Rosalind Franklin
Who Was Rosalind Franklin? Rosalind Franklin was an outstanding English chemist. She was born in 1920 to a Jewish family residing in London. During her lifetime, she studied coal and found that the porous spaces in the coal could be used to predict their efficiency for fuel purposes. She also studied viruses and x-ray crystallography. All of these things were recognized during her lifetime. However, her most important discovery which would shape all sciences and the future of Forensic Science did not get recognized until after her unfortunate and premature death, due to ovarian cancer at the age of 37. Rosalind Franklin captured the Photo 51 which is the first clear photograph of the double helix of DNA. The structure of DNA up until this point was unknown, but Franklin captured a photograph of it, intending to study it more and write a research paper about its significance.
What's Her Significance? After an argument with the director at King’s College London, where she was employed at the time, she decided to take her studies to Birkbeck College. The director of King’s College, John Randall, insisted that her work belonged to the laboratory and was not to be taken to the new lab. Maurice Wilkins was given copies of all of FrankPhoto 51 lin’s work since he had been studying under her. When James Watson and Francis Crick were touring the college, Wilkins shared the Photo 51 with them, sparking their intensified research into the double helix structure of DNA. Soon after this, although Franklin had already submitted a 17-page paper detailing her findings, Watson and Crick got recognition for building the first model of the double helix. They were only able to do so after seeing her photograph and her research that shaped the way they had been building the DNA structure before. Due to her untimely death, Rosalind Franklin was never recognized for her contribution to the double helix, and Watson and Crick received the Nobel prize, along with Maurice Wilkins. Nobel prizes cannot be awarded post-humously, and therefore she will never have one.
פרנקלין רוזלינד
Why Does She Deserve A Monument? Her research and studies took place during the second world war. Her family was Ashkenazi-Jewish and her father was well known for helping to hide refugees during Hitler’s reign. Two of the refugee children became family, eventually adopting their last name and even sharing a room with Franklin.
Also during her time at King’s College London, she was one of two female scientists in the entire facility. Women during this time were still fighting for equal opportunities to research at accredited laboratories. Franklin was well known as a fierce spirit and did not have a problem letting others know she was worth the time. The sexism in the work place meant she had to work harder than the men to present her ideas and be taken seriously.
What Will The Statue Look Like?
Close Up
The ideal image of the monument would be Rosalind Franklin wearing her lab coat raising her left hand, in which is a large replica of the known structure of DNA. In her right hand, which is down by her side, is a folder or paper which represents the Photo 51. The medium will be glass, so that light shines through her sculpture and sparkles.
Full Statue
Where Will It Be Located? The location on GMU campus would be at the base of the Exploratory building, in front of the steps in the yard, to the left of the main staircase leading to the Johnson Center. This location represents the area of sciences on the campus and is easily seen by many buildings and photographers who capture the staircase for graduation pictures or even a nice sunset.
The secondary location would be the FBI laboratory in Manassas, Virginia. This building is the main headquarters for FBI agents and scientists alike who are furthering Rosalind Franklin’s discovery and here she would be appreciated and admired.
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“During Franklin's 1954 visit to the United States, she learned that several American researchers had begun x-ray diffraction studies of TMV. Concerned that her team's leadership in this area might soon be challenged, she wrote to Bernal, who was traveling in China at the time, and asked permission to submit her latest results to Nature without waiting for his usual review of the article.� U.S. National Library of Medicine
Willesden Jewish Cemetery House of Life Visitor Centre, London, United Kingdom
Back Cover
1920-1958