Marie Curie once said, “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”

What drew me to Marie was her strength, intelligence, and perseverance. She worked incredibly hard for what she was passionate about, and although many didn’t believe in her as a woman in science, she made breakthrough discoveries and changed the way we understand radioactivity. Like her, I would like to innovate and make a positive impact on the world one day. In TALONS, I work every day toward becoming a more intelligent person and making this change like Marie did. She exemplifies my goals of being strong and working around obstacles, which included people who didn’t believe in her and tried to dismiss her intelligence. I also share similar interests with her in chemistry. I hope to have her good work ethic and perseverance, because I believe that’s part of what makes a successful person. She always had to work through the struggle of being a woman that wanted to innovate and change the world, trying to dismiss the standards that were held against her. I believe this will be something I’ll also struggle with if I take the path that I hope to with my career, although times have definitely changed from when she was working in her field nearly a century ago. In my project, I’ll address these barriers by naming some examples of what she went through and how she worked through these struggles. There was an instance where she was not accepted into the French Academy of Sciences simply because she was a woman. They did not accept her despite her intelligence and accomplishments, and she took this unfairness as motivation. She went on to make even more amazing discoveries in science. Throughout her life, she discovered two new elements, plutonium and radium, and won two Nobel Prizes, becoming the first person ever to do so, as well as the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. With her studies, she changed the way scientists understood radioactivity and paved the way for new discoveries. She also became an inspiration for girls all over the world, and still is, even after her death in 1934. I do believe she’ll still be remembered for a very long time from now, because she’s made a great impact in the research of radioactivity and made her way into history books. Discovering new elements and being the first person to win two Nobel Prizes will allow her to be remembered for a very long time to come. She deserves to be known and is worth learning about because of the positive impacts she left in the world, both in the world of science and and in the way she inspired people. There are many women who have made an amazing impact on the world, but I chose to do Marie Curie because of the impact she made in science, specifically chemistry, what she’s accomplished, and how much of an inspiration she is. She was hardworking, had many admirable traits, and certainly left her mark in the world. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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My goal for the next phase of research:

My first priority miss finding people to interview and collecting more information on Marie. From there I’ll do a bit of research on my own about where Marie came from and what her early years were like, then more research about her interest in chemistry. I’ll make a basic outline of important events throughout her lifetime, and from there I’ll research more in depth about her life and personality.