Chien-Shiung Wu
Chien-Shiung Wu (Chinese: 吳健雄; pinyin: Wú Jiànxióng; Wade–Giles: Wu2 Chien4-hsiung2; May 31, 1912 – February 16, 1997) was a Chinese-American particle and experimental physicist who made significant contributions in the fields of nuclear and particle physics. Wu worked on the Manhattan Project, where she helped develop the process for separating uranium into uranium-235 and uranium-238 isotopes by gaseous diffusion. She is best known for conducting the Wu experiment, which proved that parity is not conserved. This discovery resulted in her colleagues Tsung-Dao Lee and Chen-Ning Yang winning the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physics, while Wu herself was awarded the inaugural Wolf Prize in Physics in 1978. Her expertise in experimental physics evoked comparisons to Marie Curie. Her nicknames include the "First Lady of Physics", the "Chinese Madame Curie" and the "Queen of Nuclear Research".[1][2][3]
In this Chinese name, the family name is Wu.
Chien-Shiung Wu
May 31, 1912
February 16, 1997 (aged 84)
Chinese
American
Vincent Yuan (袁緯承)
- Comstock Prize in Physics (1964)
- Bonner Prize (1975)
- National Medal of Science (1975)
- Wolf Prize in Physics (1978)
吴健雄
Wú Jiànxióng
Wú Jiànxióng
Wu2 Chien4-hsiung2
Early life[edit]
Chien-Shiung Wu was born in the town of Liuhe, Taicang in Jiangsu province, China,[4] on May 31, 1912,[5] the second of three children of Wu Zhong-Yi (吳仲裔) and Fan Fu-Hua(樊復華).[6] The family custom was that children of this generation had Chien as the first character (generation name) of their forename, followed by the characters in the phrase Ying-Shiung-Hao-Jie, which means "heroes and outstanding figures". Accordingly, she had an older brother, Chien-Ying, and a younger brother, Chien-Hao.[7] Wu and her father were extremely close, and he encouraged her interests passionately, creating an environment where she was surrounded by books, magazines, and newspapers.[8] Wu's mother was a teacher and valued education for both sexes.[9] Zhongyi Wu, her father, was an engineer and a social progressive.[10] He participated in the 1913 Second Revolution while in Shanghai and moved to Liuhe after its failure.[11] Zhongyi became a local leader. He created a militia that destroyed local bandits. He also established the Ming De School for girls with himself as principal.[12]