Emma Yeo ” Why Science Matters To Me”

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I say, that if something is missing then it must be found. To discover an unknown truth is akin to a miracle; for me science is that miracle. I find it incredible, that women in the past – and indeed today – have achieved so much, from nothing. They learnt and they were dedicated, creating theories and discoveries that have paved the way for the future.

Chemicals in a laboratory are incredible for in the correct hands, within them is something similar to magic. You can make the future, or destroy it as easily as a test tube smashing. A simple mistake could cost lives, or it could create something incredible. Science eradicated smallpox, a disease that killed millions, and in other ways it has saved lives too. Therefore, I find it hard to dismiss the efforts of any scientist – whether they made a mistake, failed or actually discovered something important.

I know nothing about science, nothing compared to them. There are so many heroes – and heroines – of this profession who have helped to shape the world we live in. From Marie Curie, who improved our understanding of the world to nurse Florence Nightingale who helped to save lives in the Crimea War.

The lesser known female scientists, such as Mary Edwards Walker who was involved in both the suffragette movement and was also the first commissioned surgeon in America during their Civil War, also made a phenomenal difference. Without the knowledge and help of these people, many men,women and children’s lives would have been so different.

Some people say that we try to know too much, but in my eyes it is only in the search for knowledge, that we can begin to find ourselves. These women are my inspiration, and I hope that one day I will at least have the strength and determination that they showed. It is my dream to make a difference to the world, to tread in their footsteps, but whatever I manage to achieve – or do not, I will know that I tried.

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