Leona Woods (later Leona Marshall then Leona Libby) pictured here when at the age of 23 "she was the youngest and only female member of the team which built and experimented with the world's first nuclear reactor in a project led by Enrico Fermi." (via) Dr. Libby also worked on the Manhattan Project when, after the first controlled reaction in December 1942, she was the only woman of the group of twenty scientists to sign the label of a somber celebratory bottle of Chianti. The men who later wrote of the accomplishment failed to mention her or referred to her as part of the group under the name "L. Woods". If her name was not on that label then it would have been easy to completely forget she was ever there.
I had no idea that women worked on the Manhattan Project in such a high level, or that any of them were ever really part of it at all. (I credit Ellen Klages' outstanding books for making me realize how wrong I was about that.) (Plus I just love them anyway.) I've been reading Julie Des Jardins' The Madame Curie Complex which is as fabulous as I hoped it would be. I've learned a ton but the tone is informative while not being the slightest bit dull or overly academic. Basically Des Jardins' can't believe what we don't know about these women and how utterly cool they all were and really wants us to know. Which is why I'm now blown away by Leona Libby and fighting the urge to phone every single science teacher I ever had in my life and ask them why I never learned about her in class.
Review to follow on this one - not done reading it yet. But highly recommended just on the first half alone.
July 1
2010
10:13 AM
*Must* read this.
Does Des Jardins talk about Lise Meitner? I first learned about her from David Bodanis' E=MC2, and she's got a fascinating story.
Your comment about your science teachers made me think - with one exception, all through high school and college, I had female science teachers. I'm sure that's why I have at least a passing familiarity with major female scientists - and I appreciate it!