In physic, we learned so many laws and heard so many names of scientists who created those laws. However, most of them are male, it is not that there are no female scientists but they are just essentially unknown. So, the project that we have been doing for about two weeks is called Women in STEM. Every student was given a list of female scientists and we have to choose one of them and research about their profile, invention, achievements, and obstacles they had faced while growing up.
The female scientist I chose to research about named Patricia Bath, and here is her life’s story and my opinion about women in STEM.
Patricia Bath
Is it possible to restore sight for those who have blind for 30 years? The answer is yes.
A physician whose specialty is ophthalmology (the study of eyes and their disease) named Patricia Bath, has proved that. But how?
Patricia Bath was born on November 4, 1942, Harlem, New York. As a kid, she wants to be a(n) physician, inventor, and scientist. When Bath gets to try with microscope set, she knew she has a love for math and science. One of Bath’s dream is to become a doctor, not a nurse but doctor even though, becoming a nurse was something her friend wants her to be.
However, at school, Bath was a gifted student, for her teacher, and was purchased to explore her strengths. Bath grew up in a community where “Black were excluded from numerous medical school and medical society. Also, it is still a struggle because “My family did not possess the funds to send me to medical school”. Bath biggest obstacles are sexism, racism, and relative poverty, these are things she faced as a young girl growing up in Harlem.
At the age of 16, Bath attends a cancer research workshop sponsored by National Science Foundation. Her work got impressed by Dr. Robert Bernard, the program head, and based on the publicity she received, Bath earned the Mademoiselle magazine Merit Award in 1960. Over time, after graduation, Bath went to Hunter College and earned bachelor’s degree in 1964. She then attends Howard University in 1998 and worked as an internship at Harlem Hospital. The following year, Bath began pursuing a fellowship, funding, in ophthalmology at Columbia University. She discovered that Africans Americans were twice as likely to suffer from blindness than other patients and eight times more likely to develop glaucoma (disease of the eye that can cause a person to lose their sight). Bath’s research led her to form a community ophthalmology system, which increases the amount of eye care given to those who were unable to afford treatment.
In 1986, Bath invented Laserphaco Probe, improving treatment for cataract patients. She got her patent, the legal rights to make an invention for particular numbers of years, of the device in 1988 and become the first African American female doctor to receive a medical patent. It took her about five years to complete the research and testing to make it work. Bath was able to restore sight for those who have blind for more than 30 years.
Patricia Bath is a change agent, her invention is a technique and concept for cataract surgery, laserphaco. With the support from family and hard work, Bath was able to achieve her dream.
“Even though there are no women in that field [physician] but that should not be an obstacle to prevent you from achieving that [your goal] ”, she said. “I realize that when I achieve these things [award] it helps what other women and other people of color what black women can do”.
In my opinion, I think that women’s academic opinion was not respected that time, especially if they are people with color. This stereotype keeps repeating, no matter how educated you are if you are a girl or women, things will not work out the way you expect it to be. For Patricia Bath, after she invented the laserphaco, people did get interested in her work until it made her earn the Merit Award. So, from this aspect, it reminds me of a phrase that says, “no one cares, unless you are beautiful, died, rich/famous. However, there are still people who encouraged her throughout her lifetime, such as her teacher, parents, and her mentor, Dr, Robert Bernard. Last but not least, I think it is very important to spotlight female scientist because they are the heart of everything, without them the world will be different. They all are inspirational and role model for everybody. In addition, I would say that the field of science and technology in the future will full of “white men” and women, will no longer get self-confidence in pursuing their dream again if they are interested in science and/or technology.
Works Cited
“Changing the Face of Medicine | Patricia E. Bath.” U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, 3 June 2015, cfmedicine.nlm.nih.gov/physicians/biography_26.html.
“Culture Shifting Pictures & Stories: Dr. Patricia Era Bath.” YouTube, YouTube, 3 Dec. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0SRe5mjMQo.
“Patricia Bath.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 19 Jan. 2018, www.biography.com/people/patricia-bath-21038525.
“Patricia Bath.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Jan. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patricia_Bath.
“Patricia Bath Invented the Laserphaco Probe.” YouTube, YouTube, 26 Oct. 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKAhWWIaHtU.
TimeMagazine. “Patricia Bath On Being The First Person To Invent & Demonstrate Laserphaco Cataract Surgery | TIME.” YouTube, YouTube, 30 Oct. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcE_QMTBNW4.