Teaching Guide: Chien-Shiung Wu, Chinese Nuclear Physicist
Students will learn about the life and work of nuclear physicist Chien-Shiung Wu and explore the trend of scientists becoming public figures and activists.
Chien-Shiung Wu assembling an electro-static generator at Smith College Physics Laboratory. AIP Emilio Segre Visual Archives
In this lesson, students will learn about the life of experimental nuclear physicist Chien-Shiung Wu. Born in China, she became a hugely influential subatomic physicist after immigrating to America in the 1930s. Rather than focusing on her scientific accomplishments (which are discussed in more detail in the AIP Teacher’s Guides “The Nobel Prize in Physics: Four Historical Case Studies” and “Outcasts and Opportunities: The Effects of World War II on the Careers of Female Physicists”), this lesson has students read about Chien-Shiung Wu’s early life, education, and unlikely activism.
Grade level(s): 9-12, College
Guide subjects: History, Physics
Minority Group(s): Women
In-class time: 50-65 minutes
Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Technology Requirements: Audio/Video required, Student web access optional
Common Core Standards: Speaking & Listening, History/Social Studies, Subject Writing