Famous Scientists
Who is Marie Curie?
This Nobel Prize winning physicist discovered radioactivity and the elements polonium and radium.
What is engineering?
This field of study involves designing, building, and using machines or structures.
What does the formula E = mc² represent?
The relationship between energy and mass as energy equals mass times the speed of light squared
How do vaccines help protect against diseases?
They train the immune system to recognize and fight specific pathogens.
What do the letters in STEM stand for?
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
Who is Katherine Johnson?
This NASA mathematician’s calculations were important to the Apollo missions and inspired the film Hidden Figures.
Who is Fei-Fei Li?
This woman co-founded the first computer science department at Stanford and led early AI research.
What branch of math studies shapes, sizes, and positions of figures?
Geometry
What is the main purpose of the immune system?
To protect the body from infections and diseases.
Which century saw the beginning of the modern scientific revolution?
The 16th century (1500s).
Who is Ada Lovelace?
This computer scientist is known as the “Mother of Computer Programming.”
What is the main difference between hardware and software?
Hardware is the physical equipment; software is the code/programs that run on it.
What force keeps planets in orbit around the Sun?
Gravity
What do we call organisms that can make their own food using sunlight?
producers (via photosynthesis)
What percentage of STEM professionals are women today?
Around 28–33%.
Who is Rosalind Franklin?
This British chemist’s X-ray images helped reveal the structure of DNA.
Name one real-world problem engineering helps solve and describe how.
Examples: Building bridges for transportation, designing clean energy systems, creating medical devices.
In statistics, what does the term “mean” refer to?
The average of a set of numbers.
What molecule carries genetic information in living things?
DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid).
What is the name of the robot currently exploring Mars?
Perseverance Rover.
Who is Sally Ride?
This astronaut was the first American woman to travel into space in 1983.
How does GPS determine your location on Earth?
By calculating signals from multiple satellites to triangulate your position.
What is activation energy?
the minimum energy a chemical reaction requires to begin
How did Rosalind Franklin contribute to the discovery of DNA’s structure?
She produced X-ray diffraction images that revealed DNA’s double helix shape.
Why is diversity important in STEM research and innovation?
It brings new perspectives, creativity, and fairness to scientific discovery and technology design.