Although the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields have been male-dominated for a long time, women are beginning to make inroads and a definite influence on scientific advancement.

According to TIME magazine, Margaret Hamilton, who is still alive today, led the Massachusetts Institute of Technology team as it assisted the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in coding the on-board flight software for the Apollo lunar expeditions.

Hamilton is most known for writing the code for the Apollo 11 mission, in which Neil Armstrong became the first person to step on the moon.

Ada Byron, countess of Lovelace, daughter of English poet Lord Byron, and more commonly known as Ada Lovelace, was the founder of scientific computing.

At age 17, she met Charles Babbage, a mathematics professor who invented the difference machine, an intricate computing instrument, essentially, an early computer. Ada worked closely with Babbage on the project as an analyst and metaphysicist.

Dr. Anna Fisher was selected by NASA in 1978 to be part of the prestigious space shuttle program. In addition to being a NASA astronaut, Fisher is a chemist and emergency medical doctor.

Today, Fisher is the oldest active American astronaut at the age of 65.

Lise Meitner was an Austrian physicist who collaborated with Otto Hahn in the discovery of nuclear fission. She provided the first theoretical explanation for nuclear fission but was overlooked when the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Hahn.

Hedy Lamarr was a well-known actress who went on to do important work during World War II. She invented a radio communications system that utilized radio frequencies to prevent enemies from decoding messages. Today, her invention is better known as Wi-Fi.

In past decades and even centuries, women’s work in STEM has been underrated or overlooked completely. However, these women are prime examples of how gender is not and should not be a limitation in achieving a goal in any field of endeavor.