An Post has launched two special stamps to celebrate the achievements of Women in STEM in advance of International Women’s Day this weekend.
The stamps feature two pioneering Irish scientists, Professor Aoife McLysaght and Professor Jocelyn Bell Burnell, who are being honoured for their advocacy work for women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths.
Astrophysicist Professor Bell Burnell discovered the first radio pulsars in 1967 when she was a PHD student at Cambridge University.
Her male supervisors recieved the Nobel prize for the discovery in 1974.
In 2018 she was awarded a Breakthrough Prize for discovering the new type of star and donated the award money of over €3million to a fund for access to science education for under-represented groups.
Her discovery of pulsars was also the subject of the physics Nobel prize in 1974, but at the time her male supervisors received the award.
The second stamp features Prof Aoife McLysaght, Chair of Evolutionary Genetics at Trinity College Dublin and one of the world’s leading genetics researchers.
She has also started in a new role as Government Science Advisor.
Prof McLysaght said she is delighted and humbled adding that it was not something she expected.
“It’s a huge, huge honour, they could have picked so many people” she said.
“It’s very humbling, obviosly I’m just a representation of many other great people”.
Prof McLysaght said the “whole thing of women visibility and women in careers” is so important.
“When I was young and choosing to study science I literally knew no scientist, male or female.
“I knew Einstein like everyone else but he didn’t feel like an achievable role model, he was far too amazing.
“The idea that a scientist can be an ordinary person living on your road, I had no idea of that”.
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The stamps are designed by Detail Design agency featuring portraits of each woman by artist Steve Doogan alongside graphics representing their fields of expertise and achievements – a radio telescope and a classic double DNA helix with a diagram of the molecule.
Provost and President of Trinity College Dublin Dr Linda Doyle, said “It is wonderful to see the contribution of women in STEM celebrated in such a visual way with these new postage stamps.
“I really hope it inspires many more women – and young girls, in particular – to consider a career in STEM and to follow in the footsteps of these two trailblazers.”
They will go on sale tomorrow in advance of International Women’s Day on Saturday.
