Commentary March 8 marks International Women’s Day, when we celebrate the great achievements made by women and girls around the world and reflect upon the many challenges that still remain. Throughout history, we have learned that nations and societies flourish when women are fully empowered and achieve greater success. The United States is no exception. Indeed, American women have been pioneers in science, medicine, and engineering. Katherine Johnson, a NASA mathematician, contributed to America’s first triumphs in human spaceflight and was a champion of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. Virginia Apgar invented the Apgar Score, a vital test to determine the health of newborns which significantly reduced infant mortality. And pioneering geneticist Barbara McClintock was the first and only woman to win an unshared Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of genetic transposition. It has been said that when women are empowered, nations thrive. The data …