere said he saw this project as a way to honor his childhood.

“This project was beneficial because it gave me an opportunity to recognize and celebrate one of my personal role models, Michelle Thaller,” Gemilere said. “I think the work she does is amazing and it was rewarding to reflect on that.”

Gemilere said by recognizing women in science, it inspires others to enter science.

“Women are becoming more influential in many scientific fields, (and) taking on key leadership roles,” Gemilere said. “It makes me happy to see both the current generation of scientists and students challenging the status quo and pushing to make the (science) field more equal.”

Schilz said this activity was simply a nice way to celebrate women’s contributions towards advanced science, but she also hopes students — especially females, to see the research projects as an opportunity for girls

“I hope (this project) will inspire more girls to pursue science in the future,” Schilz said. “Hopefully if (girls) see a woman who looks like them or read a woman’s story they identify with, a career in science won’t seem like such a stretch.”