Chien-Shiung Wu

With this app students learn about the life and contributions to nuclear physics made by Chien-Shiung Wu. It discusses her work during World War II and the assistance she provided to the success of the Mahattan Project.

Chien-Shiung Wu was born near Shanghai, China. The new century had just begun, and in 1900, women did not have great educational opportunities, especially in science. Chien-Shiung Wu’s father was an educator and he founded a school. He believed that Chien-Shiung and her brothers should have the opportunity to get an education. She was the middle child. She did very well in school and her brilliance was recognized early in her academic career. Fortunately Wu was able to escape the social, political and economic upheavals that China experienced in the early 20th Century. She was able to travel to the United States and to enroll at the University of California at Berkeley in 1936. UC Berkeley was one of the top schools doing research in nuclear physics.

During the early part of the twentieth century, scientific disciplines were not readily open to women as a field of study. There were many challenges and roadblocks that made it overly difficult for women to get a science education. But eventually Chien-Shiung Wu became a full professor at Columbia University where she served as an inspiration to other students, especially women. In her lifetime, Chien-Shiung Wu made several important scientific breakthroughs. She also made many social breakthroughs for women.

Students will enjoy using this graphically illustrated, interactive learning tool. The timeline feature presents key events in the development of our modern understanding of the structure and composition of stars. By tapping on timeline points brings up descriptions of historically significant events and the role the Chien-Shiung Wu played. A quiz function helps students demonstrate their comprehension of the reading material. Key science concepts are shown in colorful illustrations. We hope this app will inspire students to study science. The app shows that Chien-Shiung Wu certainly deserves the place she has earned in the history of science.