Women and Science: Social Impact and Interaction looks at the complex relationship between science, women, and society as it has evolved from the late 1600s to the present. As the story unfolds, readers meet a number of extraordinary women who crashed the "men's club" of science, from Maria Merian, a 17th century pioneer in the study of metamorphosis to Barbara McClintock, 1984 Nobel prize winner for work that had been dismissed 30 years earlier.

More than a series of biographical sketches, this book is an insightful look at how some highly accomplished women overcame preconceived notions about their capabilities and their "proper place" and succeeded in contributing extensively to, and at times contesting, modern science.