Maria Goeppert Mayer
Physicist who explained the structure inside the atom's nucleus.
Their Story
Maria Goeppert Mayer was a physicist who immigrated to the United States from Germany. She developed a model explaining how protons and neutrons are arranged in layers, or shells, inside the nucleus. She won the Nobel Prize in Physics for this work.
Era
1900s
Field
Physics
Maria Goeppert Mayer
Physicist who explained the structure inside the atom's nucleus.
Science · Physics · 1900s · Women in STEM, Immigrant Innovators
Their Story
Maria Goeppert Mayer was a physicist who immigrated to the United States from Germany. She developed a model explaining how protons and neutrons are arranged in layers, or shells, inside the nucleus. She won the Nobel Prize in Physics for this work.
Key Innovation
Created the nuclear shell model describing how particles are organized inside the atomic nucleus.
Why It Matters Today
Her model helps scientists understand why some atoms are stable and others are radioactive.
Learn More
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Goeppert_Mayer
Wilkinson STEM Education Foundation · 251 American Innovators · wilkinsonstemfoundation.org
