© 2009 American Association for the Advancement of Science. All Rights Reserved.
W
L’ORÉAL-UNESCO FOR
WOMEN IN SCIENCE
2009:
Almost 900 women in
science will have been
honored with awards or
fellowships to support
their careers since the
creation of the L’Oréal-
UNESCO partnership:
L’ORÉAL-UNESCO
AWARDS
• 57 Laureates from 27
countries
UNESCO-L’ORÉAL
INTERNATIONAL
FELLOWSHIPS
• 135 Fellows from 71
countries
L’ORÉAL NATIONAL
FELLOWSHIPS
• 670 Fellows in 48
countries
hen we are growing up, we often imagine ourselves doing certain jobs: firefighter,
sports star, lawyer, farmer, doctor. But the twists and turns that we encounter as
we travel down life’s road often take us in very different directions from those we
expected. Some of the women featured in this booklet knew that they wanted to
be scientists. But many didn’t. They discovered their enjoyment of science through
trial and error, through chance or fate. The road ahead is not always clear, but it
is often more interesting and fun to make your own path, as these women have
done, rather than follow the same road that everyone else is on.
All of the young women profiled in this booklet are unique. They come from
many countries around the world, from diverse cultures, and often from very
different backgrounds. Each has faced obstacles—poverty, discrimination,
political unrest—but all have overcome these difficulties, even growing stronger
for having faced them.
As there are differences, so are there similarities. These scientists, who have been
kind enough to let us get a glimpse of who they really are, have many things in
common: a passion for what they do, the desire to give back to their communities
and help others less fortunate than themselves, and an inner strength that allows
them to achieve their goals.
Another common thread you will notice in these inspirational stories is that all of
these women have a connection to the L’Oréal Foundation and UNESCO through
a fellowship they received. On the facing page, you can