It’s a rare conversation that mentions the importance of women in the history of math and science. I am not too sure why, as there have been many important women in the history of math and science. To prove this, just check out Hypatia, Emmy Noether, and Henrietta Swan Leavitt. Leavitt made the discovery that Cepheid variable stars are the key in finding the distance to galaxies. To be more direct, she found out how to measure the universe. Anyone interested in this story should read George Johnson’s book, Miss Leavitt’s Stars: The Untold Story of the Woman Who Discovered How to Measure the Universe.