Showing Women in Science
Images from the Exhibition “Missed Images” Illuminate Past Achievements and Foster Future Potential
As a symbolic step towards making women in STEM fields more visible, hessian.AI, the Hessian Center for Artificial Intelligence, gratefully accepts the portraits of historical research figures created for the exhibition “Missed Images.” This exhibition, originally curated by Gesine Born in collaboration with the Schader Foundation, honors a total of 17 outstanding female scientists whose visual recognition has long been neglected. Six of these portraits are now displayed at hessian.AI.
In a time when women worldwide represent only a small percentage of the STEM workforce and AI professionals, and are still underrepresented in research, this initiative sends a strong message about the importance of representation and recognition. The exhibition, which was showcased at the Schader Foundation in 2024, continues its mission at hessian.AI and serves as a beacon for diversity and inclusion in the fields of science and technology.
“These portraits are more than just images; they are a challenging testament to the simultaneously underestimated and invaluable contributions of women in science throughout history,” explains Alexander Gemeinhardt, board member of the Schader Foundation. “By prominently displaying these AI-generated portraits in our facilities, we not only honor past achievements but also inspire future generations of women to pursue careers in STEM fields and AI as they walk through our halls,” adds Elena Stahl, communications officer at hessian.AI.
Who are these Women?
The exhibition features personalities such as Lise Meitner, whose groundbreaking work on nuclear fission was long overlooked, and Agnes Pockels, who privately studied surface tension and wetting phenomena (as a housewife!). As a self-taught scientist, she conducted measurement series for over ten years at home without exchanging ideas with other researchers, making observations while washing dishes. Later, she invented a simple measuring device for determining surface tension, known as the sliding trough. Pockels wanted to study physics but was not admitted to university due to her gender. When access was finally opened to women, she declined to study at her father’s request and took over household duties. These AI-generated portraits provide a unique opportunity to visually honor women whose photographic representation was often limited or non-existent during their lifetimes.
In addition to Meitner and Pockels, other brilliant minds are showcased: astrophysicist Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, Darmstadt art historian Gisela Bergsträsser, writer and biologist Rachel Carson, and geneticist Elisabeth Schiemann.
How are such Images Created?
“For the Schader Foundation, the cooperation with the image institute of Gesine Born has been a synergistic process from the very beginning,” recalls Alexander Gemeinhardt about the origins of the exhibition. The idea for the exhibition concept grew through dialogue, and regional institutions were invited to submit proposals for their own “Missed Images” through an open call. Scientific and cultural institutions in the “Wissenschaftsstadt Darmstadt”, whose leadership is invited and moderated twice a year by the Schader Foundation at the “Round Table Wissenschaftsstadt,” served as resonance space and idea generators in this process. Gesine Born generated dignified images in collaboration with relatives and former students of the proposed women, as well as with contemporaries and historians, which were ultimately displayed in the exhibition from the opening in March 2024, “and thus literally stood in the way of all visitors to the foundation,” says Stella Lorenz, co-curator of the exhibition on behalf of the foundation.
What Efforts are Needed for the Future?
This exhibition aligns with hessian.AI’s commitment to promoting diversity in AI development and research. By presenting these portraits, the center not only highlights the role of women’s historical contributions to science but also addresses current challenges in AI, such as gender bias in algorithms and the necessity of diverse perspectives in technology development.
“An AI should be free from biases, including those related to gender,” says Prof. Christin Seifert, coordinator for diversity and junior staff at hessian.AI. “This exhibition reminds us of the brilliant minds we would overlook if we did not actively embrace diversity and inclusion.”
The long-term impact of this initiative extends beyond the walls of the institutions presenting it. By making women in science visible through its exhibition “Missed Images,” the Schader Foundation challenges stereotypes, provides role models for young girls, and helps close the gender gap, especially in STEM fields.
As AI continues to shape our world, initiatives like this exhibition play a vital role in ensuring that the technology of tomorrow is developed with diverse perspectives, fostering innovation and equitable progress for all.
The installation is part of a broader initiative to distribute these portraits to various institutions to ensure long-term visibility and recognition. Other recipients include the European Space Agency (ESA), the Academy of Music, TU Darmstadt, the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Frankfurt, and Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz.
For more information about the project, please visit www.schader-stiftung.de/versaeumtebilder.
f.l.t.r. Stella Lorenz, Susann Weisheit, Michael Marquardt, Elena Stahl, Alexander Gemeinhardt, Anna Laura Raschke, Christin Seifert
About hessian.AI – Hessian Center for Artificial Intelligence
hessian.AI, the Hessian Center for Artificial Intelligence, conducts excellent cutting-edge research in AI with its now more than 60 research members, provides powerful AI computing infrastructures and related services, and promotes startups and innovation through programs like AI Startup Rising. Through targeted knowledge and technology transfer, support for the initiative “KI macht Schule,” and measures focusing on equality, diversity, and inclusion, as well as European projects like EDITH, hessian.AI strengthens the AI ecosystem in Hesse, Germany, and Europe.
hessian.AI makes a significant contribution to digital sovereignty and responsible AI development, advancing economy, society, and science alike.
About Schader Foundation
The Schader Foundation was founded in 1998 by Alois M. Schader and is a non-profit foundation under civil law based in Darmstadt. It finances its project activities from the proceeds of the private assets donated by Alois M. Schader. The purpose of the foundation is to promote the social sciences through communication and cooperation between the social sciences and practice, as well as through practical orientation in the social sciences.
Learn more about the Schader Foundation at www.schader-stiftung.de.
Photos: Yasemin Sevincli
