Alex Harvey
Joan Freeman and Chien Shiung Wu Wiki
Monday, March 4, 2013
Chemistry I, Dr. Barnes-Johnson
Joan M. Freeman (1918-1998)
Chien Shiung Wu (1912-1997)
Frederick Douglass once said, “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” This quote
can be applied to an infinitely many facets of our world culture and history; however, there are
certain unsung heroes of science who have truly exemplified the meaning of this quote. They
have faced unfathomable odds and yet prevailed and despite not being recognized for their work
they have still made great contributions to their fields. Among these underrated heroes of
science are Joan Freeman and Chien Shiung Wu. Both were looked down on and poorly treated
because they were women, yet they did not let these inhibitors stop them from being great.
Chien Shiung Wu (1912-1997) was the daughter of an elementary school principal.
There she learned how to love books and appreciate the joy of knowledge. Wu went to high
school in Soochow, China, where she studied English and Science. She enjoyed Science,
especially chemistry, and soon decided that she wanted to become a physicist. Wu was one of
the most recognized women in her field at that time. Her work experimentally confirmed a
beta decay theoretical prediction, and helped her two male accomplices win the Nobel Prize
but she was not recognized by the Nobel Prize committee nor was she recognized in their
speech. It was difficult for her to not be recognized; however, she still made some amazing
contributions to the study of nuclear chemistry despite the many adversaries that got in her
way.
Joan Freeman (1918-1998) was a dedicated physicist who grew up in a troubled
household. Stricken by poverty and an unhappy union of her two parents, Freeman did not have
the resources or education to pursue her desired field of physics. These restraints being the first
thing that held her back, Freeman persevered and was eventually able to attain a scholarship to a
prestigious Secondary School in Sydney. Although the school had no lab, she was able to sneak
into a private lab at night and learn the tools of her trade. Freeman did not let the fact that her
school lacked sufficient facilities stop her from learning more about the field she wanted to work
in. She was able to not only rise above economic and locational problems but also above the
social problems of her era. Due to the gender restrictions of that time, it was difficult for
Freeman to advance herself into the world of physics; however, she did not let that stop her.
She earned a full scholarship to Cambridge where she earned her PhD in Chemistry and in 1976
Joan Freeman became the first woman to be awarded the British Institute of Physics' Rutherford
Medal.
These two inspirational stories show that despite adversaries and social obstacles it is
still possible to rise above cultural expectations and achieve greatness. Both of the brave
women mentioned above earned countless awards for their contributions to science. For
example Chien Shiung Wu earned the Wolf Prize in Physics, The National Medal of Science
for Physical Science, and a PhD in physics from the University of Berkley. On the other hand,
Joan Freeman was awarded a Senior Studentship by the CSIR to undertake higher-degree
research overseas, she also became the first woman to be awarded the British Institute of
Physics' Rutherford Medal, and earned a PhD in Chemistry from Cambridge University.
Although the impact that these women had on the science world was big, the true beauty of
these two stories is the way that they fought against all odds to be the best that they could be.
Sources- Joan Freeman:
(1) American Association for the Advancement of Science: A Passion For Physics: The Story of
a Woman Physicist. Published by: American Association for the Advancement of Science
Written: September 35, 1992.
COPYRIGHT 1992 American Association for the Advancement of Science
(2) Elle Morrell: “The Australia Women’s Register: Freeman, Joan (1918-1998)”
Created: 1 February 2001, Last modified: 24 June 2009
http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE0038b.htm
(3 (Image))
http://www.newscientist.com/data/images/ns/cms/mg20827811.300/mg20827811.300-2_300.jpg
Sources- Chein Shiung Wu:
(1) “Dr. Chien Shiung Wu (1912-1997)” National Women’s History Museum: Education and
Resources Online.
http://www.nwhm.org/education-resources/biography/biographies/chien-shiung-wu/
(2) “Chien Shiung Wu: The sudden liberation of our thinking on the very structure of the
physical world was overwhelming.” Columbia University Website, Columbia 250.
Copyright 2004, Columbia University.
http://c250.columbia.edu/c250_celebrates/remarkable_columbians/chien-shiung_wu.html
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http://c250.columbia.edu/images/c250_celebrates/remarkable_columbians/240x240_wu.jpg