Women Who Inspire: Bucks UTC House Groups Celebrate Women’s Achievements
Globally and in the UK many industries largely consist of men, particularly in STEM-related industries such as Computing and Science with figures showing that women make up only 13% of their workforce. At Bucks UTC we want to inspire and encourage girls who are considering a career in STEM and other fields. We are highlighting the achievements of women by naming our school’s House Groups after those who have excelled in our specialist subject areas of Computing and Construction, and in our Core Curriculum subjects of Maths, Science and Literature.
Our New House Groups:
Hadid House: Named after the world-renowned Architect, Zaha Hadid, for her outstanding work in the field of Design and Construction.
Curie House: For the Nobel-Prize Winning Polish/French Physicist, Marie Curie for her achievements in Science and Mathematics.
Hopper House: After American Computer Scientist and Rear Admiral, Grace Hopper, for her pioneering work in Computer Programming.
Rowling House: Named after one of the world’s best selling Authors, J.K. Rowling, for her outstanding contributions to Literature and also for her philanthropic work.
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A Brief History
Zaha Hadid
Zaha Hadid
Zaha Hadid was born in Baghdad, Iraq in 1950. Her father was a politician, leader of Iraq’s National Democratic Party, and her mother was an artist. Soon she enrolled at the American University in Beirut to study Mathematics, and in 1972 to study Architecture, at the Architectural Association. Hadid eventually became a British Citizen and opened her own practice, known today as Zaha Hadid Architects. Her unique, innovative design gained her much international attention and was soon considered one of the world’s best, being commissioned to create works that included the London 2012 Aquatics Centre and the Broad Art Museum in America. In 2004, Hadid won the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize – the first woman to ever do so.
Marie Curie
Marie Curie
Marie Curie was born as Maria Sklodowska in Warsaw, Poland in 1867 to parents who were poor teachers. In order to support her father after her Mother deceased, she became a Governess. Soon she moved in with her sister in Paris, where she studied Mathematics and Physics at Sorbonne University. In 1894, Curie met Pierre curie, Professor of The School of Physics, whom she married and gained her surname, along with a French spelling of ‘Marie’. Curie worked with her husband, and together they discovered a new chemical element, Polonium, along with another radium, and in 1903 they were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. After Pierre’s death, she continued her work, winning the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911. Curie’s work has been essential for the development of X-rays in surgery, which has since helped to diagnose millions of injuries and saved countless lives. Marie Curie the charity, has been named in her honour.
Grace Hopper
Grace Hopper
Grace Hopper was born in New York, America in 1906. She gained a B.A in Mathematics from Vassar College in 1928, and a PhD in the same subject from Yale University in 1934. Hopper began her career as a teacher of Maths at Vassar and in 1943, resigned from her position to join the Navy WAVES (Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service), becoming a Lieutenant in 1944 and being assigned to a computation project at Harvard University. Her team worked on and produced Mark I, an early prototype of the electronic computer where Hopper also outlined the fundamental operating principles of computing machines and coined the term ‘bug’. She soon joined Harvard’s Research Faculty and co-created UNIVAC, the first all-electronic digital computer. She also made the first compiler and co-developed COBOL, one of the earliest standardised computer languages.
J.K. Rowling
J.K. Rowling
Joanne Rowling was born in 1965, Gloucestershire, England. She studied French and Classics at the University of Exeter, soon working for Amnesty International and Manchester’s Chamber of Commerce. Rowling first thought of the idea for Harry Potter whilst delayed on a train in 1990. Over the next five years, Rowling planned out seven books and by 1997, Bloomsbury accepted Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone for publication and it became an international best seller. The Harry Potter series has been translated in 78 languages, with over 450 million copies sold around the world. Rowling has also published supporting stories for charity, such as ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’, for Comic Relief. Rowling has received an OBE for services to Children’s Literature, France’s Légion d’Honneur, and the Hans Christian Andersen Award.
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