In the book and television series Lessons in Chemistry, when asked to name a female scientist, one of the characters can only think of Marie Curie. Perhaps this isn’t surprising, as the story is set in the 1960s, when gender norms prevented most women from pursuing science.

But fast forward to today, and in some respects, not much has changed. In one of our daughters’ 5th grade classroom, students were asked the same question. Marie Curie was among the scant few named, and even fewer knew her story. Yet, we know that female role models are critical in inspiring girls to pursue science.

In the book and television series Lessons in Chemistry, when asked to name a female scientist, one of the characters can only think of Marie Curie. Perhaps this isn’t surprising, as the story is set in the 1960s, when gender norms prevented most women from pursuing science.

But fast forward to today, and in some respects, not much has changed. In one of our daughters’ 5th grade classroom, students were asked the same question. Marie Curie was among the scant few named, and even fewer knew her story. Yet, we know that female role models are critical in inspiring girls to pursue science.

So how can educators and parents best expose students to more female scientists as potential role models?

This is an excerpt from a piece Eva Pietri and I wrote for EdWeek. Pietri, a PhD social psychologist featured in Women in Science Now, is a longtime collaborator. Read the full story here.