The Mother of Radiation: Marie CurieANS Nuclear CafeNovember 7, 2018, 7:57AM|Kaitlyn ButlerThe start of Marie Curie's story isn't like most of the other scientists that had made a name for themselves throughout history, mostly because she was a grown woman by the start of the 20th century. But she was the first woman to do a lot of things, including getting a Ph.D. from a university in France, and winning a Nobel Prize. She was also the first person ever to win a Nobel Prize in two different fields of science. To say she pushed the societal and scientific boundaries of her era is an understatement.Madame Curie was born in Poland in 1867 (151 years ago!) and later moved to France to further her studies. While in France, she met a professor in the School of Physics, Pierre. She married him in 1895. The pair worked together in what was described by many scientists at the time as a "shack." It was in this shack that the couple discovered Polonium (Po) and Radium (Ra). At the time, no one was aware of how dangerous these elements are, so the couple often carried samples around with them in their pockets. Pierre Curie was said to carry around a vile of Radium strapped to his arm because he was curious about how it seemed to burn him without causing any pain. Marie left a sample of the material by her bed and used it as a nightlight.When the Curie's originally discovered Radium in 1898, they refused to patent it and instead spread the word to other scientists. Factories sprouted up everywhere and Radium eventually made its way into just about everything from chocolate to cosmetics. Once the dangers of Radium were discovered, it was removed from these products, of course.In 1903 the couple was nominated for a Nobel Prize, but due to the sexist nature of society at the time, Mme. Curie's name was left off the original submission. After a letter from Gosta Mittage-Leffler, a sympathetic member of the nominating committee, was sent to Pierre, the omission was corrected. Later that year, Marie Curie became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize!After Pierre's tragic death in 1906, Mme. Curie became the first woman to be the Professor of General Physics at the Faculty of Sciences in Paris. Her life was full of firsts and breaking barriers for the female scientists to come.In 1911, Mme. Curie received her second Nobel Prize, this time in chemistry, for the work she did in radioactivity. This was also the year she was rejected from the French Academy of Sciences because of her immigrant roots and her gender.The eldest of the Curie children, Irene, later followed in her parent's footsteps and enrolled at the Faculty of Sciences. Before she could finish her studies, World War II commenced, and she joined her mother as a nurse using X-ray machines to help treat wounded soldiers. Irene later won a Nobel Prize along with her husband, Frederic Joliot, in chemistry for their work in creating new radioactive materials. Marie Curie was excited to see her daughter nominated but unfortunately died in 1934 before she could watch Irene accept the award.Madame Curie's work has inspired female scientists for decades and will continue to do so for years to come. The way she pushed society to improve, while continuing her pursuit of knowledge and the advancement of science, was absolutely astonishing. I can only hope to be half the scientist she was someday.Happy birthday, Marie Curie, and thank you! May your legend live on forever. Tags:american nuclear societyauthorsbiology and medicinecareers in nuclearcuriefamous scientistirradiationkatie butlerlefflermarie curienobel prizephysicspoloniumradiationradiumuiucuniversitiesuniversity of illinois urbana-champaignShare:LinkedInTwitterFacebook
IAEA awards fellowships to 100 female students in nuclearThe International Atomic Energy Agency has awarded fellowships to the first group of 100 female students from around the world under a new initiative to help close the gender gap in nuclear science and technology.The Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellowship Program, named after the pioneering physicist, was launched by IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi in March to support women pursuing nuclear-related careers.Go to Article
LA Times asks, “How safe is the water off SONGS?”A California surfer. Photo: Brocken Inaglory/WikicommonsThe Los Angeles Times published an article on December 1 about a recent collaboration between the Surfrider Foundation and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to determine how safe the water is off the coast of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS).Go to Article
White paper shines light on significance of irradiationWith input from the American Nuclear Society and other organizations, the International Irradiation Association has published a white paper summarizing all of the significant uses of radiation processing and the global economic, social, and environmental benefits that arise from the technologies. The nontechnical document, Uses and Applications of Radiation Processing, is aimed at people and organizations that are not familiar with radiation processing, highlighting how irradiation is routinely used in an array of diverse and beneficial applications.“Though largely unknown by the public, radiation processing, or ‘irradiation,’ touches everyone’s life,” states the paper, which was released on November 24.The 11-page white paper goes on to summarize the applications of radiation processing, including medical sterilization, food irradiation, wastewater treatment, and other uses. An overview of the different technologies used to irradiate materials, including gamma, electron beam, and X-ray sources, is also provided.Go to Article
Nuclear power: Are we too anxious about the risks of radiation?RowlattFollowing U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s recent restatement of the United Kingdom’s commitment to nuclear power, BBC News chief environment correspondent, Justin Rowlatt, wrote an article aimed at separating fact from fiction regarding the safety and benefits of nuclear energy.Among his points, Rowlatt defended the use of nuclear power to combat climate change, examined the data behind deaths from radiation exposure directly caused by the Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents, and explained that exposure to low levels of radiation is not a major health risk.Go to Article
Harnessing the promise of radiation: The art of reasonablenessRadiation has benefited mankind in many ways, including its use as an energy source and an indispensable tool in medicine. Since the turn of the 20th century, society has sought ways to harness its potential, while at the same time recognizing that radiological exposures need to be carefully controlled. Out of these efforts, and the work of many dedicated professionals, the principles of justification, optimization, and limitation have emerged as guiding concepts.Justification means that the use of radiation, from any radiation source, must do more good than harm. The concept of optimization calls for the use of radiation at a level that is as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA). Dose constraints, or limitation, are meant to assist in reaching optimization and protection against harm by setting recommended numerical levels of radiation exposure from a particular source or sources. Together, these three principles form the bedrock of the international radiation protection system that drives decision-making and supports societal confidence that radiation is being used in a responsible manner.Go to Article
Low-dose radiation has found its analogueCraig PiercyOriginally published in the September 2020 issue of Nuclear News.This issue of Nuclear News is dedicated to highlighting advancements in health physics and radiation protection as well as the contributions of the men and women who serve in these fields. It comes at a time when COVID-19 is providing the entire world with an immersive primer on the science of epidemiology and the importance of risk-informed, performance-based behavior to contain an invisible—yet deadly—antagonist.Go to Article
Melodrama trumps science in Radioactive portrayal of Marie CurieMarie Curie has been quoted as saying, “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood.” We can only wish that the creators of Radioactive, a feature-length biopic released on Amazon Prime Video on July 24, had increased their own understanding of the applications of nuclear technology before making the film. While celebrating Curie as an uncompromising woman of science, they present a curious mix of respect and fear, explicitly linking radiation and nuclear technology to death and destruction.Go to Article
Piercy discusses wide-ranging topics on Titans of Nuclear podcastANS Executive Director/CEO Craig Piercy was a recent guest on the Titans of Nuclear podcast, hosted by Bret Kugelmass. The podcasts feature interviews with experts throughout the nuclear community, covering advanced technology, economics, policy, industry, and more.The wide-ranging discussion with Piercy tackled diverse subjects—from his Washington, D.C., policymaking background, to ANS’s role in addressing challenging nuclear issues, to waste management and climate change.Go to Article
Elettra designated an IAEA collaborating centerA collaborating center agreement was signed by Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste and the International Atomic Energy Agency in May. The agreement focuses on advanced light sources and will support countries in research, development, and capacity building in the application of advanced and innovative radiation technologies.Go to Article
Fact-checking Amazon's new season of BoschThe latest season of Amazon’s detective series Bosch premiered recently on its streaming service, Prime. The season opens with the murder of a medical physicist and the theft of radioactive cesium, with plenty of drama following as the protagonist tries to solve the murder and end the “catastrophic threat to Los Angeles.” The show is a work of fiction, but let’s take a closer look at the depiction of radiation to sort out the scientific facts.The setup: The series stars Titus Welliver as Los Angeles Police Department detective Harry Bosch and Jamie Hector as his partner, Jerry Edgar. The first episode of the sixth and latest season begins late in the evening at a Los Angeles hospital. We are shown a nervous-looking medical physicist as he walks into a laboratory, the camera dramatically focusing on the radiation sign on the door. No one else is around as the medical physicist clears out the lab’s inventory of what we find out later is cesium. The physicist then walks the material out of the hospital without anyone giving him a second look.Go to Article