The audience at that symposium Women and the Scientific Professions was eager to hear more of what the famous physicist dubbed the Queen of Nuclear Research had to say about American women in science and engineering 2 The listeners wondered why resistance to women in science had not already been overcome by the second half of the twentieth century Wu provided the answer I sincerely doubt that any open-minded person really believes in the faulty notion that women have no intellectual What Is Physics Physics is the scientific study of how matter and energy act and interact with each other The word physics comes from the Greek word phusiké meaning knowledge of nature Physics involves the study of motion force heat sound electricity magnetism gravity light and other forms of radiation the structure and behavior of atoms and more The scope of exploration ranges from the tiniest subatomic particles to entire galaxies and beyond Chemistry biology geology astronomy and even psychology are affected by principles that find their origins in physics Wu was a groundbreaking pioneer in the field of nuclear physics All matter meaning any substance that has mass and occupies space is composed of atoms Nuclear physicists study the composition and forces at work within the nucleus at the center of an atom The nucleus comprises protons and neutrons and electrons move in wavelike fashion outside the nucleus Owing to their electrical charges protons and neutrons within the nucleus are inclined to fly apart but they are bound together by a strong nuclear force Scientists have discovered many applications for nuclear physics including medicine energy geology and weaponry 6
capacity for science and technology she asserted Nor do I believe that social and economic factors are the actual obstacles that prevent women’s participation in the scientific and technical field The main stumbling block in the way of progress is and always has been unimpeachable tradition 3 Wu’s words rang true with her distinguished Wu on Sexism Wu’s experiences as the leading female scientist among male nuclear physicists in the United States made her an outspoken voice on sexism in science It is shameful that there are so few women in science In China there are many many women in physics she told a Newsweek reporter in 1963 There is a misconception in America that women scientists are all dowdy spinsters This is the fault of men In Chinese society a woman is valued for what she is and men encourage her in her accomplishments yet she remains eternally feminine 4 audience There was no acceptable reason for women to have fewer rights than men or to earn less respect when pursuing scientific advancements OVERCOMING OBSTACLES Chien-Shiung Wu meaning courageous hero in Chinese conquered the dual biases of sexism and anti-Asian sentiment in the United States during the 1940s and 1950s with hard work determination and remarkable problem-solving skills Born in China the world-renowned American nuclear physicist fought throughout her life to overcome prejudice against women and Asians As an educator and an experimenter Wu urged her 7
female students to embrace scientific study and research She also spoke out against the discrimination women faced in the classroom and in the laboratory Leaving her homeland and her family in China many of whom she never saw again after sailing to the United States Wu not only overcame discrimination but also showed the world that women and men are equal in the world of science Anti-Asian Sentiment Racism toward Asians in the United States began long before the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7 1941 the event that dragged the United States into World War II 1939 1945 In the mid-nineteenth century anti-Asian prejudice was common throughout the United States when Chinese immigrants began arriving for the California Gold Rush A specially created foreign-miners tax was imposed in California in 1852 to discriminate against Chinese miners Two years later the California Supreme Court barred Chinese people from testifying in court making it virtually impossible to prosecute those who committed crimes against Chinese immigrants Restrictive federal laws in the late 1800s limited and even prohibited the immigration of Chinese people Anti-Asian prejudice extended to Japanese immigrants who had initially been recruited to the Pacific Northwest in the 1880s to construct railroads Tension arose over the possibility that they would take jobs and farmland from native-born Americans As a result in 1907 the United States and Japan made the Gentleman’s Agreement which suppressed Japanese immigration After the bombing of Pearl Harbor 120,000 Japanese Americans were ordered to leave their businesses and homes and were forced to live in internment camps situated largely in California 5 Wu began her career as an experimentalist at National Central University in Nanjing China Scientific research became her life’s work 9
