Descendant of Nobel Laureates to Speak

Women in science, a history of radiochemistry and life as a member of one of the world’s most famous scientific families will be the main topics of a lecture Thursday at Cal State Northridge.

Helene Langevin-Joliot, daughter of two Nobel laureates and granddaughter of Pierre and Marie Curie, will deliver a lecture sponsored by CSUN’s Distinguished Visiting Speakers Program.

“Dr. Langevin-Joliot is an amazing personality and one of the greatest scientists I’ve ever known,” said Aida Metzenberg, CSUN professor of biology and director of the university’s genetic counseling program. “We were thrilled when we found out that she would be able to speak at the university.”

Langevin-Joliot’s parents, Irene and Frederic Joliot-Curie, were awarded the 1935 Nobel Prize in physics. Her grandparents, Marie and Pierre Curie, shared the 1903 Nobel Prize in physics. Marie Curie later won a second Nobel Prize for the discovery of polonium, a radioactive element, in 1911.

An advocate of education reform for elementary and secondary students, Langevin-Joliot has also been an outspoken supporter of women’s pursuit of careers in science.

“She has worked very hard to send the message to school administrators that more emphasis on science is needed,” Metzenberg said. “However, with nationwide cutbacks in school districts’ budgets, our country is falling further behind in training women to become scientists,”

Langevin-Joliot received doctorates in nuclear physics and chemistry from the College de France in Paris. Currently, she is serving as a scientific advisor to the French Parliament.

Her CSUN lecture, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 1 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center in the university’s student union, 18111 Nordhoff St.

For more information, contact Stan Metzenberg at (818) 677-3601. Parking is $1.75 and is available in Lot C on the east side of campus near the corner of Zelzah Avenue and Plummer Street.