CHIEN-SHIUNG WU

BIRTH AND DEATH

Birth: 5/31/1912     Death: 2/16/1997

OCCUPATION

scientist

BIOGRAPHY SUMMARY

Chien-Shiung Wu (May 31, 1912 – February 16, 1997) was a Chinese-American particle and experimental physicist who made significant contributions in the fields of nuclear and particle physics. Wu worked on the Manhattan Project, where she helped develop the process for separating uranium into uranium-235 and uranium-238 isotopes by gaseous diffusion. She is best known for conducting the Wu experiment, which proved that parity is not conserved. This discovery resulted in her colleagues Tsung-Dao Lee and Chen-Ning Yang winning the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physics, while Wu herself was awarded the inaugural Wolf Prize in Physics in 1978. Her expertise in experimental physics evoked comparisons to Marie Curie. Her nicknames include the First Lady of Physics, the Chinese Marie Curie and the Queen of Nuclear Research.

NOTABLE WORK

Non-Conservation of Parity

WHY THEY MATTER

Chien-Shiung Wu was intellectually unique and groundbreaking due to her significant contributions to nuclear and particle physics, particularly her work on the Manhattan Project and the Wu experiment, which demonstrated the non-conservation of parity. Her experimental expertise and groundbreaking discoveries, comparable to those of Marie Curie, earned her the title of the First Lady of Physics and the Chinese Marie Curie.

FAMOUS QUOTE

… it is shameful that there are so few women in science... In China there are many, many women in physics. There is a misconception in America that womenscientistsare all dowdy spinsters. This is the fault of men. In Chinese society, a woman is valued for what she is, and men encourage her to accomplishments yet she remains eternally feminine.As quoted in Queen of Physics,Newsweek(20 May 1963) no. 61, 20.

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