Carbon Queen - Moé for Solarpunk Books

eBook

English language

Published Feb. 28, 2022 by MIT Press.

ISBN:: 978-0-262-36828-5

(1 review)

The life of trailblazing physicist Mildred Dresselhaus, who expanded our understanding of the physical world.

As a girl in New York City in the 1940s, Mildred “Millie” Dresselhaus was taught that there were only three career options open to women: secretary, nurse, or teacher. But sneaking into museums, purchasing three-cent copies of National Geographic, and devouring books on the history of science ignited in Dresselhaus (1930–2017) a passion for inquiry. In Carbon Queen, science writer Maia Weinstock describes how, with curiosity and drive, Dresselhaus defied expectations and forged a career as a pioneering scientist and engineer. Dresselhaus made highly influential discoveries about the properties of carbon and other materials and helped reshape our world in countless ways—from electronics to aviation to medicine to energy. She was also a trailblazer for women in STEM and a beloved educator, mentor, and colleague.

Her path wasn’t easy. Dresselhaus’s Bronx childhood was impoverished. Her …

The life of trailblazing physicist Mildred Dresselhaus, who expanded our understanding of the physical world.

As a girl in New York City in the 1940s, Mildred “Millie” Dresselhaus was taught that there were only three career options open to women: secretary, nurse, or teacher. But sneaking into museums, purchasing three-cent copies of National Geographic, and devouring books on the history of science ignited in Dresselhaus (1930–2017) a passion for inquiry. In Carbon Queen, science writer Maia Weinstock describes how, with curiosity and drive, Dresselhaus defied expectations and forged a career as a pioneering scientist and engineer. Dresselhaus made highly influential discoveries about the properties of carbon and other materials and helped reshape our world in countless ways—from electronics to aviation to medicine to energy. She was also a trailblazer for women in STEM and a beloved educator, mentor, and colleague.

Her path wasn’t easy. Dresselhaus’s Bronx childhood was impoverished. Her graduate adviser felt educating women was a waste of time. But Dresselhaus persisted, finding mentors in Nobel Prize–winning physicists Rosalyn Yalow and Enrico Fermi. Eventually, Dresselhaus became one of the first female professors at MIT, where she would spend nearly six decades. Weinstock explores the basics of Dresselhaus’s work in carbon nanoscience accessibly and engagingly, describing how she identified key properties of carbon forms, including graphite, buckyballs, nanotubes, and graphene, leading to applications that range from lighter, stronger aircraft to more energy-efficient and flexible electronics.

1 edition

Soh Kam Yung reviewed Carbon Queen

A great book on the life and work of the 'Carbon Queen'

5 stars

A fascinating book on the life of 'Carbon Queen' Mildred Dresselhaus. As the description of the book states, she started out impoverished, but through her own efforts and ability to connect to people, she worked her way through education and research, eventually producing and leading a scientific effort to understand the properties of carbon in its many forms, leading to the world we now know, full of the fruits of her efforts (like carbon fibre, single molecular layers of carbon graphite and many others).

The book also emphasizes that hers was not an easy journey. Her own thesis advisor discouraged her research and did not think much of women (although he did apologize to her in later years) and American society did not (and still does not) value the work of women in academia. She not only proved them wrong, she was also one of the leaders pushing universities (like …

A fascinating book on the life of 'Carbon Queen' Mildred Dresselhaus. As the description of the book states, she started out impoverished, but through her own efforts and ability to connect to people, she worked her way through education and research, eventually producing and leading a scientific effort to understand the properties of carbon in its many forms, leading to the world we now know, full of the fruits of her efforts (like carbon fibre, single molecular layers of carbon graphite and many others).

The book also emphasizes that hers was not an easy journey. Her own thesis advisor discouraged her research and did not think much of women (although he did apologize to her in later years) and American society did not (and still does not) value the work of women in academia. She not only proved them wrong, she was also one of the leaders pushing universities (like MIT) to end gender discrimination, and also leading and encouraging women (and also men from disadvantaged backgrounds) to pursue their scientific studies. She also had a very supportive husband who saw what she was capable of doing and was willing to help her achieve what she wanted at a time of gender discrimination in the scientific field.

Whether you know or not of her life and her work, this is a great book to read: easy to read with enough scientific details to give you an idea of what she was doing, along with a wealth of references to oral histories and scientific papers for you to get an idea of the breath and depth of her scientific and advocacy work.