9320203 Johnson Being a successful scientist is extraordinarily difficult: one must have the intelligence to master extremely difficult material, the creativity to come up with solutions to problems which vex the best minds in your discipline, the stamina to pursue leads in long hours of research in laboratories or in field work, the ambition to beat out one's competitors, and the wisdom (called "luck" by those who fail to understand how science works) to seize opportunities which fortuitously come ones way. These traits are required for any scientist. Women scientists, however, need additional qualities to be successful. They face social, cultural and gender biases that militate against their success. This problem is not just the problem of women entering a predominately male field, though male colleagues have placed barriers in the path of women scientists. Social traditions and demands provide additional barriers: married women traditionally have extra burdens at home that their male counterparts do not carry; women who are mothers have primary child-rearing responsibilities; and society frowns on women with the traits (eg. ambition) necessary to be a success in science. Unfortunately, studies of women in science too frequently concentrate on the social aspects of the problems women face without integrating the scientific difficulties or these studies concentrate on the technical scientific problems without adequately understanding the social components. Dr. Johnson is the rare individual who understands both the social and the scientific aspects of these issues. Dr. Johnson is studying Maria Goeppert Mayer, Nobel laureate in nuclear physics in 1963. Mayer made extensive contributions not just in nuclear physics, but also atomic, chemical and molecular physics. She was married to the chemist Joseph E. Mayer, and their influence on each other's science was substantial. Dr. Johnson is addressing Maria Goeppert Mayer's scientific contributions, her experience as a woman in 20th century physics, and the role her marriage played in her career. ***
