British chemist Rosalind Franklin is best known for her role in the discovery of the structure of DNA, and for her pioneering use of X-ray diffraction. Franklin was responsible for much of the research and discovery work that led to the understanding of the structure of deoxyribonucleic acid, DNA. There is probably no other woman scientist with as much controversy surrounding her life and work as Rosalind Franklin.
Early Life:
British chemist Rosalind Elsie Franklin was born into an affluent Jewish family on July 25, 1920, in Notting Hill, London, England. She displayed exceptional intelligence from early childhood, she always liked facts. She was logical and precise, and impatient with things that were otherwise. Knowing from the age of 15 that she wanted to be a scientist.
She received her education at several schools, including North London Collegiate School, where she excelled in science, among other things. She passed the examination for admission to Newnham College, Cambridge University in 1938, and it sparked a family crisis. An aunt stepped in and said Franklin should go to school, and she would pay for it. Franklin's mother also took her side until her father finally gave in. War broke out in Europe in
…show more content…
As a result of her research, she gained her Doctor of Philosophy degree from Cambridge in 1945. Her work focused on a wartime problem: the nature of coal and charcoal and how to use them most efficiently. She published five papers on the subject before she was 26 years old. Her work is still quoted today, and helped launch the field of high-strength carbon fibers. At 26, Franklin had her PhD and the war was just over. In 1941, she was awarded Second Class Honors in her finals, which, at that time, was accepted as a bachelor's degree in the qualifications for