Feminine Science

Instead of debating why science and technology remain male-dominated fields, Julie Des Jardins chose to explore the personal and professional lives of female scientists to reveal how they were able to make enormous scientific contributions. "The reason she discovered radium was because she was wanted to find a cure for cancer -- for humanity," said Des Jardins, referring to physicist Marie Curie, the first person to win two Nobel Prizes. "It was her maternal sense that made her such a good scientist," said Des Jardins, author of "The Madame Curie Complex: The Hidden History of Women in Science," which views the lives of Curie, primatologist/anthropologist Jane Goodall and marine biologist Rachel Carson, among others. An assistant professor of history at Baruch College, Prof. Des Jardins took part in a lecture entitled, "The Madame Curie Complex," co-sponsored by The Feminist Press and the Martin E. Segal Theatre Center, at the CUNY Graduate Center. Listen Now >>