User:Sew5295/sandbox

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Kwolek originally wanted a job in the medical field but couldn't afford the education so ended up with a chemistry degree to get a research job and go back to school down the road.[1] After about nine years of working she created Kevlar.[2] This discovery generated several billion dollars of revenue for DuPont, being her employer at the time, but she never benefited directly from it financially.[3] She reportedly got her job because of the amount of men that were overseas at the time for World War II. She only kept her job after the war because of her extensive research on polymers.[4]

Kevlar has had many practical applications including fragmentation resistant vests, boat hulls, airplanes, ropes, cables, tires, tennis racquets, and skis.[5] It has also been used for car tires, fire fighter boots, hockey sticks, cut-resistant gloves, and even armored cars. It has been used for protective building materials like bomb proof materials, hurricane safe rooms, and overtaxed bridge reinforcements.[6]

After she retired she became heavily involved in trying to introduce young children, specifically girls, to scientific fields.[7] she often tutored students in chemistry.[8] She has also invented and written about numerous classroom demonstrations that are still used in schools today, such as the "Nylon Rope Trick".[9]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Stephanie L." Stephanie L. Web. 8 Nov. 2015.
  2. ^ "Stephanie Kwolek." Famous Scientists. Web. 8 Nov. 2015.
  3. ^ Pearce, Jeremy. "Stephanie Kwolek, Inventor of Kevlar, Is Dead at 90: [Obituary (Obit); Biography]." ProQuest. New York Times, 1 June 2014. Web. 8 Nov. 2015.
  4. ^ "Stephanie Kwolek, Chemist Who Created Kevlar, Dies At 90." NPR. NPR. Web. 8 Nov. 2015.
  5. ^ "Stephanie L. Kwolek | Chemical Heritage Foundation." Stephanie L. Kwolek | Chemical Heritage Foundation. Web. 8 Nov. 2015.
  6. ^ Pearce, Jeremy. "Stephanie Kwolek, Inventor of Kevlar, Is Dead at 90: [Obituary (Obit); Biography]." ProQuest. New York Times, 1 June 2014. Web. 8 Nov. 2015.
  7. ^ "Stephanie L. Kwolek | Chemical Heritage Foundation." Stephanie L. Kwolek | Chemical Heritage Foundation. Web. 8 Nov. 2015.
  8. ^ Pearce, Jeremy. "Stephanie Kwolek, Inventor of Kevlar, Is Dead at 90: [Obituary (Obit); Biography]." ProQuest. New York Times, 1 June 2014. Web. 8 Nov. 2015.
  9. ^ "Stephanie L. Kwolek | Chemical Heritage Foundation." Stephanie L. Kwolek | Chemical Heritage Foundation. Web. 8 Nov. 2015.