40 Facts About Stephanie Kwolek

Stephanie Louise Kwolek was a Polish-American chemist best known for inventing Kevlar.

Stephanie Kwolek won numerous awards for her work in polymer chemistry, including the National Medal of Technology, the IRI Achievement Award and the Perkin Medal.

Stephanie Kwolek was one of two children born to Polish immigrant parents in the Pittsburgh suburb of New Kensington, Pennsylvania, in 1923.

Stephanie Kwolek was a naturalist by avocation, and Kwolek spent hours with him, as a child, exploring the natural world.

Stephanie Kwolek attributed her interest in science to him and an interest in fashion design to her mother, Nellie Kwolek, who worked as a seamstress.

Stephanie Kwolek's mother told her that she was too much of a perfectionist to work a career in fashion, so Kwolek decided to become a doctor.

In 1946, Stephanie Kwolek earned a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in chemistry from Margaret Morrison Carnegie College of Carnegie Mellon University.

Stephanie Kwolek had planned to become a doctor and hoped she could earn enough money from a temporary job in a chemistry-related field to attend medical school.

Stephanie Kwolek was offered a position at DuPont's Buffalo, New York, facility in 1946 by William Hale Charch, a future mentor.

Stephanie Kwolek asked if they could possibly respond sooner because she had to notify another company if she would accept their offer.

Charch then called in his receptionist to dictate Stephanie Kwolek's offer letter in front of her.

Stephanie Kwolek intended to work for DuPont temporarily, in order to raise money for further study.

Stephanie Kwolek continued as a consultant to Dupont after her retirement in 1986, and became the first woman to earn the company's Lavoisier medal for research in 1995.

Stephanie Kwolek is best known for her work during the 1950s and 1960s with aramids, or "aromatic polyamides", a type of polymer that can be made into strong, stiff, and flame-resistant fibres.

Stephanie Kwolek determined the solvents and polymerization conditions suitable for producing poly-m-phenylene isophthalamide, a compound that DuPont released in 1961, as a flame-resistant fibre with the trade name Nomex.

Stephanie Kwolek then extended her work into poly-p-benzamide and poly-p-phenylene terephthalamide, which she noted adopted highly regular rodlike molecular arrangements in solution.

The innovative polymer Poly-p-phenylene terephthalamide, as invented by Stephanie Kwolek, was released commercially under the name Kevlar.

In 1964, in anticipation of a gasoline shortage, Stephanie Kwolek's group began searching for a lightweight yet strong fiber to replace the steel used in tires.

Stephanie Kwolek was denied the use of the spinneret for her solution because it was thought the solution would clog the machine.

However, Stephanie Kwolek persuaded technician Charles Smullen, who ran the spinneret, to test her solution.

Stephanie Kwolek was amazed to find that the new fiber would not break when nylon typically would.

Stephanie Kwolek learned that the fibers could be made even stronger by heat-treating them.

Stephanie Kwolek continued research of thermotropic Kevlar derivatives containing aliphatic and chlorine groups.

Stephanie Kwolek was not much involved in developing practical applications of Kevlar.

Stephanie Kwolek did not profit from DuPont's products, as she signed over the Kevlar patent to the company.

Beyond her scientific achievements, Stephanie Kwolek was a passionate advocate for increasing women's participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Stephanie Kwolek's outreach helped demystify science for young audiences and inspired many to view STEM as a creative and impactful field.

Stephanie Kwolek worked with organizations such as the National Academy of Sciences and the National Research Council to promote diversity in scientific disciplines and to advise on science education policy.

Stephanie Kwolek served on panels that focused on innovation and the role of women in research, lending her voice to the push for broader inclusion in science and technology professions.

Stephanie Kwolek is frequently included in lists of pioneering women in science and is regarded as an example of perseverance, intellectual rigor, and the importance of representation in research and innovation.

Stephanie Kwolek's discovery generated several billion dollars of revenue for DuPont, being her employer at the time, but she never benefited directly from it financially.

In 1980, Stephanie Kwolek received the Chemical Pioneer Award from the American Institute of Chemists, and an Award for Creative Invention from the American Chemical Society.

In 1995, Stephanie Kwolek was added to the National Inventors Hall of Fame.

Stephanie Kwolek has been awarded honorary degrees by Carnegie Mellon University, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Clarkson University.

Stephanie Kwolek is featured as one of the Royal Society of Chemistry's 175 Faces of Chemistry.

In 1986, Stephanie Kwolek retired as a research associate for DuPont.

Stephanie Kwolek regularly visited classrooms to demonstrate chemistry experiments and inspire students, especially young girls, to pursue STEM careers.

Stephanie Kwolek remained active in professional organizations, advocating for women in science and offering mentorship to early-career chemists.

Stephanie Kwolek continued writing about scientific demonstrations and remained intellectually engaged until her passing.

Stephanie Kwolek's funeral was at St Joseph on the Brandywine.