Science and Technology: People

Chien-Shiung Wu is a pioneer and pivotal figure in the history of physics. An immigrant to the United States from China, she did important work for the Manhattan Project and in experimental physics. Her crucial contribution to particle physics was, however, ignored by the Nobel Prize committee when it awarded the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Charlotte Hill discovered many new species of fossils on her ranch. Some were perfectly preserved. Her fossils ended up in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, as well as museums at Harvard and Yale. In recognition of her efforts, several fossils were named in her honor. Her home became part of Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument.

Mary Golda Ross was the first Native American woman to be a professional engineer. In 1952, she was one of the 40 founding members of Lockheed's secret Advanced Development Program, known as the Skunk Works. Much of the work she did there remains classified.

In the early twentieth century, preeminent animal ecologist Victor E. Shelford investigated the differences in the life habits of various tiger beetle species along Lake Michigan's southern shore. Shelford's findings, along with his further research and publications, set the foundation for animal ecological studies.

Over the course of his lifetime, Carver rose from slavery to become a renowned educator and research scientist. For over 40 years, he worked endlessly to find practical alternatives to improve the agricultural practices and thus the economic status of African Americans. He is regarded as one of the most prominent black scientists of the early 20th century.

Physicist Arthur Compton directed the Metallurgical Laboratory (Met Lab) at the University of Chicago during the Manhattan Project. As director, Compton oversaw the creation of the Chicago Pile, the world's first controlled nuclear chain reaction. Learn more about Compton's life and work at the link.

Dr. Olivia J. Hooker, a survivor of the Tulsa race massacre, blazed a trail as the first Black woman on active duty in the US Coast Guard.

J. Ernest Wilkins, Jr. was the youngest student ever admitted to the University of Chicago. After earning his PhD at just 19 years of age, Wilkins began working alongside Enrico Fermi, Eugene Wigner, and Arthur Compton during the Manhattan Project. Read more about his life and work at the link.

As a member of the Champlain Society, botanist Edward Rand was one of the earliest advocates for preservation of Mount Desert Island. He published one of the first trail maps of the island trails and served as a Path Committee chairman for the Seal Harbor Village Improvement Association.

Acadia had long been a destination for geologists, but Florence Bascom was the first professional female geologist to survey Mount Desert Island, publishing “The Geology of Mount Desert Island” in 1919.