In the quaint Liu He town in China, Chien-Shiung Wu was born on May 31st, 1912. Her parents encouraged a pursuit of knowledge, and inspired Wu’s love of science and math very early on. She had a thirst for knowledge like no other. Wu constantly excelled and even graduated at the top of her class with a degree in mathematics (inspired by Marie Curie) at the renowned Nanjing University in China. After much encouragement from her mentor Jing-Wei Gu, Wu decided to obtain her Ph.D in the United States and soon became a student at the University of California at Berkeley
Upon graduating, Chien-Shiung Wu became the first female instructor at Princeton University. Through the Manhattan project at Columbia University, Wu found a “to enrich uranium ore that produced large quantities of uranium as fuel for the bomb.”
After the success of this project, Wu continued her immaculate work at the Department of Physics at Columbia University. Eventually theoretical physicists, Tsung-Dao Lee and Chen Ning Yang, took credit for Wu’s immense efforts towards disproving “the law of disparity”. Much to her dismay, Wu’s intricate research and experiment using cobalt-60 was put in the hands of other scientists. These gender-based injustices were quite common, however. Wu’s quote “I wonder whether the tiny atoms and nuclei, or the mathematical symbols, or the DNA molecules have any preference for either masculine or feminine treatment” displays this absurd inequality.
This did not stop Chien-Shiung Wu from continuing her pursuit of knowledge as she went on to receive several accolades such as being the first woman to receive the Research Corporation Award, a recipient of the John Prince Wetherill Medal of the Franklin Institute, and significantly more accolades, up until her death in 1997. Just a year later, this sensational woman was inducted into the American National Women’s Hall of Fame for her stellar efforts towards advancements in science and opening doors for future generations of women
Works Cited
Cheng, Yangyang. “For science, or the ‘motherland’? The dilemma facing China’s brightest minds – The China Project.” The China Project, 30 January 2019, https://thechinaproject.com/2019/01/30/for-science-or-the-motherland-chinas-brightest-minds/. Accessed 27 May 2024.
Gilbert, Lynn. “Chien-Shiung Wu.” Smithsonian Institution, 2016, https://www.si.edu/object/chien-shiung-wu%3Anpg_NPG.2015.12. Accessed 27 May 2024.
Worthen, Meredith. “Chien-Shiung Wu – Quotes, Awards & Nobel Prize.” Biography, 7 May 2024, http://www.biography.com/scientist/chien-shiung-wu. Accessed 27 May 2024.
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My name is Alexis Harris, and I am a Junior in Florida. I am interested in STEM because of my love of innovation involving technology and engineering. I especially love the business aspect.
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