When asked to think of women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), one may picture Sally Ride, the first woman in space, Marie Curie, master chemist, or maybe even one’s elementary school science teacher. The problem is, for many, this is about as many women as they can think of in STEM fields.

One of the many overlooked pioneers in STEM was indeed a woman: Mildred Dresselhaus. Over the last fifty years, she lead the charge in physics research. Sadly, Mildred Dresselhaus passed away on February 20th, 2017, leaving a legacy behind. She will be remembered and honored for her groundbreaking research and passion for science.

Mildred Dresselhaus was the so-called “queen of carbon science” and masterful physicist. She was born Mildred Spiewak on November 11, 1930 in Brooklyn, New York. She was the daughter of Polish immigrants and grew up in the Bronx during the Great Depression. As said in her autobiographical essay, “my early years were spent in a dangerous, multiracial, low-income neighborhood.” Dresselhaus was incredibly hardworking and worked in factories to help her family with their expenses.

She struggled through her childhood, but was aided by her musically-gifted brother to get through the tough times. Her interest in music introduced her to fellow students she would then go to middle and high school with. After graduating from an all-girls selective high school, she went on to Hunter College and completed postgraduate studies at University of Cambridge and Harvard University. She received her PhD in physics from University of Chicago, where she met her husband Gene Dresselhaus. She became a professor of physics in 1983, and shortly after was appointed to be the first female Institute Professor at MIT.

Her research throughout her college experience consisted of work on graphite, carbon nanotubes, and thermoelectrics. These studies were groundbreaking, prompting the creation of several physical theories named after Dresselhaus, including the Hicks-Dresselhaus Model, the first basic model for low-dimensional thermoelectrics. Before Dresselhaus, there were very few women in physics, let alone women of her caliber.

Her groundbreaking research earned her many awards, including the National Medal of Science in 1990 (becoming the first woman to win it in engineering), the Enrico Fermi Award and the Kavli Prize in 2012, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014 from Barack Obama!

Along with being an MIT Professor, Dresselhaus was the director of the Office of Science at the US Department of Energy from 2000-2001. Dresselhaus had also been praised for her incredible support to promote increased participation of women in physics, including recently starring in a GE commercial promoting women’s involvement in science. Mildred Dresselhaus has become a crucial part of the science community over the last 50 years and she deserves to be recognized.

Mildred Dresselhaus passed away just a few short days ago, but she will always be remembered, may it be because of her research in physics or her passion for women in science. She was known to be a persistent optimist, a triumphant advocate for expansion of scientific research, and accepting of every person she met. Mildred Dresselhaus was an inspiration for scientist hopefuls, women activists, and dream-seekers everywhere.

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“Follow your interests, get the best available education and training, set your sights high, be persistent, be flexible, keep your options open, accept help when offered, and be prepared to help others.” – Mildred Dresselhaus