Her Space, Her Time by Shohini Ghose

One of Canada’s leading physicistscelebrates the many, groundbreaking women scientists who came before her—unsung explorers of the cosmos who both discovered the fundamental rules of the universe and challenged social rules, yet whose names remain largely unknown to us.

Her Space, Her Time shares the stories of women in physics and astronomy whose work expanded scientific understanding yet whose accomplishments are largely overlooked—creating a thrilling account of scientific discovery, inspirational leadership and persistence in the face of overwhelming challenges. In shaping her narrative around the science that fascinated them and the social context in which they worked, award-winning quantum physicist Shohini Ghose champions these remarkable women’s contributions, which loom even larger given the misogyny and discrimination they faced.

      Ghose’s canvas stretches from the 19th century to the present and includes many women whose work led to Nobel Prizes that were ultimately awarded to men. Among this list of impressive scientists: Henrietta Leavitt and Margaret Burbidge, who helped discover the big bang and the cosmic calendar; Anigaduwagi (Cherokee) aerospace scientist Mary Golda Ross, who helped make the Moon landings possible; atom splitter Lise Meitner; Bibha Chowdhuri, who discovered two fundamental particles; and Harriet Brooks—a Canadian physicist whose impact on radioactivity research was compared to Marie Curie’s, but who felt that marriage, not science, was the choice she had to make.

      Engaging and inspirational, Her Space, Her Time is threaded through with Ghose’s own experiences in science—women in STEM still face the same kind of challenges her subjects encountered—and driven by the imperative to make the invisible visible, ensuring that the names of these women who pursued science against all odds will never be forgotten.

Story Locale: Ranges from North America, to Europe, India and China

SHOHINI GHOSE is a professor of physics and computer science at Wilfrid Laurier University, the founder and director of the Laurier Centre for Women in Science (WinS) and the NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering. She is the recipient of several awards, including a TED Senior Fellowship and selection to the College of the Royal Society of Canada; her TED Talk on quantum physics has drawn 4.8 millions views. In 2019, she was among 25 women scientists worldwide featured in a UNESCO exhibit in Paris, and is the first Canadian member of the Working Group on Women in Physics of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics. Ghose is the first person of colour to be elected president of the Canadian Association of Physicists.

Author Residence: Toronto and Waterloo, Ontario

Author Hometown: India