Carbon Queen, Maia Weinstock
Carbon Queen, Maia Weinstock
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Carbon Queen
The Remarkable Life of Nanoscience Pioneer Mildred Dresselhaus

Author: Maia Weinstock

Narrator: Eva Wilhelm

Unabridged: 6 hr 50 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 05/30/2023


Synopsis

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. 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. 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, leading to applications that range from lighter, stronger aircraft to more energy-efficient and flexible electronics.

About Maia Weinstock

Maia Weinstock is an editor, writer, and producer of science and children's media whose work has appeared in Scientific American, Discover, SPACE.com, BrainPOP, and Scholastic's Science World. She is deputy editorial director at MIT News, a lecturer at MIT on the history of women in STEM, and creator of LEGO's "Women of NASA."


Reviews

Goodreads review by Barbara

4.5 stars Maia Weinstock, an American science writer and the deputy editor at MIT news, tells the remarkable story of the 'Queen of Carbon' Mildred (Millie) Dresselhaus. Young Millie Dresselhaus Millie Dresselhaus holding a LEGO figure of herself During Millie's long career, she uncovered some of carbon......more

Goodreads review by Venky

When she sought out her PhD thesis advisor at the University of Chicago, he basically told her to get lost. The man was under the firm conviction that women had no place in Science. Another condescending and misogynistic faculty member asserted that neither she nor any other woman would ever teach h......more

Goodreads review by Snorki

Biography of Millie Dresselhaus, a pioneer female scientist who spent a life in physics research, including some of the groundwork that led to the discovery of graphene. Growing up as a poor Jewish child in New York in the 1930s and 40s, she did not seem destined for a life in science, but her inter......more

Goodreads review by Steve

I loved this book. The story is fascinating and compellingly-written. By necessity, this is a story about science and Weinstock explains the science brilliantly and with the use of great diagrams. It is also a story about the challenges that women in science faced and still face. And it’s a story ab......more