A scientist in his laboratory is not a mere technician: he is also a child confronting natural phenomena that impress him as though they were fairy tales. -Marie Curie
The elements Radium and Polonium of the Periodic table brought my attention to Marie Curie and her contributions. Knowing that she was the first woman to get a Nobel prize and that she earned not just one but two (both in Physics and Chemistry Nobel prizes), I was full of admiration and was curious to know more about her.
Her story is not just about the discovery of elements and Radioactivity and her scientific journey. She was a woman who broke all barriers to do something that she liked and believed in, a person who stayed grounded and rooted, did wonder in the society dominated by men. She devoted her life for the good of mankind and above all considered science as a beauty. Madame Curie: A Biography written by her daughter Eve Curie gives an interesting account of her life. Her life story can be an inspiration, motivation, and guidance for many.
Here is my take on the life of the first woman laureate:
Perseverance is the key to success
Marie was too passionate about studying and was outstanding in Physics, Chemistry, and Math. She always attained the first position and was just 15 when she completed high school. Because of the Russian Tsarist authorities, she could not pursue her studies in Poland. Yet she never gave up and attended a secret school called ‘Floating University’.
She had always learned that the way to progress is neither swift nor easy. Her father encouraged her to study but could not afford to send her to college. Therefore, Marie worked until she was 24, then saved up money and went to France. For about 5 years, Curie worked patiently as a tutor and a governess to send money to her sister in Paris so that once settled she could help Marie in pursuing her higher studies. She used her spare time to study, reading about Sciences and Math. In 1891, she admitted herself to Sorbonne. She was not discouraged from being lost in a big city like Paris and maintained her calm even feeling lonely at times.
While researching with her husband Pierre Curie, she never had enough money for her laboratory and had to take a teaching job and even clean glassware for a living. After Pierre Curie’s unfortunate death she took over his position, becoming the first female professor at Sorbonne. She managed her work together with raising her young daughters. In her own words, “Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.”
Science knows no boundary
One of the best lessons that I have learned so far. True science knows no physical, language, or subject boundaries. In fact, science could be the reason for bringing people and countries together. For a true lover of science like Marie Curie, there was no constraint; be it traveling from Poland to France, striking a chord with a French man, or mastering a foreign language. The love story of Marie Curie and Pierre Curie is so inspiring. How people from two different countries, speaking different languages can come together because of their passion and love for science.
Curie got her Masters in Physics in 1893 and earned the other in Math the next year. She won two Nobel Prizes, one for physics in 1903 and for chemistry in 1911. She was the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize as well as the only person to receive the award in two different sciences.
Looking at her contributions, I feel that we cannot truly divide science into various streams. At 15, I realize the beauty of various phenomena being explained through the concepts of Physics, Maths, or Chemistry. Curie’s findings on radioactivity were based on an observation that radiation from a substance occurs without any change of state. She received the Nobel prize for Physics studying into spontaneous radiation. For chemistry, she received the award for her work in radioactivity. To me, her work in Chemistry was an extension of what she started in Physics; another juncture in satisfying her curiosity of understanding a scientific phenomenon.
I believe that concepts of science can be understood using any or a combination of the science subjects. Are the various branches/subjects of science not just the tools used together to venture into the unknown world of science? Can we treat these subjects independently of each other?
Love your work more than your money
Marie’s early working conditions were harsh. She worked in poor conditions in her laboratory. But it did not deter her from reaching the best results in her experiments. Her love for her work was to an extent that even after winning the Nobel prize, she and her husband used the money for further research. They also never patented their discovery, thus focusing on mankind’s benefit rather than their personal wealth. Back in those days, the gender bias did not give her the same status as her husband. When Pierre Curie became a professor at Sorbonne, she was not even promoted. Despite such inequality, she focused only on her work.
Throughout, she with her husband lived a very humble life. Even for a wedding dress, she asked for a dark and suitable dress that she could wear to her work every day (no branded clothes needed 🙂)
Stay connected to your roots
Marie Curie loved her motherland. She always wanted to go back to Poland after studying in Paris but had to return because she could not find a job there. Marie rejected Pierre Curie’s marriage proposal first as she wanted to work for the betterment of her country that was struggling with its own problems. She named the radioactive element that she discovered as Polonium, dedicated to her motherland. She also established the Radium Institute in Warsaw and used $50,000 gifted by President Hoover of the United States to buy radium for use in this lab. Marie also kept a Polish governess to teach her daughters Polish with French probably because she wanted to keep her roots alive in them too.
In my opinion, when we flourish in life being in any part of the world, we should never forget the land that nurtured our childhood and should give back to it in some form.
Our work and service make us immortal
Marie Curie and her contributions are remembered and appreciated not just by scientists but she also became a role model for many women. Due to her contributions to science, she received many awards and some even posthumously. The remains of both Pierre and Madame Curie were moved to Pantheon, Paris and she became the first woman to be interred there. An element ‘Curium’ was named so in the honor of the Curies. Madame Curie did some great works besides her scientific contributions. She served during the first world war using X-ray machines ‘Petite Curies’ to help find the injuries of the soldiers. She continued to serve mankind by working as a teacher and a researcher. Her work on radioactivity is used for treating cancer.
Long after she is gone, we all celebrate her life. Several movies and biopics have been made. Her story was portrayed in the film Marie Curie: The Courage of Knowledge. The movie ‘Radioactive’ is another such example to showcase her work and life. Many institutions are named after her including the Curie Institute and Pierre and Marie Curie University.
Marie Curie was a great leader and will always be a role model. Her life is definitely an example of hard work and diligence.
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