In the earlier half of the twentieth century, the discovery of the secrets of life was a goal that many scientists and researchers sought after. There was a brilliant researcher on the frontlines of this effort that brought with her considerable talents. She made important contributions to the study of the DNA molecule or deoxyribonucleic acid, and her name was Rosalind Franklin.
Born on July 25th, 1920 in Notting Hill, London to an influential British-Jewish family, Rosalind Elsie Franklin may never have known the future influence that her life would have on the advancement of women in the scientific fields. Educated at St. Paul’s Girls’ School (one of the few schools for girls that included scientific study) and North London Collegiate School, she excelled in the sciences from a very young age. In 1938, she attended Newnham College in Cambridge to study chemistry within the Natural Sciences Tripos and was awarded Second Class Honors in her finals, which is the equivalent of today’s bachelor’s degree. She did not let the prevailing social standard in place for women at the time prevent her from succeeding, and later went on to graduate with a Ph.D. from Cambridge University.
After receiving her doctorate, she learned the chemical characterization techniques of x-ray crystallography and x-ray diffraction during her four years spent at the Laboratoire Central des Services Chimiques de L’Etat, located in Paris, France. These techniques reveal information about the structure, composition, and physical properties of materials. She later found work as a research associate for John Randall at King’s College, London, in 1951, where she would apply this knowledge to her given assignment of the study of the chemical structure of ...
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...field of study to have a bright future.
Works Cited
1. "A Science Odyssey: People and Discoveries: Rosalind Franklin." PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 06 Mar. 2011. .
2. Maddox, Brenda. Rosalind Franklin: the Dark Lady of DNA. New York: HarperCollins, 2002. Print.
3. "NPR : Rosalind Franklin: Dark Lady of DNA." NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts : NPR. Web. 06 Mar. 2011. .
4. "Rosalind Elsie Franklin: Pioneer Molecular Biologist." San Diego Supercomputer Center. Web. 06 Mar. 2011. .
5. "Rosalind Franklin (1920 - 1958)." Access Excellence @ the National Health Museum. Web. 06 Mar. 2011. .
Carson, Rachel. Always, Rachel: The Letters of Rachel Carson and Dorothy Freeman 1952-1964 An Intimate Portrait of a Remarkable Friendship. New York. Beacon Press, 1995
Roscher, Nina M., and Cavanaugh, Margaret A. (1987). "Academic Women Chemists in the 20th Century: Past, Present, Projections." Journal of Chemical Education 64:823-827.
In this case, the reward for winning the “competition” is so significant that better opportunities are overlooked and some are left without the aid they need. When Watson and Crick ask Rosalind Franklin’s opinion on their model of DNA, the result they are looking for is far from what they had hoped: “Rosy did not give a hoot about the priority of...
John Hope Franklin’s childhood had a huge impact on his life and scholarship. His parents were a primary influence in his education and much of the subjects he was passi...
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin is a representation of the new prospect of upward mobility in colonial America during the 18th century and the development of the Age of Reason, which assisted in the conception of the idea of the “American Dream”; a dream that includes fundamentally social ideals such as democracy, equality, and material prosperity. Furthermore, Franklin’s autobiography exemplifies a significant shift in focus from religion to enlightenment and reason. Additionally, there were forces specific to Benjamin Franklin's Philadelphia, that played an important role in his perspectives and the changes that occurred within colonial America during the 18th century.
...bout water. Franklin answered many of the questions that water posed. He did experiments that showed the multiple effect of oil in water. He also constructed a miniature towing tank that proved that the drag of an item pulled in water increased as the depth decreased.
Rosalind Franklin: Seeing a woman as a scientist during this time is somewhat rare, so the fact that she has taken up this profession show that she is persistent, dedicated, and smart. The only problem is that she is undervalued because of her gender. She is also very quiet and reserved because she’s in a different country.
He made sure everyone was open to education, especially women. Despite the social norms of the 18th century, Franklin did not consider gender as a means of dichotomizing roles of the opposing genders. He recommended education for our younger females to be essential for themselves and children (Franklin 77) Using the term “our”, Franklin emphasizes the care he has of people and that the general public plays a crucial role in his endeavor of self-betterment. Also, with the aid and grant of the American government and Britain, Benjamin Franklin was able to establish an institution of higher learning, University of Philadelphia (current University of Pennsylvania). For without the heroic Benjamin Franklin, education would be a deficient aspect of America and the value of knowledge would perhaps have not been as diverse and open as it is
In documents two and five the women’s interests in science, as well as their need for some sort of education were expressed. Document five simply explains that women, as well as men, can hold an interest, as well as succeed in science. In document two, written by Marie Meurdrac, a French scientist, the statement was made that “minds have no sex, and if the minds of women were cultivated like those of men, they would be equal to the minds of the latter.'; This was a very interesting document to examine. Being that it was a passage from the foreword to her text “Chemistry Simplified for Women';; the second earliest out of all the documents (1666), it was quite a revolutionary idea for that time. It explains a key fact about women participating in the field of science at that time. It talks about how a women, as well as a man, can aspire to become a scientist.
One of the strongest women scientist/astronomer was born in 1818 as Maria Mitchell whom led an unbelievable life and had an incredible discovery. Maria Mitchell was born when women were not given the opportunity to vote nor did women have the same equal rights as men did, but given her circumstances of her father being a principal, founding his own school and being a distant family member of Benjamin Franklin she was given the same rights as the men did. Given a few obstacles she led an extraordinary life and became the first woman in America to work as an astronomer professionally, which she than later received an award personally from King Frederick VII, for her work and discovery.
Benjamin Franklin was one of the first and most famous scientists in America. He was a man of many talents and interests. Franklin was always curios about they way things work, and he always tried to find ways to make them work better. Even though he started out as a published, he was always interested in science. However this interest soon became a passion to Franklin. He even retired from his publishing business to work in a laboratory with his mostly homemade equipment. Throughout his life Benjamin Franklin made many important discoveries and theories which greatly influenced future scientists and inventors.
"The discovery of the structure by Crick and Watson, with all its biological implications, has been one of the major scientific events of this century." (Bragg, The Double Helix, p1) In the story of The Double Helix, James Watson tells of the road that led to the discovery of life's basic building block-DNA. This autobiography gives insight into science and the workings within a professional research laboratory that few members of society will ever be able to experience. It also gives the reader an idea of the reality of life for one scientist and how he struggled with the problem of DNA. However, the author's style is marked by his lack of objectivity and inclusion of many biased opinions and personal prejudices.
When most people think of the Scientific Revolution, they think of scientists such as Galileo, Newton, Brahe, and Boyle. However, many people do not even know about the many women who played a vital role in the scientific advancements of this period. Even when these women were alive, most of society either ignored them or publicly disapproved their unladylike behavior. Because of this, these women were often forgotten from history, and very little is known about the majority of them. Although their names rarely appear in history books, the female scientists of the Scientific Revolution still impacted the world of science in several ways. In fact, all of the scientists listed above had a woman playing an influential role assisting them in their research. However, assisting men in their studies was not the only role open to women; several women performed experimentation and research on their own, or advancing science in some other way, even though the society of the time looked down upon and even resisted their studies.
Ogilvie, Marilyn Bailey. Women in Science: Antiquity through the Nineteenth Century. Cambridge (Mass.): MIT, 1988. Print.
Discoveries in DNA, cell biology, evolution, and biotechnology have been among the major achievements in biology over the past 200 years, with accelerated discoveries and insight’s over the last 50 years. Consider the progress we have made in these areas of human knowledge. Present at least three of the discoveries you find to be the most important and describe their significance to society, health, and the culture of modern life. DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is a self-replicating molecule or material present in nearly all living organisms as the main constituent in chromosomes. It encodes the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and many viruses.