Celebrating Women In Science & The Science Of Waterproof Name Labels

Today is International Day Of Women & Girls In Science. This year’s theme is “equity, diversity, and inclusion: water unites us”. We’re celebrating with a look at some famous British women in science. Plus we explain how our unique adhesive keeps your name labels firmly united with your kids’ belongings, wash after wash after wash!

Celebrating British Women In Science

There are many women around the world who have made significant contributions to the sciences. We’ve picked just a handful of British scientists to celebrate – how many more can you think of?

• Mary Anning – self-taught palaeontologist who discovered the first compete fossil of a dinosaur. Her findings about the fossils she collected contributed to changes in scientific thinking about prehistoric life and Earth’s history.
• Anna Atkins – possibly the first person to publish a book illustrated with photographs. Her book containing photograms of dissected plants demonstrated that photography was a useful tool in scientific works and research.
• Hertha Ayrton – studied the electric arc; a lighting system renowned for flickering, hissing, and instability. She discovered the cause and a solution to the problem. She also invented a device to dispel poison gas in trenches during WWI.
• Jocelyn Bell Burnell – as a postgraduate research assistant, she discovered the first pulsars (providing the first evidence of neutron stars). The work won a Nobel Prize for Physics (although Jocelyn herself was not a recipient).
• Mary Cartwright – a mathematician who influenced a number of theories and branches of study. She was a pioneer in what became known as Chaos Theory, and influenced the development of the Butterfly Effect and Catastrophe Theory.
• Willamina Fleming – developed a common designation system for stars and catalogued thousands of stars and astronomical phenomena. She also discovered the Horsehead Nebula and the first white dwarf.
• Rosalind Franklin – used x-ray techniques to study the molecular structure of coal and carbon, RNA and viruses, and DNA. Her work on DNA significantly contributed to the confirmation that DNA has a double helix structure.
• Dorothy Hodgkin – advanced x-ray crystallography techniques and confirmed the structure of penicillin, vitamin B12, and insulin. Awarded a Nobel Prize for Chemistry – the only British woman to win in any of the three scientific categories.
• Janet Lane-Claypon – co-founder of the science of epidemiology (study of the distribution and causes of disease within a population). She pioneered methods of research including cohort studies and case-control studies.
• Ada Lovelace – often called the first computer programmer. She wrote an algorithm (operating instructions) for the early computing machine designed by Charles Babbage. This is often considered the first computer program ever written.
• Anne McLaren – a leading figure in developmental biology, her work led to human in vitro fertilisation (IVF).
• Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin – demonstrated in her PhD dissertation that stars are mainly made up of hydrogen and helium. At the time, it was believed that the sun and the Earth shared a similar composition.
• Edith Rebecca Saunders – described as the “Mother Of British Plant Genetics”, she studied plant anatomy, reproduction, and trait heredity. She contributed to the popularisation of Mendel’s laws of heredity.
• Helen Sharman – the first British person and the first Western European woman in space. She was the first female astronaut to visit the Mir space station. She also worked as a chemist for chocolate manufacturer Mars.
• Beatrice Shilling – invented a device to counter engine problems in early Spitfire and Hurricane fighter planes. Her devices helped to prevent stalling and engine cut-out during combat manoeuvres.
• Mary Somerville – named the “Queen of 19th Century Science”, she was the first person to be called a “scientist” in print. Her book linked and explained different areas of scientific study. Her work also contributed to the discovery of Neptune.
• Janet Taylor – wrote about and taught astronomy and navigation. She ran a warehouse manufacturing navigational instruments – many of which she designed herself. In 1834, she received a patent for her Mariner’s Calculator.

We Won’t Let Water Divide Your Name Labels From Your Clothing

We rely on washing machines to separate unwanted substances from our clothing. During a wash cycle, items are thrown around in a whole lot of water and thoroughly exposed to cleaning products.

This means it takes a really special adhesive to make sure that your name labels stay stuck. And that’s what we use to make Stikins ® name labels!

We wanted our name labels to simply stick on and stay on, even after multiple trips through the washing machine. So we sourced a unique adhesive, which was specially developed to withstand tough and demanding conditions.

We've had our name labels independently tested using the BS EN ISO6330 wash test procedure for 60 washes at 40 degrees. After passing that test with flying colours, we put them into the hands of the most rigorous testers we know – our customers. To date, thousands of families have tried (and tested) our name labels – and we now have over 10,000 positive reviews and plenty of happy returning customers to prove that Stikins ® labels really do just stick on and stay on.

Give Stikins ® Name Labels A Try Today

One of the most common comments we receive is “I didn’t think stick on name labels would work – but they do!”. Stikins ® name labels are water and washing machine proof – so why not give them a try and see if they can change your mind (and your life!).

Stikins ® labels are available in four pack sizes of 30, 60, 90, or 120 name labels. We print and post orders same day (Monday to Friday, up to 3pm). If you order after 3pm (or over the weekend), we’ll despatch your order on the next working day. Delivery is free and uses Royal Mail’s first class service as standard.

If you’ve got any questions or queries, get in touch! You’ll also find plenty of information (along with our parent reviews) on our website.