Rosalind Franklin was a pioneer in the discovery of The Double Helix. As a woman, she encountered resistance and outright sexism from her colleagues. She was also horrified by the injustice of how she was treated in the field of science.
Rosalind Franklin was a pioneer in the discovery of The Double Helix. As a woman, she encountered resistance and outright sexism from her colleagues. She was also horrified by the injustice of how she was treated in the field of science.
Rosalind Franklin was a pioneer in the discovery of The Double Helix. As a woman, she encountered resistance and outright sexism from her colleagues. She was also horrified by the injustice of how she was treated in the field of science.
double helix for two reasons. The first reason is that I
have always loved science. When I initially learned about Rosalind Franklin in seventh grade I was fascinated by the process of the discovery of what we now know as DNA and wanted to learn in a more in depth way about how it was discovered and the people who discovered it. Second, I was horrified by the injustice of how she was treated by her colleagues in the field of science. So when I heard that the theme for NHD was Explore, Encounter and Exchange I knew my subject would be Rosalind Franklin.
I began by revisiting the sources I had been
exposed to in seventh and ninth grade. Specifically I rewatched the Nova documentary that detailed Franklin's career in crystallography and x-ray diffraction which led to her famous Photo 51. Additionally, the Nova documentary, which became one of my most integral sources, led me to some crucial primary source interviews as well as a plethora of secondary source background information. I then went and read the two books mentioned in the Nova documentary which where The Double Helix by James Watson, and The Dark Lady of DNA by Brenda Maddox. After that I went and searched for primary resources on the internet and came up with sites such as Welcome Library and The Rosalind Franklin Papers. I was also able to expand my knowledge on Franklin after reading the annotated version of Watsons book which helped to fill in the gaps.
I selected my presentation category because I have
always wanted to make a website and this was the perfect opportunity. Using Weebly I took all the photos and quotes I had found and put them into their own sections. I then made the timeline with a useful tool called Timeline JS. I found a couple of great sources that discussed the history of DNA research and I compiled the most important sections into my timeline.
My project, The Double Helix and The Double
Standard, very clearly connects with the theme of Exploration, Encounter and Exchange. As a scientist, Franklins life work was dedicated to exploring scientific fields which would, in her words, contribute directly to the improvement of mankind'". However, as a woman, Franklin encountered fervent and unrelenting resistance and outright sexism from her colleagues, eventually leading her to abandon her research of DNA without ever knowing that her work unlocked the door to the secret of life. As for exchange, even though she was unaware of her contribution, Franklins exchange of information through her Photo 51 gave the world of science, and the world of mankind, an unparalleled gift; the gift of forwarding the field of genetics to increase human beings understanding of themselves.