Famous Physicists: Salam, Rubin, Higgs

Abdus Salam (1926-1996)

• Born in Pakistan, studied mathematics and physics at the University of Cambridge.
• Proposed the electroweak theory, explaining weak interaction between subatomic particles and unification with the electromagnetic force.
• Postulated messenger particles for weak interaction.
• Theories verified at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) in 1973.
• Jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1979 with Sheldon Lee Glashow and Steven Weinberg.

Vera Rubin (1928-2016)

• Discovered that stars in outer regions of spiral galaxies move as fast as those closer to the center, contradicting Newton's laws of gravity.
• Implied the existence of dark matter within galaxies.
• Concluded dark matter was a general phenomenon confirming her observations with 60 spiral galaxies, receiving the National Medal of Science in 1993.

Peter Higgs (1929-)

• Born in Newcastle, England, studied physics at King's College London and University of Edinburgh.
• Developed theory explaining the origin of mass for subatomic particles.
• Proposed the Higgs field that permeates space and interacts with particles to give them mass.
• Predicted a field particle called the Higgs boson.
• Higgs boson discovered in 2012 at CERN, confirming the theory.
• Jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2013 with François Englert.

Eric Kandel (1929-)

• Born in Vienna, fled to the US due to antisemitism.
• Studied medicine at New York University, graduating in 1956.
• Awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2000 for research on how synapses (nerve connections) affect memory and learning, focusing on sea slugs.

Mario J. Molina (1943-)

• Born in Mexico City, became a chemical engineer.
• Collaborated with Sherwood Rowland.
• Discovered that CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) destroy the ozone layer, leading to the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1995.

Lap-Chee Tsui (1950-)

• Canadian medical geneticist born in Shanghai.
• Moved to Canada in 1977.
• Jointly discovered the gene responsible for cystic fibrosis, a life-threatening disease.
• Pioneered new treatment options based on identifying the faulty gene or replacing it.

Mae Carol Jemison (1956-)

• First African American woman to travel in space.
• Served as a science mission specialist on the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992.
• Graduated from medical school in 1981, before serving as a medical officer with the Peace Corps.

Donna Strickland (1959-)

• Canadian optical physicist, developed chirped pulse amplification (CPA), a technique for producing extremely short and intense laser pulses.
• Jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics (2018) with Gérard Mourou.
• Now leads the ultrafast laser research team at the University of Waterloo.

Carol Greider (1961-)

• American molecular biologist. Known for research on telomeres and the enzyme telomerase.
• Telomeres are DNA segments that protect the ends of chromosomes and play a role in cell life span.
• Awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2009 along with Elizabeth Blackburn and Jack W. Szostak for discovering that inhibiting telomerase slows tumor growth.