Who was Rosalind Franklin? Many may not immediately recognize her name. Right here stands the Rosalind Franklin building at Avenue Emmanuel Mounier. It is a testament to her enduring legacy.
Rosalind Elsie Franklin was a British chemist and X-ray crystallographer. Her work was central to understanding molecular structures. These included DNA, RNA, viruses, coal, and graphite. While her contributions to coal and viruses were recognized during her lifetime. Franklin’s role in discovering DNA’s structure went largely unnoticed.
Born in London in 1920, Rosalind Franklin displayed exceptional scholastic abilities early on. She excelled in science and languages. Franklin’s family was actively involved in helping Jewish refugees. They welcomed children from the Kindertransport into their home.
In 1938, Franklin went to Newnham College, Cambridge. There, she studied chemistry. In 1941, she earned second-class honors. This qualified as a bachelor’s degree for employment. Cambridge later granted women titular degrees retroactively.
During World War II, Franklin contributed to the war effort. She studied coal at the British Coal Utilisation Research Association. Her research helped classify coals. It predicted their performance for fuel and wartime devices. This work earned her a PhD from Cambridge in 1945.
After the war, Franklin moved to Paris. She honed her skills in X-ray crystallography under Jacques Mering. She applied these techniques to carbonaceous materials. Franklin’s work led to significant papers. She coined the terms graphitizing and non-graphitizing carbon.
In 1951, Rosalind Franklin joined King’s College London. She worked on X-ray diffraction of DNA fibers. Franklin discovered key properties of DNA. Her work facilitated the description of the double helix structure. Due to disagreements, she moved to Birkbeck College in 1953.
Franklin is best known for her DNA X-ray diffraction images. Photo 51, taken by her student Raymond Gosling, was particularly significant. Maurice Wilkins showed it to James Watson without her permission. This image led to the DNA double helix discovery. Francis Crick, James Watson, and Maurice Wilkins shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1962.
Watson suggested Franklin deserved a Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Wilkins. However, the pre-1974 rule prevented posthumous awards. Franklin died before the recognition of DNA’s structure.
At Birkbeck, Franklin studied the molecular structures of viruses. She collaborated with Aaron Klug. He later won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1982.
Sadly, Rosalind Franklin died of ovarian cancer in 1958 at age 37. She was to unveil the structure of tobacco mosaic virus in Brussels. Her team member Aaron Klug continued her research.
Rosalind Franklin’s work had a significant impact on science. It is fitting that this building at Avenue Emmanuel Mounier is named after Rosalind Franklin. She is remembered here. Her research and discoveries continue to benefit mankind.