Women in STEM: Marie Curie

Marie Curie (1867-1934) was a Polish physicist and chemist who is most well known for her work in radioactivity. During her early years, higher education was not available for girls in Poland and in 1891 Marie went to Paris to pursue further education. She studied chemistry, mathematics and physics at the Sorbonne University. In 1903, Pierre Curie, Marie Curie, and Henri Becquerel were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physic for their research in radioactivity. In 1906, Curie became the first female professor at the University of Paris. In 1910, Marie isolated a pure element radium, and in 1911 she won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for the discovery of radium along with polonium. She pioneered research for treatment of tumors with radiation and she founded the Curie Institutes, which are medical research centers. In 1934, Curie died as a result of aplastic anemia (a disease of the bone marrow). The cause of the disease is thought to be her exposure to radioactivity throughout her career.

Quote: “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”

Read more at: https://www.famousscientists.org/marie-curie/