Canada's Nobel laureate in physics praises women's progress



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Donna Strickland, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics 2018 for her work that "revolutionized" the field of laser physics

Canada's Donna Strickland, the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Physics since 1963, said Tuesday that women have "come a long way" since previous winner Maria Goeppert Mayer.

"When I give them lessons, I'm talking about Mary, I mentioned her in my own thesis," she said at a briefing at the University of Waterloo, where she teaches.

"I'll also admit, sorry, I called her in my thesis, except that one of the readers of the thesis said" shame on you, Donna "and changed it. said she, "said Strickland.

In 1939, Maria Goeppert Mayer had "predicted that an atom could absorb two photons," says Strickland.

"It's a woman who thought about it and changed the way we do science.

"And yet, she just followed her husband from one job to the next, while he became a teacher, then climbed the ladder and headed to the universities to do it as a chemist" she continued, noting that the work on which Goeppert Mayer was quoted was from 1939.

"Obviously, women have come a long way and I have always felt that they are always paid and treated in the same way," she said with a smile.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that "with his French colleague Gerard Mourou, Dr. Strickland received half of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics for the development of a new technique for creating intense laser pulses. and short.

"Their innovative work can be found in applications including corrective eye surgery, and should have a significant impact on cancer treatment and other physics research in the future."

He thanked Strickland for "inspiring other women and girls to dream without limits and pursue the career of their choice".

The other half of this year's award went to Dr. Arthur Ashkin, who was also recognized for his work revolutionizing laser physics.


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