斯蒂芬妮·克沃勒克1923—2014

生平

她的父母是来自于波兰的移民，父亲John Kwolek在她10岁时去世，在小时候她经常和父亲一起探索自然世界。她认为她对科学的兴趣来自父亲，而对时尚的兴趣来自母亲。1946年斯蒂芬妮毕业于卡内基美隆大学的化学专业，她计划成为一名医生，希望从一份在化学相关领域的临时工作中赚到足够的钱负担医学院的学费。之后加入杜邦化工公司，她发现工作很有趣便决定留下来，而不再追求医疗事业，并且搬到了特拉华州威尔明顿。在杜邦公司她花了近九年时间研究出了凯芙拉。她的发明为她当时的雇主杜邦带来了数十亿美元的收入，但她从来没有从其中获得直接的经济收益。她在杜邦工作至1986年退休，任职长达40年。2014年6月18日因病去世，享年90岁。

Stephanie Louise Kwolek (; July 31, 1923 – June 18, 2014) was a Polish-American chemist known for inventing Kevlar (poly-paraphenylene terephthalamide). Her career at the DuPont company spanned more than 40 years.

For her discovery, Kwolek was awarded the DuPont company's Lavoisier Medal for outstanding technical achievement. Before 2021, she was the only female employee to have received that honor. In 1995 she became the fourth woman to be added to the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Kwolek won numerous awards for her work in polymer chemistry, including the National Medal of Technology, the IRI Achievement Award and the Perkin Medal.

Early life and education

Kwolek was one of two children born to Polish immigrant parents in the Pittsburgh suburb of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, in 1923. The grade school she attended was small enough to require her classroom be shared by two different grades, which she found to be an advantage; as Kwolek's love of science grew, she easily outpaced even the older children across the room. Her father, John Kwolek, died when she was ten years old. He was a naturalist by avocation, and Kwolek spent hours with him, as a child, exploring the natural world. They would spend afternoons together exploring the woods nearby, collecting plants and observing animals that they would later name and characterize in a scrapbook.

DuPont career

Kwolek was offered a position at DuPont's Buffalo, New York, facility in 1946 by William Hale Charch, a future mentor. During her interview with DuPont, Dr. Charch had said the company would reach out to her in about two weeks to tell her whether she had secured the job. Kwolek asked if they could possibly respond sooner because she had to notify another company if she would accept their offer. Charch then called in his receptionist to dictate Kwolek's offer letter in front of her.[

As a chemical company, DuPont was trying to find a petroleum-based polymer fiber that would be lighter and harder-wearing than steel in radial tires. The firm had vacancies, given that many men had been overseas fighting in World War II.

Advocacy for women in science and legacy in STEM education

Beyond her scientific achievements, Stephanie Kwolek was a passionate advocate for increasing women's participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). As one of the few women chemists working at DuPont during the mid-20th century, Kwolek often spoke about the challenges she faced in a male-dominated field and sought to encourage young women to pursue careers in science.

After her retirement, Kwolek volunteered her time to mentor students and deliver talks about chemistry in classrooms across the country. She believed in the importance of hands-on science education and frequently demonstrated experiments such as the "nylon rope trick" to engage students—especially girls—in the wonders of chemistry.

Awards, honors, and legacy

For her discovery of Kevlar, Kwolek was awarded the DuPont company's Lavoisier Medal for outstanding technical achievement in 1995, as a "Persistent experimentalist and role model whose discovery of liquid crystalline polyamides led to Kevlar aramid fibers." At the time of her death in 2014, she was still the only female employee to receive that honor. Her discovery generated several billion dollars of revenue for DuPont, but she never benefited directly from it financially.

In 1980, Kwolek received the Chemical Pioneer Award from the American Institute of Chemists, and an Award for Creative Invention from the American Chemical Society. In 1995, Kwolek was added to the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

Later life

During her 40 years as a research scientist, she received 17 patents.

In 1986, Kwolek retired as a research associate for DuPont. Toward the end of her life, she consulted for DuPont and served on both the National Research Council and the National Academy of Sciences.

After retirement, Kwolek dedicated herself to science education and outreach. She regularly visited classrooms to demonstrate chemistry experiments and inspire students, especially young girls, to pursue STEM careers. She also remained active in professional organizations, advocating for women in science and offering mentorship to early-career chemists. She continued writing about scientific demonstrations and remained intellectually engaged until her death.