A devotion to their science : pioneer women of radioactivity

When the subject of women in atomic science is mentioned, Marie Curie's name immediately leaps to mind. Many other women also worked in the field, but their names have been forgotten. A Devotion to Their Science reclaims this first generation of women researchers in radioactivity, providing new insights into the contribution of women to atomic science and dispelling the myth that this field was essentially a male preserve. Contents Preface Acknowledgments Foreword PART ONE: THE OVERVIEW 1 Early Years of Radioactivity 2 Pioneer Women of Radioactivity PART TWO: THE FRENCH GROUP 3 Marie Curie: Time Only for Science and Family 4 Ellen Gleditsch: Professor and Humanist 5 May Sybil Leslie: From Radioactivity to Industrial Chemistry 6 Catherine Chamié: Devoted Researcher of the Institut de Radium 7 Stefania Maracineanu: Ignored Romanian Scientist 8 Alicia Dorabialska: Polish Chemist 9 Irène Joliot-Curie: Following in Her Mother's Footsteps 10 ... And Some Other Women of the French Group PART THREE: THE BRITISH GROUP 11 Harriet Brooks: From Research Pioneer to Wife and Mother 12 Fanny Cook Gates: A Promise Unfulfilled 13 Jadwiga Szmidt: A Passion for Science 14 Ada Hitchins: Research Assistant to Frederick Soddy 15 ... And Some Other Women of the British Group PART FOUR: THE AUSTRO-GERMAN GROUP 16 Lise Meitner: The Foiled Nobelist 17 Stefanie Horovitz: A Crucial Role in the Discovery of Isotopes 18 Marietta Blau: Discoverer of the Cosmic Ray "Stars" 19 Elizaveta Karamihailova: Bulgarian Pioneer of Radioactivity 20 Elizabeth Róna: The Polonium Woman 21 Ida Tacke Noddack: Proposer of Nuclear Fission 22 ... And Some Other Women of the Austro-German Group Epilogue: The End of an Era and a New Generation Appendix: Dates of Selected Events in the History of Atomic Science (1895–1940) Contributors Notes Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z A Devotion to Their Science includes biographical essays on twenty-three women who worked in atomic science during the first two decades of the twentieth century, including Marie Curie, Lise Meitner, Irène Joliot-Curie, and a host of lesser-known women scientists whose life stories have never before been told. The biographies highlight the lives and work of these women, noting their contributions and the challenges they faced and overcame. Taken together the essays record their collective experiences, highlighting the support network that developed among them and the reasons women were more predominant in this field than in other sciences in the early part of this century. By recovering and recording individual and collective histories of the many eminent women in radioactivity whose work had a major impact on the scientific discoveries of the twentieth century, a more complete, gender-integrated view of the history of this fascinating field emerges. This work includes biographical essays on 23 women who worked in atomic science during the first two decades of the 20th century, including Marie Curie, Lise Meitner and Irene Joliot-Curie. Contains 17 full biographies and 6 briefer accounts of most of the early women pioneers in the study of radioactivity.