The Nobel Prize is regarded as one of the most prestigious awards in the world. It was established in 1895 by the will of the Swedish scientist Alfred Nobel. The first Nobel Prize award ceremony was held in 1901, bestowing five prizes in chemistry, literature, peace, physics, and physiology or medicine. So far, a total of 844 men and only 49 women have received the prize. In 1930, Marie Curie was the first woman to receive the prize in physics, followed by Maria Goeppert Mayer, who proposed the nuclear shell model of the atomic nucleus in 1963. This year, Donna Strickland won the Nobel Prize in Physics, becoming the third woman to win the prize in this category. She is also the only living female laureate in physics. Strickland is a Canadian physicist who was honored for her “groundbreaking inventions in laser physics.” She said, “We need to celebrate women physicists because we’re out there, and hopefully in time it’ll start to move forward at a faster rate. I’m honored to be one of those women.”
Christine Kim Staff Reporter (christine@timescore.co.kr)
1. Who was the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Physics?
2. Why is Donna Strickland winning the Nobel Prize in Physics so significant?
3. What was Strickland honored for?
1. Men usually win Nobel Prizes. Does this make the Nobel selection committee sexist? Why?
2. What do you think Nobel Prize winners have in common?
3. What would you like to ask a Nobel Prize winner?
The Nobel Prize is regarded as one of the most prestigious awards in the world. It was established in 1895 by the will of the Swedish scientist Alfred Nobel. The first Nobel Prize award ceremony was held in 1901, bestowing five prizes in chemistry, literature, peace, physics, and physiology or medicine. So far, a total of 844 men and only 49 women have received the prize.
