This week we are swinging all the way back to the 1860’s to meet Henrietta Swan Leavitt – an American astronomer ‘known for her discovery of the relationship between period and luminosity in Cepheid variables, pulsating stars that vary regularly in brightness in periods ranging from a few days to several months’ (source). … IfContinue reading “Henrietta Swan Leavitt”
Category Archives: Education
Sadia Khatri
It’s time to meet Sadia Khatri! Sadia is pushing against the entrenched problems of sexual violence in Pakistan through her initiative ‘Girls of Dhabas‘. To quote directly from their Facebook page: ‘Girls at Dhabas is an open community of women and non-binary folks who wish to occupy public spaces on their own terms and whims,Continue reading “Sadia Khatri”
Ingrid van Beek
You can be the most forward-thinking, inclusive human being on this planet and still find yourself clutching your bag closer when a man who looks drug-affected sits next to you on the train, or averting your eyes to the homeless person sitting on the street because you’re worried he’ll be aggressive to you for noContinue reading “Ingrid van Beek”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
If you can bring me to tears through the written word then you have my respect. It is a genuine skill to convey the energy and feeling required to evoke such sadness, elation or relief out of your words. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is one such author that does this for me every time I readContinue reading “Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie”
Bonus post: International Women’s Day
Happy International Women’s Day 2018! This is a quick shout out to all of the fabulous women in my life and to express my gratitude to each and every one of them. In my immediate family I have women who I absolutely adore. Firstly, how lucky am I? Secondly, these women have shown me thatContinue reading “Bonus post: International Women’s Day”
Iby Knill
I would like to introduce you to Iby Knill. Iby is a Jewish Czechoslovakian national who survived Nazi Germany. In her adult life Iby became an active public speaker on her experience and advocates the need to encourage tolerance and acceptance of others. Iby, originally from Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, grew up in a well off andContinue reading “Iby Knill”
Jackie French
If you grew up in Australia with a mum and/or dad who like to read to you at night, you were most likely read one if not many of Jackie French’s children books. They are quirky, loving and beautifully written (and illustrated). The woman behind these books is just as quirky, loving and beautiful asContinue reading “Jackie French”
Ruby Bridges
The story of Ruby Bridges shows us that even changes to the law do not mean immediate change to public opinion or social acceptance. It also, however, shows how the actions of one person can (slowly) change our world and our experience. Ruby Bridges highlights to us that while it may take time, persistence andContinue reading “Ruby Bridges”