Monumental

‌Monumental aims to uncover the stories of, the often forgotten, Scottish women of science and celebrate their work, lives, and contributions to the world.  Through the monumental gallery we are showcasing the stories of 30 of these women.  

About Monumental

Discover the Monumental story

female scientist holding DNA strand in front of Glasgow cityscape

Monumental Activity Pack

Four family activities to accompany the Glasgow Science Festival: Monumental gallery

Monumental Live

Browse our gallery of photographs from our Monumental Live events

Mary Andross

A leading pioneer of Dietetics at Glasgow Caledonian University

Marbai Ardesir Vakil

Dr Marbai Ardesir Vakil became the first female Asian graduate of the University of Glasgow in 1897

Charlotte Auerbach

Charlotte Auerbach was a Jewish-German geneticist who used fruit flies to study DNA damage. 

Elizabeth Blackwell

A talented botanical artist

Dorothy Donaldson Buchanan

The Institution of Civil Engineers’ first female chartered engineer

HM Naval Base Clyde (commonly known as Faslane) - where Carmichael protested against nuclear weapons for much of her adult life. © Swithun Crowe under the terms of an Attribution 2.0 Generic license (CC BY 2.0)

Kay Carmichael

Social scientist, lecturer, policy advisor and activist

Dorothea Chalmers Smith

One of the first female medical graduates in Scotland - and a militant suffragette

Ethel Currie

Geologist and curator of the Hunterian Museum

Aleen Cust

Irishwoman Aleen Cust was the first female veterinary surgeon in the UK and Ireland.

Victoria Drummond

Britain’s first female marine engineer

Unveiling of a plaque and portrait of Fergusson at the William Arrol Building, Heriot-Watt University, 2015. Image courtesy of Heriot-Watt University.

Mary Fergusson

Mary (Molly) Fergusson was the first woman to be elected Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1957

Williamina Fleming

A pioneering astronomer who discovered the Horsehead Nebula in 1888.

Elizabeth Georgeson

Elizabeth is thought to be the first female engineering graduate from any Scottish university

Maria Gordon

Published ground-breaking theories that formed the basis of the modern understanding of the geology of the Dolomites

Eliza Gordon-Cumming

A key 19th century fossil collector and illustrator

Marion Gray

Devised the 'Gray Graph', now crucial in network theory

Ada Hitchins

Ada Hitchins was a key collaborator of Frederick Soddy

Sheina Marshall

A major figure in British biological oceanography

Maud Perry Menzies

A doctor instrumental in the establishment of the Faculty of Public Health

Flora Murray

A pioneering military doctor and women’s suffrage campaigner

Ruth Pirret

Ruth was the first woman to obtain a BSc from the University of Glasgow

Dorothee Pullinger

Dorothée Pullinger was an automobile engineer and businesswoman whose 1920 Galloway Cars were designed and marketed specifically for women.

Muriel Robertson

Muriel Robertson, a pioneer in understanding of Sleeping Sickness

Dorothy Rowntree

The first woman to graduate with a degree in Engineering from the University of Glasgow

The Metropolitan-Vickers plant at Trafford Park Industrial Estate, where Anne worked from 1930 to 1945. Image courtesy of Clive Hurst under the terms of an Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license (CC BY-NC 2.0)

Anne Gillespie Shaw

A pioneer of Motion Study

Annie Lorrain Smith

Annie Smith was a leader in her field, with her work on fungus and lichen

Mary Somerville

Science writer, polymath, the queen of 19th century science

Lesley Scott Souter

The first female electrical engineering student at the University of Glasgow

Rebecca Strong

Introduced the ‘block apprenticeship’ method at Glasgow’s Royal Infirmary and changed the way nurses were trained forever

Maria Ludwika Ziff

An Engineer working on key Scottish projects