Nobel Prizes 2009: A Record Year For Women (SLIDESHOW)

AP -- This year a record five women were honored by the Nobel committees. In total, only 40 women have won the prestigious prizes, including Marie Curie who took the 1903 physics prize and the 1911 chemistry prize.

The 2009 winners include:

_ Elinor Ostrom, 76, who made history by being the first woman to win the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, sharing it with fellow American Oliver Williamson for their work in economic governance.

• • • • • In this image provided by Indiana University on October 12, 2009, Indiana University professor Elinor Ostrom is pictured. Ostrom was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences October 12 along with Oliver Williamson, a professor from University of California Berkeley. She is the the first female to win the economic prize since its creation in 1968.

_ Elizabeth H. Blackburn, 60, and Carol W. Greider, 48, who shared the 2009 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine with Jack W. Szostak for their work in solving the mystery of how chromosomes protect themselves from degrading when cells divide. Greider is American and Blackburn has dual U.S.-Australian citizenship.

_ Ada Yonath, 70, of Israel, who shared the Nobel Prize in chemistry with Americans Venkatraman Ramakrishnan and Thomas Steitz for their atom-by-atom description of ribosomes.

_ Herta Mueller, 56, a Romanian-born German writer who won the literature prize for her critical depiction of life behind the Iron Curtain.

Other women who have won Nobel Prizes include literature winners Toni Morrison and Doris Lessing and peace prize laureates Aung San Suu Kyi, a democracy activist in Myanmar, and Iranian human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi.

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Source: Nobel Foundation.

Comments

[SewaneeLeftist]

Nice trend. However, the naysayers are getting tedious, to say the least.

[madtom]

LOVE the tie-dyed T-shirt on the Nobel Economics Prize winner, Elinor Olstrom!

WAVE IT PROUD AND HIGH!

[sighn in]

Its time a Hispanic gets the Nobel Prize

[Horst]

Better yet, a transgender Hispanic....haven't had one of those for a while.

[sighn in]

"Ironically, his biggest accomplishment as president so far ... winning the Nobel Peace Prize." - Jay Leno

[Kevins]

Obviously the right-wing will say none of them deserved it, either.

And if any of it was for stem cell or genetic research...oops, it was. You'll definitely be hearing from the right-wing. And the Fox Channel--they'll put on a few flat-earth scientists for "balance".

[protagonia]

Bravo and congratulations ladies.

[PhilipB]

This just made my day, made me believe in truth and science being recognized. These women are a role model for us all, and especially girls and young woman who dream and take charge in science and economics or whatever they are passionate about.
These awards give me hope.

[HPdevotee]

Great post! Agree 100%

[mikefina]

I applaud the affirmative actions of the Nobel committee.

[Vindur]

The fact that we "celebrate" a record year for women as nobel prcie winners is really sad actually.
We shouldn't view them as women, just as scientist, economist etc.
But we as a society just aren't ready to look beyond race and gender yet, sadly enough

[Khirad]

Yes, that is why it is a story. Sexism still exists, especially in the fields of science. When it no longer does, then we won't need such a headline, but a headline it indeed is.

[PhilipB]

Thank you to all the scientists for your contributions.
And yes, being a pioneer for your gender,
That should be acknowleged and celebrated.
It is a beautiful day.

[eileenflemingWAWA]

Another Nobel Laurette, Mairead Maguire who was detained by Homeland Security twice while trying to get through the USA and missed her connecting flights, said in 2006:

"That a peaceful and just society can be achieved only through nonviolent means and that the path to peace lies in each of our hearts. I believe that hope for the future depends on each of us taking nonviolence into our hearts and minds and developing new and imaginative structures which are nonviolent and life-giving for all. Some people will argue that this is too idealistic. I believe it is very realistic. I am convinced that humanity is fast evolving to this higher consciousness. For those who say it cannot be done, let us remember that humanity learned to abolish slavery. Our task now is no less than the abolition of violence and war. We can rejoice and celebrate today because we are living in a miraculous time. Everything is changing and everything is possible."

The Rest of "Back to U2, Lennon and Vanunu"

http://www.wearewideawake.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1452&Itemid=225

[bermanator]

This thread has nothing to do with the Israel-Palestine conflict.

How much does Hamas pay you?

[eileenflemingWAWA]

The thread is about female Nobel Prize winners.

Ada Yonath, an Israeli is now a peer of Mairead Maguire.

IF you know anything about the history of 1948 in the so called holy land-which is pieces-Ban­tustans-yo­u cannot even think about Israel without remembering Al Nakba;

And change is what i am after!

[OldSkooler]

Cultures that oppress women and prevent them from contributing in full to society do so at their own detriment and peril.

Congratulations to all the award winners.

And I bow my head in sorrow for all the women who COULD have contributed over the centuries, if only they'd been free to do so.

[dukesman2000]

Rush's head is going to explode

[fallingsky]

why ,,, They all won there awards based upon merit and accomplishment ....

[Khirad]

Yeah, but the economist looks like a dreaded hippie. Rush "Cartman" can't be to thrilled with that. She might be a socialist bent on destroying America!

[BlueZoo]

Congratulations to these remarkable women! We need to see more of this kind of of recognition so our daughters will truly know they can do anything they wish to! BRAVO!

[Cool-headed]

Great! Five women in the same year, 3 of them in scientific fields. Great example for women and girls all over the world. Three cheeers!

[fallingsky]

and like MLK and Desmond Tutu and Mother Teresa ,,, all are diminished when the likes of Carter, Arafat and Gore and now Obama are given awards for political purposes

[Kevins]

If MLK was elected US President
by overwhelming majority,
the Right-wing would be saying 'I wonder what St. Martin is going to do next to walk on water for all his Kool-aid drinking lefties',
he would have found his Nobel Peace Prize belittled,
they'd say he wasn't even born in America,
and there'd be a lot of obstructionists saying "No!" to everything he suggested.

So don't pretend you AGREE with Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Nobel Peace Prize. Hypocrite.

I don't for a minute believe you'd get along with Desmond Tutu or Mother Teresa, either. You're pretty much out of luck until Glenn Beck gets the Nobel Prize.