In a recent NPR article, astronomer Shrinivas Kulkarni described many scientists as "boys with toys." Scientists responded on Twitter with the hashtag #girlswithtoys to remind the world that science is not gender exclusive. Here's what we learned:
1.Pregnancy is not some disease that prevents you from doing science or other meaningful work.
2.In fact, women do some pretty important work, like trying to find dark matter.
3.And girls ARE into tech too.
4.And they even build their own instruments.
5.Lots of male scientists weighed in on the conversation to show their support.
6.And we learned that little girls in pink dresses enjoy their tools too. You're never too young to be interested in science.
7.Hard hats are not just for men.
8.And women enjoy operating complicated machinery too.
9.Let's not forget about the importance of liberal arts and science communication, either.
10.Studying planetary collisions is not an easy task.
11.It's important to remember female scientists from our past who contributed to our advancement.
12.But let's not forget about today's explorers who help us understand the cosmos.
13.Neutron diffraction is just a normal day in the office for some women.
14.And 3D printing is not just for the good ol' boys.
15.We wouldn't have been able to reach the stars without women.
16.Or build robots.
17.Or discover the mysteries of the subatomic world.
18.In fact, there's tons of female scientists at Caltech, where Kulkarni teaches astronomy.
19.The world is filled with female scientists who are using their "toys" to advance knowledge.
Tell us about some of your favorite female scientists using the hashtag #girlswithtoys.