Teaching Guide: Leona Woods Marshall Libby: American Nuclear Physicist
Students will learn about Leona Woods Marshall Libby, who worked on the Manhattan Project and afterward had a successful and diverse career as a research physicist, while also discussing the value of interdisciplinary research.
Leona Woods Marshall (left) with husband John Marshall at the Third International Conference on High Energy Physics (ICHEP), Rochester, 1952, (AKA) The Rochester Conference. AIP Emilio Segre Visual Archives, Marshak Collection.
Students will learn about Leona Woods Marshall Libby, who worked on the Manhattan Project and afterward had a successful and diverse career as a research physicist. They will read about her life and work, which included spectroscopy, high-energy nuclear research, engineering, environmental studies and climate change. Students will then discuss the interdisciplinary nature of Libby’s work and the values of this approach.
Grade level(s): 9-12, College
Guide subjects: History, Physics
Minority Group(s): Women
In-class time: 55-70 minutes
Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Technology Requirements: Student web access not required, Audio/Video required
Common Core Standards: Speaking & Listening, History/Social Studies