Google Doodle Today (18 June) celebrates the 140th birth anniversary of Romanian physicist Stefania Maracineanu, a Pioneer Woman of Radioactivity.
She was born on June 18, 1882 in Bucharest. Probably, her research on polonium gave the first example of artificial radioactivity.
The doodle shows Maracineanu working on polonium in a laboratory. Later, Marasinianu devoted his time to research on artificial rain.
During her research on the half-life of polonium, Maracineanu noticed that the half-life seemed to depend on the metal on which it was placed.
She graduated with a physical and chemical science degree in 1910, and started her career as a teacher at the Central School for Girls in Bucharest.
While teaching at the Central School for Girls, Maracineanu earned a scholarship from the Romanian Ministry of Science.
While there, Marasinianu received a scholarship from the Romanian Ministry of Science. She decided to pursue graduate research at the Radium Institute in Paris.
Significantly, at that time, the Radium Institute was becoming a worldwide center for the study of radioactivity under the guidance of physicist Mary Curie.
To complete her PhD in physics, Maracineanu enrolled at the Sorbonne University in Paris. He completed his PhD in just two years.
After working for four years at Mudon's Astronomical Observatory, he set up his country's first laboratory to study radioactivity.
The Romanian physicists are resuming research on artificial rain. Maracineanu also studied the link between earthquakes and rainfall.
She was the first to report that there was a significant increase in radioactivity at the epicenter of the earthquake which led to the earthquake.