Marie Curie Research Paper

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Despite societal expectations of women attending university, Marie Curie’s motivation to expand her knowledge of science drove Curie’s ambition to find a university she could attend. Curie moved to Paris and attending university where she learned French while earning a degree in mathematics and physics. These degrees enabled Curie to investigate uranium and thorium, which later led to studying pitchblende, a natural ore containing these elements (reference). It was through pitchblende Curie discovered the radioactive elements polonium and radium. Marie Curie’s unconscious sacrifice of her health led to the discovery of radium and polonium, leading to the creation of radioactive and medical advancements for cancer treatments and diagnoses today. …show more content…

Marie’s sister Bronya, was already studying medicine in Paris. The sisters previously agreed that Marie would support Bronya financially through school, and later when Bronya became a physician she would support Marie. To financially support Bronya, Marie worked as a governess, a private teacher for a family. In doing so, Marie and Kazmierz Zorawski, the son of her employer, “fell in love” with her; however the family refused to allow their son to marry a governess. Marie put her feelings aside to keep her commitment to Bronya (Pasachoff). Additionally, during this time, Marie began to read sociological studies and works of literature along with physics and chemistry textbooks (Pasachoff). Marie lacked laboratory experience, and she hoped to gain some before her departure; her cousin Joseph Boguski, a former assistant Dmitri Mendeleev ran the so-called Museum of Industry and Agriculture, which was a laboratory aimed at training Polish scientists. One of Boguski’s colleagues there gave Maria an intensive chemistry course on Sundays and evenings. Often, however, she struggled through experiments on her own, often failing to duplicate the expected result (Pasachoff). In fall of 1891, at twenty-four, Marie left for Paris to attend the Sorbonne to fulfill her dreams. Upon entering university Curie realized that neither her math and science background nor her proficiency in French equaled that of her fellow students. Despite her lack of expertise, Curie persisted. In 1893, she obtained her master’s degree in physics and a mathematics degree the following year. Before completing her mathematics degree, Gabriel Lippman, Marie’s physics professor and future Nobel Prize winner, was so impressed by Marie's capabilities that he obtained for her a paid commission from the Society for Encouragement of National Industry, giving her the possibility to

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