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Mildred Dresselhaus: The Queen of Carbon

Sara Thompson

By Sara Thompson

Image credit U.S. Department of Energy, obtained from Wikimedia Commons.

Special to the Enterprise

Mildred Spiewak was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1930. She attributes her love of science to her frequent visits to free museums around her neighborhood. She earned a little pocket money by tutoring students throughout grade school, contributing to her family’s finances during the Great Depression. She continued tutoring while attending Hunter College High School. She then attended the traditionally all-women’s Hunter College, which opened enrollment to male students while she attended. In interviews she stated that many of her male classmates came to her for help and tutoring and because of that she never considered science to me a “man’s profession”. She graduated in 1951 with her undergraduate degree and continued her education until receiving her PhD from the University of Chicago in 1958. This is where she met and married her spouse, Gene Dresselhaus.


After a two-year postdoc position, she began working at the Lincoln Lab, part of MIT. Most of her research was on graphite, graphene, and carbon nanotubes. She looked at the superconductivity of the materials and their electronic structures. Her work gave her the nickname “The Queen of Carbon” and her early career directly impacted current developments in nanotechnology that involves carbon.


Not only was she a brilliant physicist, whose work is still relevant today, but she was also a strong advocate for women in science fields. In 1971, Dresselhaus and her colleagues organized the first women in science and engineering fair at MIT. In 1994, she and fifteen other women co-signed a letter to the Dean of MIT addressing gender discrimination.


Her scientific contributions and push for equality made her an excellent candidate for several awards including the National Medal of Science, Presidential Medal of Freedom, Society of Women Engineers Achievement Award, first female recipient of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Medal of Honor, to name a few of the many honors. Dresselhaus passed away in 2017 but continues to leave behind her legacy of carbon nanotubes, nanotechnology, and advocacy for more women in STEM.


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• Explorit is open Fridays from 1-4pm and Saturday and Sundays from 10am-2pm. The current exhibit is “Our WILD World”. Admission is $5 per person, free for Explorit Members and those aged 2 and under.

• Spring Camp Registration is open. Spring camp runs March 25-29, from 9am-12pm each day. Camp is designed for those in grades K-2nd. The registration fee is $185 for Members, $210 for Non-Members.

• Summer Science Camps are coming back for 2024! Registration begins on March 15, $185 for Members, $210 for Non-Members. More information can be found at https://www.explorit.org/camps.

• Now is a great time to donate and help Explorit continue to educate and inspire the scientists of tomorrow: https://www.explorit.org/donate

• A Membership to Explorit grants the recipient free visits to Explorit’s regular public hours, discounts on events, summer camps and workshops, and gives you ASTC benefits to visit other museums throughout the world. To purchase or for more information visit https://www.explorit.org/membership or call Explorit at 530-756-0191.

• Only a few dates left for Spring school programming so call soon for reservations. Fall program availability is open. For more information, please visit https://www.explorit.org/programs. To reserve call (530) 756-0191.


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Explorit is a non profit 501(c)(3) California Corporation founded in 1982

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