women in science (fiction)

• Which female science fiction writers also have degrees in "hard" science? (Catherine Asaro comes to mind.)
  
• Which female science fiction writers write "hard" science fiction? (Obviously I have a mental list, but it may not be standard.)
  
• What about writers for shows like Star Trek, which I don't know anything about?
  
• I've heard claims that though 70% of all book buyers are female, science-fiction book buyers are predominantly male; can anyone support either of these claims?
  
• How much would it cost to bring, say, Maureen F. McHugh to Seattle?