Brothers Turn Class Project into 190-Story STEM Victory

When Shehroze Saharan's biology teacher revealed that a woman scientist had been erased from the DNA discovery story, the 11th grader couldn't forget it. Years later, that classroom moment sparked something that would shine light on nearly 200 forgotten scientific pioneers.

Saharan and his brother Shehryar turned a college digital humanities project into The Matilda Project, a nonprofit that uses art and storytelling to celebrate overlooked women in science. The name honors Matilda Joslyn Gage, who wrote about society ignoring women's scientific contributions way back in 1883.

The brothers' mission felt urgent after learning about the "Matilda Effect," a term coined by science historian Margaret Rossiter to describe the systematic denial of credit to female scientists. Rosalind Franklin, whose work was essential to discovering DNA's structure, remains the most famous example of scientists written out of their own breakthroughs.

With funding from the Ontario government, eCampus Ontario, and the University of Guelph, the Saharan brothers started compiling their list. They looked for women who made real scientific accomplishments but never got proper recognition.

Finding 190 names in just three years proved both exciting and heartbreaking. "It's so disheartening to see that in three years, we were able to find so easily a list of 190 people," Shehroze said.

The project features scientists from Marie Maynard Daly, the first African American woman to earn a chemistry PhD in the United States, to Uzma Khan, who first tracked the Indus River dolphin. Some stories overflow with documentation while others require detective work to piece together.

The Ripple Effect

The Matilda Project deliberately features both historical and current scientists because the problem hasn't disappeared. Shehroze regularly hears people, mostly men in power positions, claim gender bias in science is ancient history.

By showcasing women across different disciplines, time periods, and backgrounds, the brothers are building an educational resource for everyone from undergraduates to professors. They're inviting volunteers to help write about and illustrate these hidden stories.

The project transforms invisible contributions into visible inspiration. Each profile reminds students that brilliant work matters regardless of who tried to erase it from textbooks.

What began as one student remembering one overlooked scientist has become a growing archive of scientific achievement that refuses to stay hidden.