It is no secret that the field of physics, like every science, has long been affected by sexist and colonial power systems. This has meant that, through centuries of scientific innovation, women and minority physicists have not been given the credit they deserved for their work, and have never taken their rightful place in the history books. Lack of representation is still a problem in the field. One of the primary ways this can be tackled is by highlighting the work of underappreciated physicists, both historical and contemporary, in an attempt to address the imbalances in the field. We should also interrogate why exactly it was that they never gained their rightful place in the scientific canon.
Continue reading “Historically forgotten Physicists: Katherine Clerk Maxwell”