Marie Curie: The Woman Behind the Mind
A film by Alana Cash Marie Curie: The Woman Behind the Mind
This
is an inspiring portrait of Marie Curie, the first woman to receive the
Nobel Prize in the sciences - and she won two! The first was in physics
for the discovery of radium (together with Pierre Curie and Henri Becquerel.)
The second was in chemistry, for creating the process used to separate radium
and polonium out of pitchblend. This process is still used today in the
chemical industry.
Dr. Nathan Harshman of Rice University, Dr. Gilbert Rappaport of the University of Texas and Susan Quinn, author of Marie Curie, A Life, illuminate the struggles and triumphs of her life. Her first challenge was to obtain an education in an age when women were not welcomed in the halls of academia. She had grown up in poverty under the oppression of the Czar's government in Warsaw and lost her mother at an early age. Working as a governess to support an older sister through the Sorbonne, Marie finally was able to attend herself - to graduate first in her class. She married Pierre who encouraged her research and enabled her to have a career in science, as well as a happy family life. After his premature death, Marie Curie went through a period of depression, but persevered in her pioneering work.
This lively portrayal will enrich courses in the History of Science, as well as in Women's Studies.
"Recommended. A concise summary of the life of one of the worldıs greatest scientists. Interviews with scholars provide context and illustrate the importance of Marieıs contributions to science and society." Marianne Foley, E.H. Butler Library, Buffalo State College, EMRO
56 min. Video or DVD. Sale $295. Video rental $75.
