S is for Marie Stopes – Paleobotany #AtoZChallenge – Penny Higgins

S is for Marie Stopes – Paleobotany

++ A to Z of Notable Women in STEM ++

Dr. Marie Stopes (1880 – 1958) received a Ph.D. in botany from the University of Munich in 1904.

Her specialties included Carboniferous and Permian plants as a means to support the new idea of the existence of the ancient supercontinents Gondwana or Pangaea.

In dark green is the distribution of Glossopteris fossils on the modern continents. Continents have been rearranged into their position during the time of the supercontinent Pangaea.

Later in life, he became outspoken on matters of family planning, birth control, and abortion. She and a partner opened the Mothers’ Clinic to teach mothers about birth control. Today, this has become Marie Stopes International, focused on sexual and reproductive health.

You can learn more about Marie Stopes here.

See more notable women of STEM in my contribution to the April A to Z blogging challenge for 2016.

Add your own “S”-named women to the list in the comments below! Others that have been suggested to me are:

Ruth Stockey – paleobotanist
Susan Solomon – atmospheric chemist
JoAnne Stubbe – biochemist