Materials scientist Ainissa Ramirez lives for figuring out new ways to control metals and shape them into materials that can be put to practical use — for instance, in the ever-shrinking smart phones.

Her research on shape memory alloys — so-called “smart materials” — and on a solder that can be manipulated into place with a magnetic field has kept her busy during her time in Yale’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

Janelle Monáe (full name Janelle Monáe Robinson) (born December 1, 1985) is an American R&B/soul musician signed to Bad Boy Records and Atlantic Records.

She is a musical visionary whose innovative style melds a redefined pop sensibility with an extraordinary mash-up of soul, funk, and rock n’ roll.

Rebecca Goldstein (born February 23, 1950) is an American novelist and professor of philosophy.

She has written five novels, a number of short stories and essays, and biographical studies of mathematician Kurt Gödel and philosopher Baruch Spinoza. Goldstein, born Rebecca Newberger, grew up in White Plains, New York, and did her undergraduate work at Barnard College.

Susan Cain is the author of: “QUIET: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking.”

Before Cain became a writer, she practiced corporate law for seven years, representing clients like JP Morgan and General Electric, and then worked as a negotiations consultant, training all kinds of people, from hedge fund managers to TV producers to college students negotiating their first salaries.

Jane Fonda is an American actress, writer, political activist, former fashion model, feminist, and fitness guru.

She has won two Academy Awards and has been an activist for many political causes, including protesting against the Vietnam War, the  Iraq War and violence against women. 

These 20 quotes were extracted from her December 2011 talk at TEDxWomen.