Donna Strickland on winning the Nobel Prize in Physics
[ad_1] Donna Strickland has become the first woman in 55 years to win the Nobel Prize in Physics. [ad_2]
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First woman Physics Nobel winner in 55 years
[ad_1] Image copyright Uni Waterloo Image caption Dr Strickland shared the prize for discoveries in laser physics The Nobel Prize in Physics has been awarded to a woman for the first time in 55 years. Donna Strickland, from Canada, is only the third woman winner of the award, along with Marie Curie, who won in 1903, and Maria Goeppert-Mayer, who was awarded the prize in 1963. Dr Strickland shares this year's prize with Arthur Ashkin, from the US, and Gerard Mourou, from France. It recognises their discoveries in the field of laser physics. Dr Ashkin developed a laser technique described as optical tweezers, which is used to study biological systems. Drs Mourou and Strickland paved the way for the shortest and most intense laser pulses ever created. They developed a technique called Chirped Pulse Amplification (C...
Cern scientist: 'Physics built by men - not by invitation'
[ad_1] Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Cern, based in Switzerland, is one of the world's largest centres for scientific research A senior scientist has given what has been described as a "highly offensive" presentation about the role of women in physics, the BBC has learned. At a workshop organised by Cern, Prof Alessandro Strumia of Pisa University said that "physics was invented and built by men, it's not by invitation". He said male scientists were being discriminated against because of ideology rather than merit. He was speaking at a workshop in Geneva on gender and high energy physics. Prof Strumia has since defended his comments, saying he was only presenting the facts. Cern, the European nuclear research centre, described Prof Strumia's presentation as "highly o...