This month we celebrate International Women’s Day on 8 March and British Science Week 5 - 14 March with the inspiring scientist Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE.
"I've ... worked on telescopes on mountains where the stars make my heart sing."
Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE is a space scientist, educator and co-presenter of The Sky at Night as well as several other TV programmes. She grew up in the local area of Hampstead and took her first steps as Neil Armstrong was making his giant leap. She developed a passion for space and even built her own telescope as a teenager!
"You don't need a big brain the size of a planet, or mad hair. You need a passion to understand things."
Aderin-Pocock serves as a research fellow at UCL Department of Science and Technology Studies and she has inspired thousands of children through her talks about space and science. She is dedicated to encouraging children to learn more about the field and was awarded an MBE in 2009 for her services to science and science education. She is also a Commissioner for the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities. Last year, she was awarded the Institute of Physics William Thomson, Lord Kelvin Medal and Prize for her public engagement in physics.
"In space, race doesn't matter, nationality doesn't matter. In space, you see the world as a globe and you don't see the boundaries."
Each month we mark a significant life of a person of colour as a positive statement and a contribution to redressing historical imbalances in our society.
illustration by Kate Dean
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