Marie Curie's Career: Ann Welling

Section 2: Marie Curie's Career
Ann Welling
Throughout her career, Marie Curie was productive in the field of science, where she contributed to the field greatly. First, she contributed by discovering two new elements, she used her early contributions and applied to them for modern-day use, and also helped research at the Sorbonne. After she graduated from the Sorbonne, Marie Curie looked for work. She was eager to become a scientist and tried to find employment everywhere. First, Marie Curie found work at the Sorbonne, and worked there for a year, but was still searching for other jobs. After finishing her math degree at the Sorbonne, one of her teachers, Gabriel Lippmann gave her a job to study magnetism and steel (Stine 37-38). She
D. in physics. At the beginning of her work, she had to overcome some obstacles to begin her groundbreaking research. In order to complete her Ph. D., which is a degree obtained by research, Marie Curie would have to choose a field of study and an area to research in. Around this time, X-rays had just been discovered as well as Henri Becquerel’s revelation that uranium would also create rays with no exposure to light (Pasachoff 35-36). These were not X-rays, but X-rays were taking over the field (CITE). Since Bequerel’s rays were different, they were named “Bequerel rays” or “uranium rays”. These rays interested Marie Curie, and she decided that this would become her major (Pasachoff 35). Marie needed a lab and worked in a storeroom at the SIPC. It was not ideal, but it would work. She then started to experiment using the electrometer to measure the elements needed of the uranium (Pasachoff 36). Pierre and his brother made this electrometer. She had to repeat a lot of the experiments due to the dampness of the lab (Pasachoff 36). After testing uranium, she discovered more unknown facts about the element. After many experiments, she found that electricity in uranium rays were not affected by light or heat, being solid or powdered, being dry or wet, or being pure or combined (Pasachoff 36). She found that the higher the proportion of uranium, the more radiation – meaning it was dependent on how
D, her later life was still filled with a lot of work, which included creating modern-day applications for her work. While working, the Curie’s delt with the family and research finances, which they struggled with. Even with the help of the Austrian government, the Curie’s knew their finances would be shaky, but they agreed they would not patent their ideas, so they could not make money off of them. They published without a patent to their ideas, so they would not make any money off of the radium industry (Pasachoff 45-47). Pierre had to look for another job to support the family and took a job at the Sorbonne as a professor, but still worked with Marie (ibid). The Curie’s did not have to spend money on a sitter not did Marie have to give up her research, as Pierre’s widowed father helped with childcare (ibid 32-33;59). After earning her Ph. D, she continued working in sciences, but after Pierre’s death his job was open for her, and she accepted it in honor of him. On May 13th, 1906, the University offered Marie Curie the opportunity to be the first female professor. She accepted the position and gave her first lecture on November 5th, 1906, and which began where he had ended the course. She stood by his grave before starting the lecture (ibid 63-64). In Autobiographical Notes, she said she pondered on this decision and states, “The honor that now came to me was deeply painful under the cruel circumstances of its coming” and in Pierre