Ireland's Own article on science pioneer Kathleen Lonsdale

Snapshot of my short article in Ireland's Own.

The Irish-born scientist, Kathleen Lonsdale, was a trailblazer in many respects and a true pioneer of science. I have just written a short article about her in the long-running magazine Ireland's Own. 

This is the second piece I have written for Ireland's Own. The first one entitled, 'Carl Marstrander: Viking of the Blaskets', appeared in the magazine on 13 July 2018 (p. 31).

Photograph of Kathleen Lonsdale in the laboratory. Image source.

Kathleen Lonsdale (1903-1971) (née Yardley) was born in Newbridge, Co. Kildare and the family moved to England while she was still in primary school. She spent almost all of her life in England where she studied chemistry and devoted herself to researching x-ray crystallography. 

She achieved many firsts in her lifetime, not just being one of the first women to be a fellow of the Royal Society, but also in the fact that she pursued a high flying career after having her children, something which would have been quite rare in those days. 

Several university buildings in Ireland and England have been named in her honour and 'Lonsdale' prizes are also awarded to students of chemistry at the RIA in Dublin and students of mathematical and physical sciences at UCL in London. You can read more about her life here on the RTE Herstory website.