If you’ve attended an ACA meeting, you probably know that I travel with what I jokingly call my “unpaid labor” — also known as family members. What started as immediate family support has evolved, and for the past two years my mother has joined me, faithfully working the registration desk.

At this year’s meeting at the Westin, I stopped by to sit with her during a quiet stretch. We were about halfway through the meeting, the steady stream of badge pickups had slowed, and we were chatting when an older couple approached.

We handed them their badges.

The woman smiled and introduced herself as Isabella Karle’s granddaughter.

I should pause here and admit something: I am not a scientist. I took the required three years of science in high school in the 1990s, did reasonably well, and moved on. When I first interviewed for this position seven years ago, I had to look up the word crystallography.

But seven years with the ACA and its extraordinary members has changed that. I may not be able to grow my own crystals, but I have developed a deep appreciation for the history of this field — and especially for the women who helped build it.

And Isabella Karle was one of them.

At a time when solving complex crystal structures could feel almost mystical, she helped develop and apply direct methods that made structure determination practical and powerful — particularly for complex organic molecules. Working for decades at the Naval Research Laboratory, she solved hundreds of structures and demonstrated how rigorous mathematics could unlock chemical insight. She received the National Medal of Science. She reshaped modern crystallography. Quietly.

Standing at that registration desk, speaking with her granddaughter, I felt something close to awe. It wasn’t celebrity. It was proximity to legacy.

That evening turned into an impromptu lesson in crystallography’s remarkable legacy.

My mother — a strong woman who raised three strong daughters — listened with her characteristic steadiness. While she didn’t immediately grasp the magnitude of the moment, she quickly came to appreciate the history behind it. On a day that celebrates women and girls in science, I was reminded that success in any discipline is often rooted in foundations laid long before formal training — by women who model strength, curiosity, and determination.

I told her about Kathleen Lonsdale, one of the first women elected to the Royal Society, who proved that the benzene ring is flat and did foundational work on space groups — and who was also a prison reform advocate. A scientist with backbone.

I told her about Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin, who solved the structures of penicillin, vitamin B12, and insulin — and won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1964. A résumé that reads like a revolution.

Of course we talked about Rosalind Franklin, whose meticulous X-ray diffraction work — Photograph 51 — was critical to understanding DNA’s structure. Her crystallography changed biology, even if recognition lagged behind.

But we didn’t stop there. Because this isn’t just history.

I told her about extraordinary women who are shaping structural science today — women like Dr. Oluwatoyin Asojo, whose structural studies of pathogens inform vaccine and drug-target research; Dr. Sarah E.J. Bowman, a leader in advancing structural science engagement; and Dr. Diana C.F. Monteiro at the NIH’s Center for Cancer Research, working at the interface of protein crystallography and medicinal chemistry.

Structural science has long recognized and honored the contributions of women — often in ways that stand out across scientific disciplines. Yet recognition does not happen automatically.

Their work deepens our understanding of matter at the atomic level — and improves medicine, materials, sustainability, and global innovation.

But recognition alone is not enough.

As Executive Director of the ACA, I am reminded daily that visibility matters. Access matters. Mentorship matters. Opportunity matters. Representation matters.

The ability to see yourself in leadership, on the program, at the podium, in the lab, and on advisory committees matters.

International Women and Girls in Science Day is not just about celebration — it is about responsibility.

It is about intentional action:
• Supporting early-career researchers and students through travel grants and bursaries
• Creating inclusive conference programs and leadership pathways
• Ensuring equitable review processes and transparent governance
• Actively recruiting diverse voices into committees, SIGs, and decision-making roles
• Highlighting role models across academia, industry, and national laboratories

Excellence in science thrives where diverse perspectives are welcomed and valued. Structural science is inherently collaborative — across disciplines, institutions, and borders. Our strength lies in that collaboration, and in ensuring everyone has the opportunity to contribute fully.

I am especially proud of the women across ACA and our global community who are leading sessions, organizing meetings, mentoring students, directing facilities, launching companies, refining structures, and pushing the boundaries of technology.

To the students and young scientists watching from classrooms and laboratories around the world: there is a place for you here. Your curiosity belongs here. Your ideas belong here. Your leadership belongs here.

That quiet moment at the registration desk reminded me that we are part of a lineage — one built by brilliant women whose work changed science and continues to shape it.

On this International Women and Girls in Science Day, let us celebrate progress — and recommit ourselves to building a scientific community where talent, creativity, and determination are supported at every stage.

The future of structural science is bright.

And it is strongest when we build it together.