“To invent, I draw upon my knowledge, intuition, creativity, experience, common sense, perseverance, flexibility, and hard work.”
Stephanie Kwolek
“When I joined DuPont in 1946,” chemist Stephanie Kwolek remarked, “women who got jobs in the lab would stay only a few years. . . . They were not promoted as rapidly as the men. But there were some of us who decided to stick it out, and I was one.” Assigned to research extra strong and stable polymers in 1964, Kwolek turned to solutions in which all the molecules line up in one direction—like a string of pearls, as she often described it. Her experiments resulted in the invention of Kevlar, an incredibly strong, stiff, and lightweight synthetic fiber that has broad applications, from bullet-resistant vests and military helmets to fencing gloves.
Source for quote above: “Stephanie Kwolek, Kevlar,” Invention & Technology Magazine, https://www.inventionandtech.com/content/stephanie-kwolek-kevlar?page=full.
