Celebrating International Day of Women and Girls in Science

For the past five years, February 11th has been set aside to celebrate the accomplishments of women and girls in the fields of science and technology.

In 2021, the theme is Women Scientists at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19. This year, women all over the world have carried out vital work to learn more about the virus, as well as treatments and vaccines to combat its effects.

So, today, we’re taking the opportunity to share inspirational videos about these women and their work. But these achievements don’t exist in isolation: for hundreds of years women scientists have studied medicine and disease, paving the way for progress now, so we’ll take some time to learn about their stories too. 

1- Stopping Deadly Virus is Illinois Scientist's Goal by AP

Professor Karla Satchell explains the unpredictability of viruses such as COVID-19 and the importance of fast scientific research to identify effective treatments. 

2- Researchers Look to Create 'Antibody Cocktail' for Covid by Bloomberg 

Jennifer Bath, chief executive officer at Immunoprecise Antibodies Ltd., discusses the company's potentially groundbreaking Covid-19 antibody treatment on Bloomberg Technology.

3- A Day with an NYC Paramedic in the COVID-19 Fight by AP

Elizabeth Bonilla, a paramedic in New York, talks about the mental and physical toll that the pandemic has had on medical workers. 

4- Female Pilots Deliver Health Care by SW Pictures

Patricia is one of the female pilots who are delivering health care education in Ghana. Using these small planes, Medicine on the Move is training women on health care education and aeroplane piloting so they can help to transform health care in Africa.

5- Rosalind Franklin: Great Minds by SciShow 

Rosalind Franklin was a British scientist who helped discover the structure of DNA as well as leading breakthrough work on the molecular structures of RNA viruses and Polio. But you most likely haven't heard of her: find out why. 

6- The UK's FIRST female Doctor?! By Maddie Moate

Despite being a woman and facing a medical profession who believed she didn't belong there, Elizabeth Garret Anderson became the first woman qualified to study medicine in the UK. She opened the first hospital where women could treat women and set up a school of medicine for young women to follow in her footsteps.

These are just a few of the inspirational women responsible for positive change in healthcare, but their stories give us an insight into the hard work and sacrifices they’ve had to make along the way. The Boclips library contains thousands more videos just like these that are ready to be used in your learning materials. To find out how you can make learning more captivating with video, just get in touch.