Happy International Day of Women and Girls in Science, read more about some key women and their amazing achievements:
Today is a day to celebrate the women in science who have made outstanding contributions to their fields and to also champion the countless women and girls around the world who are working hard to pursue careers in the field. Here at the Wild Side Society we are proud to be founded and ran by women in science and we have included below just some of the thousands of inspiring and talented women in science that have influenced and motivated us and many like us.
Dr. Jane Goodall:
A British ethologist, conservationist, humanitarian and UN Messenger of Peace. Jane had always dreamt of living in Africa amongst the wildlife and had a fascination for animals from a young age. Many dismissed her dreams but she persevered. In 1960, with no formal training or qualifications, she went to the Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania. It was completely unheard of during this time for a woman to lead a research project in the field but Jane had a natural instinct and keen eye for observation. Each day she would observe the chimpanzees and note their movements and behaviour, eventually a chimpanzee (who she named David Greybeard) approached her and began a groundbreaking relationship built on mutual trust and respect.
From this point Jane was able to conduct revolutionary primate research that would challenge former notions of anthropology and biology. She was the first to witness chimpanzees not only using tools, but also making them! This was something only thought to have been done by humans. Her research also found that they displayed a much broader spectrum of emotions than formerly thought, she documented having seen them display joy, rivalry, grief, play, war and friendship, these again were thought to only be shown by humans. Jane adopted a different approach to scientific research, usually a researcher would number subjects but Jane named each chimpanzee, giving her a unique insight and empathy to each individual. In 1977, she founded the Jane Goodall Institute which now operates in 25 countries including the UK, and in 1991 she founded the Roots and Shoots youth led project that now operates in over 75 countries with the aim of educating and training the next generation of conservationists. Since Jane’s unfortunate passing last October, her legacy and work continues through these projects and she will continue to inspire others for generations to come.
Dr. Purnima Devi Barman:
Dr. Purnima Devi Barman is a biologist, conservationist and defender of the Greater Adjutant Stork (Leptoptilos dubius) from Assam, India. When speaking to Time magazine as their woman of the year 2025, Purnima recalls the moment her mission to defend and protect these animals began, in 2007 a tree which had been housing a family of the Greater Adjutant Storks was being cut down, after receiving a call of this news she arrived to find the Storks’ nest on the ground. The man who had cut down the tree did not see wrong in his actions as he deemed the Storks to be pests. Purnima challenged this view and rescued the chicks, she said that upon feeling their heartbeats she felt “a call to nature”.
She founded the Hargila Army which now consists of a team of over 20,000 female conservationists who dedicate their time to rescue fallen chicks and protect nesting trees. Her work has been instrumental in the conservation of this fantastic species, their numbers have risen from an estimated 450 to over 1,800 which is a significant and vital increase. This incredible work has also meant the species was moved from endangered IUCN status to near threatened in 2023, a major milestone in the conservation of this species. Her work to protect and educate about the Stork has spread from Assam to across India, Cambodia, France, the UK and countless other countries. Purnima has been awarded the highest possible environmental UN honour, the ‘Champions of the Earth Award’ and has also received the ‘2024 Whitley Gold Award’ as well as the Nari Shakti Puraskar award ( the highest award for civilian women) presented to her by the President of India. Purnima is proof that with kindness, empathy and determination, you can achieve the seemingly impossible, her work to conserve the Greater Adjutant Stork has been instrumental in their survival, challenging misinformation about them and collaborating with thousands of other like minded women to continue their survival.
These two women are just some of the countless women and girls in science across various fields who are making incredible contributions to science and research. We hope that women and girls everywhere continue to persevere with curiosity, passion and determination. What may seem impossible can be achieved, keep dreaming and keep researching, you never know what you may find!
Below are some links to further information about some fantastic women in science and their work.
- Sources:
https://www.janegoodall.org.uk
https://time.com/collections/women-of-the-year/7216405/purnima-devi-barman-hargila-storks/
https://whitleyaward.org/2025/02/20/dr-purnima-devi-barman-named-time-woman-of-the-year-2025/
https://www.animalfreeresearchuk.org/international-day-for-women-and-girls-in-science-2025/