To celebrate International Women’s Day, check out these profiles of phenomenal innovative women across sectors, throughout history, and around the world. Take some time to scroll through. We predict you’ll get inspiration, education, and motivation. You’ll even see some CSI members on the list!
CSI is filled with amazing women innovators. So is all of history, and the whole planet! For #InternationalWomensDay we’re celebrating these women, past to present, fledgling to famous. (There are so many we are starting a day early!) Join in, using the hashtag #WomenInnovate! pic.twitter.com/jwbiYwzmXL
— CSI Toronto (@csiTO) March 7, 2018
In 2004, @tonyasurman had a vision to catalyze social innovation and foster collaboration across sectors by creating co-working spaces that also offered community, mentorship, accelerators, and much more. The result of that vision was CSI. #WomenInnovate #InternationalWomensDay pic.twitter.com/xfgco6Y34L
— CSI Toronto (@csiTO) March 8, 2018
Next time you pack your lunch think about Margaret E. White, inventor of the flat-bottom lunch bag. She later had to fight for her patent against a man who said a woman “could not possibly understand the mechanical complexities” (She won.) #WomenInnovate #InternationalWomensDay pic.twitter.com/tHijM6zr8q
— CSI Toronto (@csiTO) March 7, 2018
Imagine a world without: fax machines, touch tone phones, solar cells, fibre optic cables, caller ID and call waiting. That is the bleak existence you’d be living if not for Dr. Shirley Jackson’s brilliant work with subatomic particles. #WomenInnovate #InternationalWomensDay pic.twitter.com/0rPKCoSpXR
— CSI Toronto (@csiTO) March 7, 2018
When @6Gems‘s daughter wanted to learn to code, no classes had other Black girls in them. Knowing the importance of peers and community, Kimberly founded @BlackGirlsCode. It is their goal to teach one million Black girls to code by 2040. #WomenInnovate #InternationalWomensDay pic.twitter.com/HsN4MGRLSo
— CSI Toronto (@csiTO) March 7, 2018
In 1985, Dr. Flossie Wong-Staal successfully cloned the Human Immunodeficiency Virus and then completed genetic mapping of the virus. This genetic mapping was key to the creation of a test for HIV. #WomenInnovate #InternationalWomensDay pic.twitter.com/7tReqsiCvp
— CSI Toronto (@csiTO) March 7, 2018
Look, we genuinely hope you are never lost at sea. But if you are, you’re going to be pretty glad that in 1880 Maria Beasley invented a life raft that was “fire-proof, compact, safe and readily launched.” #WomenInnovate #InternationalWomensDay pic.twitter.com/4VjLDDWr5U
— CSI Toronto (@csiTO) March 7, 2018
You don’t have to go far away or into the past to find amazing innovative women. Toronto’s own @ramonapringle created the groundbreaking appumentary “Avatar Secrets”, a feature-length interactive POV documentary developed for the iPad. #WomenInnovate #InternationalWomensDay pic.twitter.com/Ldwk7AkN7D
— CSI Toronto (@csiTO) March 7, 2018
The work of @shilosuleman uses biofeedback technology to measure interaction between the body and art. She has created installations that beat with your heart, apps that react to your brainwaves, and sculptures that glow with your breath. #WomenInnovate #InternationalWomensDay pic.twitter.com/63fwt4Nweh
— CSI Toronto (@csiTO) March 7, 2018
Toronto High School Science Teacher @n_m_anthony created the Metamorphosis Girls STEM Conference to inspire and support girls to build and sustain their interests in STEM through hands-on workshops, inspirational speakers and mentorship. #WomenInnovate #InternationalWomensDay pic.twitter.com/ALuxN2spLo
— CSI Toronto (@csiTO) March 7, 2018
Okay this #womeninnovate tweet has two purposes!
1. To tell you about Dr. Leila Denmark, the co-inventor of the whooping cough vaccine.
2. To let you know that you have to get a booster for it every ten years. Ask your doctor if you are due!#InternationalWomensDay pic.twitter.com/Ejq9UrUnkF
— CSI Toronto (@csiTO) March 7, 2018
Before there was autocorrect, there was ripping up what you had typed and starting all over again. Bette Nesmith Graham decided to instead use white paint to cover her typos, and eventually her invention became Liquid Paper. (She got super rich) #WomenInnovate #WomensHistoryMonth pic.twitter.com/oCvHEHmxUq
— CSI Toronto (@csiTO) March 8, 2018
If you’re not watching the all-female @BaronessShow you are missing out on some of the most innovative sketch comedy that you will ever love. It’s extra great that the four stars are also the show’s executive producers. #womeninnovate #InternationalWomensDay pic.twitter.com/hGaHz025zc
— CSI Toronto (@csiTO) March 8, 2018
Originally from Pakistan, @nbalagam’s work frequently turns controversial and sensitive cultural topics (like rigged elections and arranged marriages) into unique games, designs and experiences. #WomenInnovate #InternationalWomensDay pic.twitter.com/Q7jfJHBFrz
— CSI Toronto (@csiTO) March 8, 2018
Where are creativity, play, teamwork, and empathy in our classrooms, our boardrooms or the public square? More importantly, how do we teach these critical skills? @ilanabenari asked herself these questions and started @21Toys to answer them. #WomenInnovate #InternationalWomensDay pic.twitter.com/FqvsBWgKGd
— CSI Toronto (@csiTO) March 8, 2018
When @FruJonsson had a stroke, she was lucky that her hospital had internet access. It made her realize what a crucial tool it was for connection and independence. At age 81, she became an activist to get the internet in all seniors’ homes. #WomenInnovate #InternationalWomensDay pic.twitter.com/Mhttp4RwUC
— CSI Toronto (@csiTO) March 8, 2018
After seeking treatment for hair loss, Madam C. J. Walker revolutionized Black hair care by inventing “the Walker system”. She sold her homemade products directly to Black women and became the first Black woman millionaire in America. #WomenInnovate #IWD2018 pic.twitter.com/eL7dTJ5hXA
— CSI Toronto (@csiTO) March 8, 2018
The impact of @ThisTechGirl‘s work is everywhere. In addition to founding @TechGirlsCan, She is also a tech entrepreneur, an author, and a passionate advocate of responsible innovation, decent work for everyone, and prosperity of immigrant talent in STEM. #WomenInnovate #IWD2018 pic.twitter.com/ZV9bZ002rb
— CSI Toronto (@csiTO) March 8, 2018
Nowyah Williams successfully advocated for Nunavut women to give birth in their communities, rather than 1500kms from home. She said: “The government didn’t understand how strong I was. They didn’t know what kind of goals I had, so they hired me.” #WomenInnovate #IWD2018 pic.twitter.com/nWEHKVsbUj
— CSI Toronto (@csiTO) March 8, 2018
Hamilton’s Florence Lawrence was considered “The World’s First Movie Star”. Her career was ended in 1915 by serious injuries from filming a fire stunt. She then turned to automation, and invented the turn signal. #WomenInnovate #IWD2018 pic.twitter.com/bUF8ojxQKI
— CSI Toronto (@csiTO) March 8, 2018
Over 12,000 educators use CSI member @amishahdotca‘s award-winning education technology @Peekapak. Its stories and games teach social and emotional skills like gratitude, empathy, respect and teamwork in the classroom and at home. #WomenInnovate #IWD2018 pic.twitter.com/JDSMrz1AfL
— CSI Toronto (@csiTO) March 8, 2018
Thanks to the #IdleNoMore movement founded in 2012 by @JessicaPGordon, @SheelahMcLean, @LawladyINM, and Nina Wilson, Indigenous peoples have been able to connect with each other and mobilize in cities and towns across the country. #WomenInnovate #IWD2018 pic.twitter.com/LnWna0WzUH
— CSI Toronto (@csiTO) March 8, 2018
Growing up, Susan Olivia Poole saw that women in her Ojibway community would bundle their baby, hang them from a tree branch, and pull on the limb to simulate a bouncing motion. In 1957, she patented and began manufacturing The Jolly Jumper. #WomenInnovate #IWD2018 pic.twitter.com/j8KognrirL
— CSI Toronto (@csiTO) March 8, 2018
Fashion designer (and CSI Agent of Change) @PeaSoupDumpling created @PeggySueCllctn, a clothing company founded upon the beliefs of revitalizing the North American fiberscape with a transparent and traceable supply chain of farmers, mills and makers. #WomenInnovate #IWD2018 pic.twitter.com/i284JkL5aT
— CSI Toronto (@csiTO) March 8, 2018
Sometimes #WomenInnovate by forcing someone ELSE to innovate. That is what @avanikki did when she participated in @robyndoolittle‘s #Unfounded investigation. She also filed a Charter Challenge which could change the law about how police treat sexual assault survivours. #IWD2018 pic.twitter.com/md4Ms2r6U6
— CSI Toronto (@csiTO) March 8, 2018
Committed to holistic health of the individual and the community, CSI member @dbiyoung created the groundbreaking Anitafrika Method, an intersectional anti-oppression liberation framework rooted in creative discovery for self and collective empowerment. #WomenInnovate #IWD2018 pic.twitter.com/azWP3euu4l
— CSI Toronto (@csiTO) March 8, 2018
In addition to her photography career, @maayanziv founded @AccessNowApp, a crowdsourced app to map the accessibility status of locations worldwide. She has since been a regular media commentator in the media on topics such as disability and inclusion. #WomenInnovate #IWD2018 pic.twitter.com/kdUBTDP79F
— CSI Toronto (@csiTO) March 8, 2018
Mary Sherman Morgan was a U.S. rocket fuel scientist credited with the invention of the liquid fuel Hydyne in 1957, which powered the Jupiter-C rocket that boosted the first US satellite, Explorer I. (If I did that, I would tell everyone every day.) #WomenInnovate #IWD2018 pic.twitter.com/ESlVmGYjXy
— CSI Toronto (@csiTO) March 9, 2018
We can all slip up when it comes to using inclusive language, so @mayabenari made a @Slack bot that gives us the chance to fix our mistakes before we even make them! Please can we have something like this for IRL interactions, also? #WomenInnovate #IWD2018 pic.twitter.com/5Vy9QYJxIB
— CSI Toronto (@csiTO) March 9, 2018
CSI Agents of Change Luna Yu and Kaitlyn Chow founded https://t.co/fWIfjinD7J to rid the world of food waste and up-cycle it into products of value. The company picks up your food waste, brings it to their lab and transforms it into products of value. #WomenInnovate #IWD2018 pic.twitter.com/R2cmUriMqU
— CSI Toronto (@csiTO) March 9, 2018
By the way, if you are a woman who innovates, and you are looking to be part of a great space and community, we’d love to meet you! https://t.co/b2mS9Zqage #WomenInnovate #InternationalWomensDay pic.twitter.com/GgigttSqWJ
— CSI Toronto (@csiTO) March 7, 2018
