Tricia Edwards, Interim Associate Director for Smithsonian Affiliations, spearheaded  Spark!Lab, an interdisciplinary space at the National Museum of American History where educators use art, science, and engineering to engage kids and families with hands-on invention.

Dr. Ellen Stofan, the first woman to be appointed Director of the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum, was NASA's chief scientist and a leader in the effort to send humans to Mars. #Groundbreaker

Smithsonian National Zoo's Associate Director for Animal Care Sciences, Dr. Brandie Smith, oversees the care and of 3,000 animals and ensures the genetic diversity of the species living in zoos. #Groundbreaker

Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery's Associate Curator of Prints, Drawings, and Media Arts, Dr. Asma Naeem, was an attorney and public servant prior to studying art history, and researches the history of technology and the sensorial imagination of both artist and beholder. #Groundbreaker

Astrophysicist Dr. Margaret J. Geller, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, is a pioneer in mapping the nearby universe who provided a new view of the enormous patterns in the distribution of galaxies like the Milky Way. #Groundbreaker

Photographer, Jessie Cohen, Smithsonian's National Zoo, worked for nearly 30 years patiently and sensitively photographing the animals while also managing the Zoo's photo collection which consists of thousands of images, from glass plate negatives to digital. #Groundbreaker

Archaeologist & curator emerita, Dr. Dolores Piperno, Smithsonian Tropical Research Center, greatly expanded the knowledge of pre-Columbian cultures and was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in 2005. #Groundbreaker

Curator of painting & sculpture, Dr. Dorothy Moss, Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, directs the triennial Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition, and curates the museum’s first-ever performance art series, IDENTIFY. #Groundbreaker

Former Senior Staff Scientist, Dr. Olga Linares, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, greatly expanded the understanding of Central American human evolution, and was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in 1992. #Groundbreaker

Scholar of military history, Dr. Kate Clarke Lemay, Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, has a dual doctorate in American art history and American studies, and is shortly releasing a book about how we remember war through material culture. #Groundbreaker