I really enjoy presenting the female perspective while teaching history. I also teach a lot about Canadian figures, because I’m a Canadian but also because the government wants me to.

So, when @steemiteducation posed this week’s homework regarding a person who has influenced our world with research and invention, I immediately decided that I wanted to do a Canadian female.

“To the Google machine!” I cried. Except Google didn’t really have much to give me. Four women popped up. I knew this couldn’t be right! So I had to dig a little deeper.

There are many amazing women in Canada’s history, but not a lot on women involved with research or invention. If we were talking about human rights, or the arts, I would have many kick-ass ladies to choose from. Not that there wasn’t a woman behind the man who invented insulin or the zipper (both proud Canadian developments, by the way) but history is full of unsung heroes.

I’m going to talk about two women. One that shows that ladies have been important in the fields of research and invention, and one that demonstrates that women will be increasingly more influential as we move into the future.

Frances Kelsey was born in 1914 in my neck of the woods (West Coast Canada) and she became a pharmacologist and physician. In my humble opinion, this is a feat in itself. Then, in 1960, after working for the Food and Drug Administration in the USA for one month, she put her big girl lady pants on and opposed inadequate testing and commercial greed.

image source.

According to the interwebs:

Dr. Frances Kelsey took her stand against thalidomide during her first month at the Food and Drug Administration, on her first assignment. The task was supposed to be a straightforward review of a sleeping pill already widely used in Europe, but Kelsey was concerned by some data suggesting dangerous side effects in patients who took the drug repeatedly. While she continued to withhold approval, the manufacturers tried everything they could to get around her judgement.

Cool, huh?

Dr. Kelsey didn’t invent or discover anything, but it was her research and steadfastness that meant thousands of babies weren’t born with defects in the United States. She even won the President’s Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service from JFK, and was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. Oh, and no big deal but my high school was named after her.

The second female I want to highlight is Anne Makosinski.

Ann, another West Coast-ian, was 19 when she landed onto the Forbes 30 under 30 list last year. Apparently, since she was a wee girl of only 7, she was an inventor. Armed with a hot-glue gun, she would piece together things she collected from around the household. Apparently they never worked, but she was a creative mind from the start.

Ann has created two inventions that gained has earned her some attention. One is a flashlight that is powered by the heat of the human hand, and the other is a mug that uses the heat of your drink to charge your phone.

She has been featured on Jimmy Fallon, and delivered (at the time of the article I’m reading) like 5 Tedx talks. I’ve delivered exactly 0 Tedx talks.

COOLEST thing, she is actually studying English Lit in school, but she does all her inventing and business-ing in her free time. I nap and eat tator tots in my free time, but whatever. I would say that Ann Makosinski is going places.

You could say her future is BRIGHT! Ha-ha. image source.

So that’s it! My homework for @steemiteducation is officially complete. I look forward to reading about other cool humans that have changed (or in the process of changing) the world. Thanks!

Here is my last education post!
KP’s Teacher Tales #12: Poetry Woes