A Brief summary of the
Life of
Rosalind Franklin
(1920 - 1958)
(Blog:NPR)
Over the years many discoveries have been found by many scientists, but one of the most influential was discovery of the double-helix structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (commonly known as DNA). Rosalind Franklin, a woman with a creative mind, raised much controversy about her discoveries with DNA. However, she never received the recognition that she deserved for such an extraordinary find. Even after her death, credit was given to others who benefited from her research and findings. Despite never receiving the accolades that she deserved, many haven’t forgotten about her or her greatest discovery.
Rosalind was born in London on July 25, 1920. She was the second in a prominent Anglo-Jewish family (Profiles in Science). Rosalind and her family were known to be very accomplished individuals that achieved many goals. Rosalind attended Saint Paul’s school for girls, which is a preparatory career institute that focuses on strengthening talents. While attending the school, Rosalind demonstrated an early aptitude for math and science, and an easy facility for other languages such as French, Italian, and German (Profiles in Science). In 1938, Rosalind left Saint Paul’s to enroll at Newnham College of the University of Cambridge, which was one of two woman schools at Cambridge University (Cambridge University). She decided to major in physical chemistry and by 1941; Rosalind received her BA in chemistry, and was awarded a scholarship for a further year of research and a research grant. Rosalind decided to spend about a year in the laboratory of Ronald G. W. Norrish, who was a very well educated and respected in the field of photochemistry (Profiles in Science).
By 1942, During WWII Rosalind made up her mind to pursue her Ph.D., rather than doing traditional war work. Rosalind began work with the British Coal Utilisation Research Association (BCURA) for a sum of four years. Her...