#WomenInSTEM #STEMinistSpotlight

Behind every sticky note, Gantt chart, and line of code I use in my day, there’s a legacy. A blueprint laid by women who weren’t just ahead of their time—they were the reason we’re in ours.

This month’s STEMinist Spotlight is personal: these are the three female inventors whose brilliance, resilience, and design thinking directly shape how I approach my work, my leadership, and my life.

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🔬 1. Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson — The Quiet Architect of Modern Connectivity

Why She Inspires Me: Because systems thinking isn’t optional—it’s essential.

Dr. Jackson, a theoretical physicist and the first African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. from MIT, conducted research that led to developments in caller ID, call waiting, and fiber-optic tech. Her ability to bridge fundamental science with real-world application reminds me daily that my work must serve people, not just systems.

Workflow Influence: I ask myself, “Is this scalable? Is this human-centered?” Because Shirley never designed in isolation—she engineered for impact.

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💡 2. Hedy Lamarr — The Hollywood Star Who Invented Wi-Fi’s Grandmother

Why She Inspires Me: Because brilliance wears red lipstick and rewrites the rules.

Yes, that Hedy Lamarr. While dazzling on screen, Lamarr also co-invented a frequency-hopping system to prevent torpedo jamming in WWII—a foundation for GPS, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi.

Workflow Influence: Every time I build in security or embrace adaptive thinking in tech, I think of Hedy. Her story reminds me that creativity and logic don’t compete—they collaborate.

Bonus lesson: Never underestimate the woman in the room you’re not paying attention to.

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🧠 3. Radia Perlman — The Mother of the Internet (Who Made It All Work)

Why She Inspires Me: Because elegance in engineering is a quiet kind of power.

Radia invented the Spanning Tree Protocol, which made large-scale networks (aka the internet) possible. She made the digital world reliable—with code so graceful it’s still taught today.

Workflow Influence: Radia reminds me to aim for simplicity in complexity. Whether mapping workflows or solving for cross-functional friction, I ask, “Can this run smoother? More resiliently?”

Her leadership wasn’t loud, but it was unshakable.

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🌟 Why Representation Isn’t Just Inspirational—It’s Tactical

Seeing women like Shirley, Hedy, and Radia in the STEM halls of history does more than give me chills—it gives me strategy. It challenges me to:

• Solve harder
• Lead smarter
• Innovate boldly

They remind me that my voice matters, my ideas are valid, and my presence in technical spaces is not negotiable—it’s necessary.

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🧬 Who’s in Your STEMinist Spotlight?

I’d love to hear which women inventors or engineers inspire your work. Drop a comment, send a DM, or tag your #STEMinist heroes.

Because every workflow, whiteboard, and breakthrough we make? It’s powered by a lineage of women who dared to build what didn’t yet exist.

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#WomenInSTEM #STEMinistSpotlight #InspiredByInventors #WorkflowWisdom