8 March

For various post themes in 2013, I acknowledged three remarkable women. Coincidentally, their great contributions are spread in three different fields–Madame Curie in the sciences, Ping Fu in computer technology, and Malala Yousafzai in education and they are from different generations and continents.

Marie Curie (1867 – 1934) was born in Poland. She studied at Warsaw’s clandestine Floating University. In 1891, aged 24, she went to study in Paris, where she earned her higher degrees and conducted her subsequent scientific work.

curiec

Marie Curie:

Earned a PhD in physics, and her professors declared that her dissertation was the greatest single contribution to science ever written (http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/themes/physics/curie/).
Shared the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics with her husband Pierre Curie
Won the 1911 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Ping Fu (1958- ) was born in China. When Ping came to U.S. in 1984, she was 25 years old, had only $80 in her wallet, and spoke only three words (hello, thank you, and help) in English. Two decades later…

Ping-Fu Image

In 2005, Inc. magazine named her the “Entrepreneur of the Year”.
In 2010, she received the “Leadership Award” from the CAD Society.
In 2011, she was given a “Lifetime Achievement” award by the Triangle Business Journal.
In 2012, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services named Fu as an “Outstanding American by Choice”.
Serves as a member of the President National Advisory Council for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (appointed by President Obama).
By 2012, she has received 38 awards.
In February, 2013, she sold her Geomagic Company for $55 million.

Malala Yousafzai was born on July 12, 1997. “People have prayed to God to spare me, and I was spared for a reason — to use my life for helping people” quote from ” I Am Malala.”

Listen to Malala speech at The UN Assembly

Malala year in highlights (2013):

http://www.malala-yousafzai.com/2014/01/malala-heroic-of-the-year.html

July – Malala Addressed United Nations in New York
July – I’m Malala song released
Sep – Opens world’s largest library in Birmingham
Oct –Receives “Raw in War” Award 2013
Oct – I am Malala Book was published
Oct – Malala was nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
Oct – Met Queen Elizabeth in Buckingham Palace
Oct – Met Barack Obama in USA
Nov – Was selected as the “Glamour woman of the year”
Nov – Received Europe’s biggest Human rights award Sakharov

In a previous post, I mentioned that in the free world where millions of young girls have become obsessed with fashion and beauty (with their parents’ help), 17 year old Malala Yousafzai is determined to change the world through education. What does this tell us?

Next time, when you want to tell a young girl how pretty she is, also tell her how smart she is.

Visit the 8 International Women’s Day 8 March…