Nobel Foundation’s archives are treasure troves of information, but dense and inaccessible. Our partnership with Microsoft and Nobel Media allowed us to use Microsoft AI to unlock the full potential of the archives. The thousands of files of biographies, autobiographies, photographs, videos, notes, and various other ephemera could not have been consolidated in a digestible way without the use of AI, because of various stipulations in Alfred Nobel’s will that disallow human “assumption” in any categorization. We were able to then repackage this data and make it exciting and interactive — hopefully inspiring the next generation of women in STEM.

Our goal with "Women who changed science" was to reach young women and girls who are interested in STEM but don’t see themselves represented in the current batch of Nobel laureates; only 3% of the 600+ laureates are women. Part of the issue we had to overcome is that Nobel Foundation’s archives are dense and inaccessible. Using Microsoft Artificial Intelligence, we were able to surface new connections between the female laureates themselves as well as between laureates and the user. Showcasing both the positive power of Microsoft AI and the incredible stories of woman Nobel laureates in STEM, the microsite is an interactive spider web of STEM, full of both science and humanizing content to inspire a new generation of young women in STEM.

We sought to design a guided “trip down the rabbit hole” of women laureates in STEM that would appeal to young women and girls interested in science and math. "Women who changed science" is a microsite that humanizes these laureates and surfaces new connections between their lives, stories, and breakthroughs. Our partnership with Microsoft and Nobel Media allowed us to use Microsoft AI to unlock the full potential of the Nobel archives. The thousands of files of biographies, autobiographies, photographs, videos, notes, and various other ephemera could not have been consolidated in a digestible way without the use of AI, because of various stipulations in Alfred Nobel’s will that disallow human “assumption” in any categorization.

Our strategy was to create an appealing data visualization featuring the 19 women Nobel laureates in STEM and the various assets in each of their Nobel Foundation archive. Microsoft AI identified, categorized, and then displayed on Women who changed science, thousands of discrete assets related to each laureate. We wanted our microsite to be as “sticky” as possible and drive exploration across subjects and laureates with pop-ups throughout each narrative that lead to new stories.

Based on their personal interests, users can “match with a laureate” and be guided through an interactive narrative around a laureate’s life and industry-defining work. Microsoft AI surfaces new connections between the laureates themselves as well as between laureates and the user; we then designed our site to be as “sticky” as possible and drive exploration across subjects and laureates with pop-ups throughout each narrative that lead to new stories. Users can also search by scientific interest/research topic, laureate, or decade to surface these stories. We focused on sharing humanizing content, surfacing never-before-shared personal photos, notes, and stories to inspire a new generation of young women.

For Microsoft, this project was a chance to showcase creative uses of its suite of AI products, in an educational and service-based way. For the target user, a young woman or girl interested in STEM, "Women who changed science" served as a lightning bolt of inspiration. We reached more than 100 million users over the course of our campaign.