Furthering Science and Equality
Radioactive is probably the most unique book I have ever read, and amongst the most interesting. And although I don’t consider myself to understand art, I appreciate the use of color and abstract images found within this book. Personally, I think it helped me to imagine (and maybe stay interested in) what was being conveyed. Altogether, this style surely helped to effectively diagram the great life of Marie Curie as well as her everlasting impact on science and the world.
Most importantly, this story proved Marie to be a strong individual, someone who revolutionized science and life for women in general. At the young age of 24 she decided to move and attend a school of 1800 with only 23 women. Here she felt “…a precious sense of liberty and independence” (Radioactive, P 25) and quickly earned two degrees. From there she managed to be a professor, win multiple nobel prizes, coin radioactivity, discover new elements, and the list is almost endless. This is obviously way more than anyone will contribute in a lifetime, but it’s not even the most impressive part. She managed to achieve all of this while women were underrepresented and mistreated, and this changed the standard of women forever.
As for her contributions to science, the format of the story helped to display the lasting effect. Initially the constant change between time periods, from Curie’s life to more recent history, was confusing. As the story progressed I gained an appreciation and (I think) an understanding of the purpose behind writing in this manner. Following through the life of Marie and learning the many discoveries she made of course signifies her brilliance, but taking it a step further and providing an example of how that discovery impacted the world is the ultimate way to express the scientific significance.
Though not to the same magnitude as the late 1800’s, issues regarding representation and appreciation of women in science still exist today. In the past, almost no women were to be scientists, and those that were received no respect. Today, the respect is still not always given. As stated in the conference report there need to be further considerations, “Whose ideas count? Whose ideas matter? Whose ideas do we take seriously?”. The quote was referring to the overrepresentation and thus agenda setting by the majority, and the lack of diverse thinking. Over 100 years ago, Marie was an outlier and aided in opening the science doors to all, but this does not go to say they are wide open. There is a need for change, and stories like Radioactive, conferences like Art as a Way of Knowing, and individuals like Marie Curie are vital for opening these opportunities up.
The story was a piece of art, as was Marie Curie’s life and discoveries. The delivery did an effective job at summarizing this, and illustrating Marie in a powerful manner. I do not think the format provided any limitations, and thus written in any other form would likely have been an injustice.
