September 9th, 2008
Inspirational Women: Marie Curie
The first woman awarded a Nobel Prize was Marie Curie. In 1903 it was the Nobel Prize for Physics, along with her husband Pierre Curie and Colleague Antoine Henri Becquerel, for their work in Radiation….and then later, awarded in 1911 for her works in Chemistry “in recognition of her services to the advancement of chemistry by the discovery of the elements radium and polonium, by the isolation of radium and the study of the nature and compounds of this remarkable element”, Marie (Maria Sklodowska) Curie’s life is nothing short of amazing.
Born in Warsaw in 1867 to a school teacher, she received a general education in local schools. She left Poland, then under Russian Rule, to the Austrian Cracow and in 1891, she moved to Paris to continue her education. At the Sorbonne, she obtained Licenciateships in Physics and Mathematical Sciences. She also met her husband, Pierre, a Professor and they married in 1895. After his death in 1906, she took her husband’s place as Professor of General Physics in the Faculty of Sciences, the first time a woman had held this position. She was well respected in the Scientific Community and was a member of the Conseil du Physique Solvay from 1911 until her death. In 1922, she became a member of Intellectual Co-operation of the League of Nations.
Curie is best known for her dedication to to studies in radiation, promoting the use of radium to alleviate suffering. When you think about the time period in which she lived, it’s more than amazing - and certainly inspirational - the strides she made in Science, Medicine - and for Women.
