Winning the prize wasn't half as exciting as doing the work itself.

Maria Goeppert Mayer, Nobel Prize winner in physics (1963)

Goeppert Mayer is one of the few women to have won the Nobel prize in physics or chemistry (trivia question - who are the others?). She was cited for her work on the structure of the nucleus. Though she received her Ph.D. from the University of Goettingen in 1930 and worked on the Manhattan Project during World War II, her first full time paid position was at the University of San Diego in 1960! She had often worked at the same institution as her husband (a chemist), and hiring rules at the time forbade spouses from having faculty positions at the same place. At the beginning of her career, many places considered her a "nuisance". Her early work in chemical physics was with Herzfeld on the colors of organic molecules.

See the Nobel site for more information.

The written material on this page is © 2004, by Michelle M. Francl, mfrancl@brynmawr.edu. It may be reproduced for use in your individual classroom, e.g. on problem sets, but may not be included in materials intended for sale without the express permission of the author. Last updated June 30, 2004. This copyright notice must be included when the material is reproduced. Feedback may be sent to the author at the address given.