February 11 is celebrated every year as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science with the aim to recognise the importance of women and girls in science and technology, and encouraging female enrolment in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields.
According to World Bank data, women make up nearly 43 per cent of total STEM graduates in India, one of the highest in the world. However, women comprise just 14 per cent of scientists, engineers, and technologists at research institutions and universities.
In February last year, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh revealed in the Lok Sabha that women now constitute 43% enrolment in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Medicine) streams at the Higher Education level, who are expected to take up professional scientific roles in next few years. The minister also expressed that the common realisation is that in the science fraternity, women have already evolved from the participatory role to the leadership role.
“The number of Women scientists is still lower compared to the Males, to be precise it is 18.6%, the R&D projects run by Women are up to 25%, but the Higher Education enrolment has increased tremendously over the last few years, it has gone up to 43%, which means, tomorrow when these girls take over those positions, these proportionate number of working scientists will also go up further,” he said.
On the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, here is a look into some of the prominent women scientists associated with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) who are making India proud.
Kalpana Kalahasti
Kalpana Kalahasti is an Indian scientist and aerospace engineer working in the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). She served as the deputy project director for ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 space mission, which was launched on July 14, 2023. Kalpana played a pivotal role in the construction of various satellites of India and was involved in ISRO’s major missions such as the Chandrayaan-2 and Mangalyaan.
Kalahasti has been associated with ISRO since 2003 as a scientist. In the early years, Kalpana worked on various satellite projects and was crucial for the successful launch of several communication and remote sensing satellites. From developing propulsion systems for accurate satellite positioning to designing advanced imaging equipment to capturing high-resolution images of the Earth, her role has been indispensable.
After her successful contribution towards landmark projects like the Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyan) and Chandrayaan-2, Kalahasti was appointed as the deputy project director of the Chandrayaan-3 mission where she played a major role in designing and optimising the lunar lander systems.
Ritu Karidhal – Rocket Woman of India
Born in Lucknow, and an M. Sc. in Physics at the University of Lucknow, Dr. Ritu Karidhal Srivastava is popularly referred to as the “Rocket Woman of India”. An aerospace engineer and scientist at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Ritu has played the leader in some of India’s most important space missions, including Chandrayaan-2, Mangalyaan, and Chandrayaan-3. She was the leading lady behind the gigantic Chandrayaan-3 Mission.
Nidhi Porwal
Prominent scientist Nidhi Porwal’s name will go down in history as one of the woman scientists responsible for the success of ISRO’s space mission Chandrayaan-3. Nidhi worked hard with sincerity and dedication for four years thereby contributing to the success of Chandrayaan-3. Nidhi called the moment the lander touched down on the moon as “magic”. Porwal acts as a role model for aspiring female scientists just like her colleagues Kalpana Kalahasti and Ritu Karidhal.
