Chienshiung wu 19121997 was a chinese american physicist. In science it often happens that scientists say, you know thats a really good argument. The chineseborn physicist chienshiung wu provided the first experimental proof that the principle of parity conservation does not hold in weak subatomic interactions. Chien shiung wu biography, life, interesting facts. She contributed a lot to the field of nuclear physics. This is the story of chienshiung wu, a brilliant physicist, whose daring and innovative experiments pushed past the antiasian prejudice of the 1940s to influence the trajectory of the manhattan project and change the very world of nuclear physics itself. Wu chien shiung was born on may 31, 1912 in a small town near shanghai, china. Ten women who changed science and the world diversion books.
In chinese society, a woman is valued for what she is, and men encourage her to accomplishments yet she remains eternally feminine. Chien shiung wu facts, bio, family, life, info sticky. Shanghai chien shiung wu received her bachelors degree from national central university in nanjing in 1936 and her doctorate from berkeley in 1940. Among the team of experimental physicists who developed the first atomic bomb for the u. When chienshiung wu 19121997 was a student at the prestigious suzhou girls high school in the chinese city of suzhou, she encountered a biography of. Chienshiung wu at a gathering at columbia university in 1958.
Chien shiung wu there is a misconception in america that women scientists are all dowdy spinsters. Immediately download the chienshiung wu summary, chapterbychapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more everything you need for studying or teaching chienshiung wu. Both wu chienchuan and his father were hereditary manchu cavalry officers of the yellow banner as well as the imperial guards brigade, yet the wu family were to become patriotic supporters of sun yatsen at the time of the establishment of the chinese republic. Chien shiung wu, chineseborn american physicist who provided the first experimental proof that the principle of parity conservation does not hold in weak subatomic interactions. Chienshiung wu national medal of science nms recipient in 1975 for her ingenious experiments that led to new and surprising understanding of the decay of the radioactive nucleus. Chienshiung wu was born on may 29, 1912, liuhe, jiangsu province, china, at the second of three children of wu zhongyi and fan fuhua. Meet wu chien shiung, famous physicist who overcame prejudice to prove that she could be anything she wanted. Her father opened the areas first girls school and chienshuiung wu went. Read more here from an early age, nuclear physicist chienshiung wu had to travel in order to learn. Contributions of twentiethcentury women to physics, ed. From twotime nobel prize winner marie curie to physicist chienshiung wu and virginia apgar, m. The family custom was that children of this generation had chien as the first character generation name of their forename, followed by the characters in the phrase ying shiung haojie, which means.
A previous blog entry for a book about chien shiung wu. Read more here from an early age, nuclear physicist chien shiung wu had to travel in order to learn. According to chinese naming conventions, wu was her last name and chien shiung her given name. Richard hammond profiles the life and achievement of chineseamerican nuclear physicist, chienshiung wu, that describes her work on the manhattan project during world war ii as well as her contributions to.
Chein shuing wu died when she was 84 on feb 16 1997 in manhattan. Wu, chienshiung 19121997, nuclear physicist american. The first lady of physics research, by tsaichien chiang and tangfong wong trans. Jul 29, 2019 find out more about the life and career of chineseamerican nuclear physicist chienshiung wu, dubbed the first lady of physics, contributed to the manhattan project, at. The family custom was that children of this generation had chien as the first. Wu chien shiung was a woman of many firsts yet, until now id not heard of her.
Chienshiung wu helped overthrow the law of conservation of parity along with tsung dao lee and chen wing yang. Wu worked on the manhattan project helping in the development of the process for separating uranium metal into uranium235 and uranium238 isotopes by gaseous diffusion she conducted the wu experiment which. The author reports in a note at the end of the book that chien shiungs parents believed girls to be equal to boys and thus they should receive an equivalent education. Chienshiung wu i was a senior research scientist that changed the accepted view of the structure of the universe. How wu chien shiung helped unlock the secrets of the atom by teresa robeson. Chienshiung wu quotes 6 science quotes dictionary of. Chienshiung wu was born in the town of liuhe in taicang, jiangsu province, china, on may 31, 1912, the second of three children of wu zhongyi and fan fuhua. In the end, although her family would survive the war, the arrival of. Madame wu and the holiday experiment that changed physics forever. Chienshiung wu bio, facts, family famous birthdays. May is asian american pacific heritage month, and we are excited to share some of our favorite books exploring perspectives from asian americans of six genres. This is the story of chien shiung wu, a brilliant physicist, whose daring and innovative experiments pushed past the antiasian prejudice of the 1940s to influence the trajectory of the manhattan project and change the very world of nuclear physics itself. Once communications with china were restored after world war ii, wu received a letter from her family.
Narrating the welllived life of the chinese madame curie. Wu, chienshiung 31 may 191216 february 1997, nuclear physicist, was born in. Her father, wu zhongyi, was a proponent of gender equality and founded mingde womens vocational continuing school. Mar 15, 2018 when chienshiung wu 19121997 was a student at the prestigious suzhou girls high school in the chinese city of suzhou, she encountered a biography of marie curie, the great chemist and. She taught at smith college and princeton university. One of the more famous historical examples of this is the case of physicist chienshiung wuoften referred to as madame wuwho gave up vacationing with her husband in the 1950s to prove. Chienshiung wu simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Although her ancestral family home is taicang in jiangsu province, wu was born in shanghai. The theory states that parity was when an event and its reflection were the same. Chien shiung wu among the team of experimental physicists who developed the first atomic bomb 1 for the u. Beta decay was a book written by chienshiung wu, a prominent physicist during the manhattan project. Chienshiung wu was a chineseborn american experimental physicist. He founded a school for girls in liuhe, where chienshiung received her. Wu chien shiung meaning courageous hero was born in china in 1912, at a time when many girls did not attend school. So instead, only one day late, heres a short excerpt from my book draft, about chienshiung wu and the discovery of parity violation. Her book beta decay, published in 1965, is still a standard reference for nuclear physicists. The national medal of science 50th anniversary national. In discussion after paper presented by chienshiung wu to the international conference on the history of original ideas and basic discoveries, erice, sicily 27 jul4 aug 1994, parity violation collected in harvey b.
Courageous hero of physics this is an extract from our first women in stem anthology, a passion for science. There are a few independently published titles about kalpana chawla, but that was all i could find. Chienshiung wu was a remarkable figure in the field of nuclear physics. Chien shiung wu 19121997 was a chinese american physicist. Chien shiung wu was a chineseamerican physicist with great expertise in the techniques of radioactivity and experimental physics. She proved the existence of beta decay, discovered a way to enrich uranium, and even proved that there was an exception to. Five fast facts about physicist chienshiung wu department. Chien shiung wu helped overthrow the law of conservation of parity along with tsung dao lee and chen wing yang. This fascinating nonfiction picture book explores the life of an inspirational woman who overcame race and gender barriers to become an internationally acclaimed scientist. Chienshiung wu was a chineseamerican physicist with great expertise in the techniques of radioactivity and experimental physics. Sep 28, 2017 the nuclear physicist, chien shiung wu, who would eventually prove that quantum mechanics discriminates between left and righthandedness, was a woman, and the two men who worked out the theory. How wu chien shiung helped unlock the secrets of the atom illustrated by rebecca huang and published by sterling childrens books, 2019 i now know this courageous, curious and driven woman.
Wu, chienshiung 31 may 191216 february 1997, nuclear physicist, was born in liuhe, china, to wu zhongyi and fan fuhua. Chienshiung wu died from complications of a stroke on february 16, 1997 in new york city at the age of 84. Chienshiung wu chineseamerican physicist britannica. Thanks to teresa robeson, author of queen of physics. Chienshiung wu the first lady of physics womens history. The family custom was that children of this generation had chien as the first character generation name of their forename, followed by the characters in the phrase ying. Chien shiung wu writing is fundamental from gwendolyn hoff. The family custom was that children of this generation had chien as the first character generation name of their forename, followed by the characters in the phrase yingshiunghaojie, which means. Chienshiung wu, chineseborn american physicist who provided the first experimental proof that the principle of parity conservation does not hold in weak subatomic interactions. Chienshiung wu was a chineseamerican experimental physicist who made significant. How wu chien shiung helped unlock the secrets of the atom is a childrens picture book written by teresa robeson and illustrated by rebecca huang.
Find out more about the life and career of chineseamerican nuclear physicist chienshiung wu, dubbed the first lady of physics, contributed to the manhattan project, at. She was raised in a small town called liuhe in taicang, about 40 miles from shanghai. Chienshiung wu was born in 1912 some sources say 19 and was raised in the town of liu ho, near shanghai. After receiving her bachelors degree in 1934 from the national central university in nanking, wu came to the united states to pursue graduate studies at the university of california, berkeley. This piece is part of an ongoing series on the unsung women of history. In 1936, she moved to the united states, where she pursued a doctorate in physics. Wu worked on the manhattan project helping in the development of the process for separating uranium metal into uranium235 and uranium238 isotopes by gaseous. It chronicles the life of chienshiung wu from her birth in a small child in china to becoming one of the preeminent physicists. Chienshiung wu, a pioneering physicist, radically altered modern physical theory and changed our accepted view of the structure of the universe. Her book beta decay 1965 is still a standard reference for nuclear physicists. Wu chien shiungs story is remarkableand so is the way this book does it. Chien shiung grew up to become the queen of physics and is a role model for young women scientists. Chienshiung wu grew up in liuhe, in the jiangsu province of china.
Her father, who had been an engineer before he participated in the 1911 revolution which successfully ended manchu rule in china, ran a girls school in liu ho where chienshiung wu attended until she was nine years old. Chienshiung wu students britannica kids homework help. Wu chienchuan was taught martial arts by his father, wu chuanyu, a senior student of yang luchan, and yang panhou. This book shares the inspiring story of wu chien shiung, a chinese girl born when most girls did not have the opportunity to go to school. Born in china in 1912, wu chien shiung faced an uphill battle to show she was just as capable asif not more thanboys to do whatever she wanted when she grew older. Chien shiung wu facts, bio, family, life, info sticky facts. Her cremated remains were buried on the grounds of mingde senior high school a successor of mingde womens vocational continuing school. Narrating the welllived life of the chinese madame curie a recipient of the first wolf prize in physics 1978, the. It came as quite a surprise in the 1950s when parity was shown not to be a symmetry of nature, largely through the efforts of three chineseborn american physicists. Wu chien shiung s story is remarkableand so is the way this book does it justice. Wu zhongyi participated in the 1911 chinese revolution and advocated for womens equality. Chineseamerican nuclear physicist chienshiung wu, also known as the first lady of physics. Born and educated in china, wu received her bachelors degree in physics from national central university in 1934.
Stories of discovery and invention, available as an ebook for. I disproved one of the then widely accepted laws of physics, the conversation of parity, by proving that identical nuclear particles do not always act alike. Wu chien shiungs story is remarkableand so is the way this book does it justice. Chien shiung wu was born in 1912 some sources say 19 and was raised in the town of liu ho, near shanghai. She went to the united states in 1936 to study at the university of california in berkeley.
Read madame wu chienshiung the first lady of physics research by tsaichien chiang available from rakuten kobo. Narrating the welllived life of the chinese madame curie a recipient of the first wolf prize in physics 1978, the first woman to receive an honorary doctorate from princeton university, as well as the first female president of the american physics society this book provides a comprehensive and honest account of the life of dr chien shiung wu, an outstanding and leading experimental. Her mother was also a teacher, and both parents encouraged. It describes the life and work of chienshiung wu, one of the most important physicists of the 20th. This process was replicated at a grand scale at the k25 plant in oak ridge. Her father opened the areas first girls school and chien shuiung wu went. From an early age, nuclear physicist chienshiung wu had to travel in. Chien shiung wu died from complications of a stroke on february 16, 1997 in new york city at the age of 84. Mar 12, 2020 beta decay was a book written by chienshiung wu, a prominent physicist during the manhattan project. Wu graduated from the national central university in nanking, china, in 1936 and then traveled to the united states to. Her father, who had been an engineer before he participated in the 1911 revolution which successfully ended manchu rule in china, ran a girls school in liu ho where chien shiung wu attended until she was nine years old.
1257 307 393 652 584 502 235 96 866 976 747 822 1564 498 937 470 204 1185 1016 306 447 403 814 109 855 1204 959 142 383 1221 53 1018 271 348 672 1478 1468 196 1349 37 656 1147 1210 325 118