The First Time in a Long Time For Women in Physics
- Madison Shackleford
- Dec 15, 2018
- 2 min read
The Nobel Prize, is an annual award given by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. For years they have recognized scientists for their findings in areas such as Chemistry, Physics, Medicine, Literature and Peace. In December, the academy gives their awards and this year, they decided to give ¼ of the award to a woman named Donna Strickland. However, it wasn’t always like this. In fact, the last woman to receive a Nobel Prize for Physics was Maria Goeppert Mayer in 1963. That means that fifty-five years has passed without women being recognized for their work in physics. Her work shows other women that hard work pays off and that when it is taken seriously, any women can find success.
Donna Strickland, was born on May 27th, 1959 in Canada. According to the Nobel Prize website, she was awarded for a huge reason. Firstly, she and her partner, Gerard Mouro, were awarded for “...their method of generating high-intensity, ultra-short optical pulses.” According to CNN, they worked towards the “...development of very short and intense laser pulses” which means that millions of people can now receive corrective eye operations. Not only that, but she was also awarded “for groundbreaking inventions in the field of laser physics” (Nobel Prizes). According to Jessica Murphy at BBC, Strickland was awarded for this because the discovery of short laser pulses led to the invention that can be used for “a variety of applications…” (Murphy). The invention of these laser pulses opened up the doors to new corrective eye care. With this accomplishment, Strickland hopes to continue to find new things with lasers. In fact, she calls herself a “laser jock” and “enjoys the competitive rush of pushing the boundaries of what lasers can do” (Murphy).
Her accomplishments are significant as they show how much times have changed. This is mainly because the last woman to to win the prize, Maria Goeppert Mayer, wasn’t paid for her research. So, she did the research on her own. As 55 years have passed, women have made themselves known in the STEM field and are now paid for their jobs. Dr.Strickland stated that “"I got paid the same as my male counterpart grad students and onward. So things have changed and hopefully keep changing for the better” (Murphy). With Dr.Strickland’s accomplishments, they act as an inspiration to many women in the workforce as it conveys the message that times have changed. For the first time in a long time, women are being noticed in the Physics industry and need to be recognized for their work. In conclusion, Dr.Strickland is an inspiration for many women physicists and has changed the times for many.
References
The Nobel Prize in Physics 2018. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Media AB 2018. Fri. 30 Nov2018. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2018/summary/Elmehed, N. (Ed.). (2018). Nobel Prize awarded women. Retrieved November 30,2018, from Nobel Prize website: https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/lists/nobel-prize-awarded-women-3-2/Mackintosh, E. (2018, October 2). Nobel Prize in Physics is shared by a woman,the first in 55 years. Retrieved November 30, 2018, from CNN website:https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/02/world/nobel-physics-prize-2018-intl/index.htmlMurphy, J. (2018, October 2). Donna Strickland: The 'laser jock' Nobel prizewinner. Retrieved November 30, 2018, from BBC News website:
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