Título

CHIEN-SHIUNG WU

Chieng-shiung Wu, born May 13, 1912 in Liuhe, China, was a leading experimental physicist who made fundamental contributions to nuclear and particle physics. Known as the “first lady of physics,” Wu broke barriers in a predominantly male field and left a legacy that continues to inspire scientists around the world.

From a young age, Wu showed a keen interest in science. She moved to Shanghai to study at Shanghai University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in 1934. Her passion for physics led her to continue her studies in the United States, where she enrolled at the University of California at Berkeley. There she worked with renowned physicists, including Ernest O. Lawrence, who would later win the Nobel Prize. Wu completed her Ph.D. in 1940, becoming one of the few women to earn a doctoral degree in physics at the time.

During World War II, Wu worked on the Manhattan Project, the research and development effort that led to the creation of the first atomic bomb. Her work on this project established her as an expert in her field, but also pushed her to pursue more peaceful applications of physics. After the war, she joined Columbia University, where she conducted groundbreaking research on beta decay, a fundamental process in nuclear physics.

One of his most significant achievements was his 1956 experiment, which challenged the law of conservation of parity. Wu and his team conducted an experiment that showed that beta decay was not symmetric, which meant that particle physics did not behave equally in all directions. This discovery was crucial to the advancement of weak interaction theory and opened up new avenues in physics research. Her work was fundamental for her colleagues, Tsung-Dao Lee and Chen-Ning Yang, to win the Nobel Prize in 1957, although she was not recognized at the time, which generated controversy in the scientific community.

Throughout her career, Wu received numerous awards and distinctions, including the Medal of Honor from the American Physical Association. She was also the first woman to be elected president of the American Physical Association in 1975. In addition, she was an ardent advocate for science education and worked to encourage the participation of women in science.