Donna Strickland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Donna Strickland
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Strickland in 2018
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Donna Theo Strickland
27 May 1959 Guelph, Ontario, Canada
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| Spouse(s) | Doug Dykaar |
| Awards | Nobel Prize (2018) |
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| Thesis | Development of an Ultra-Bright Laser and an Application to Multi-photon Ionization (1988) |
| Doctoral advisor | Gérard Mourou |
Donna Theo Strickland (born 27 May 1959) is a Canadian scientist who works with lasers. She is a leader in the field of pulsed lasers, which are lasers that send out very short bursts of light.
In 2018, she won the Nobel Prize in Physics. She shared the award with Gérard Mourou for creating a special technique called chirped pulse amplification. This method helps make lasers super powerful. Donna Strickland is currently a professor at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.
She has also been involved with Optica, a group for optics and photonics scientists. In 2018, she was named one of BBC's 100 Women. There is even a science prize named after her in Canada!
Contents
Early Life and Education
Donna Strickland was born on May 27, 1959, in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Her mother, Edith, was an English teacher, and her father, Lloyd, was an electrical engineer.
After finishing high school, Donna chose to study at McMaster University. She was interested in their engineering physics program because it included topics like lasers. In her class of 25 students, she was one of only three women. She earned her engineering degree in 1981.
Strickland then went on to study at the University of Rochester in the United States. She earned her PhD in 1989. For her research, she worked with her supervisor, Gérard Mourou.
They worked on a big problem: how to make laser pulses more powerful without damaging the laser equipment. When laser pulses became too strong, they would harm the parts of the laser that made them stronger.
In 1985, they came up with a clever solution called chirped pulse amplification (CPA). This technique involves:
- Stretching out each laser pulse in time.
- Making the stretched pulse much stronger.
- Squeezing the pulse back to its original, very short length.
This method allowed them to create incredibly powerful, short bursts of light. These powerful lasers could be built on a normal lab table. This important work later won them the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Career and Research
From 1988 to 1991, Donna Strickland worked at the National Research Council of Canada. There, she was part of a team that had built the world's most powerful short-pulse laser at the time.
She also worked at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Princeton University. In 1997, she joined the University of Waterloo as a professor. She was the first full-time female physics professor at the university.
Today, Professor Strickland leads a group that studies ultrafast lasers. They create very strong laser systems to explore how light interacts with matter. She once called herself a "laser jock." This means she enjoyed working with her hands to make the lasers operate, as they were often tricky to set up.
Her recent work focuses on using ultrafast lasers in new ways. She is exploring how these powerful lasers can be used to reshape the human eye lens. This research could help treat a common eye condition called presbyopia, which makes it hard to see things up close as people get older.
Strickland became a fellow of Optica in 2008. She also served as its vice president and president. She is currently the chair of Optica's Presidential Advisory Committee. She is also a member of the Canadian Association of Physicists.
Awards and Recognition
Donna Strickland has received many awards for her important work:
- 1998 – Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship
- 1999 – Premier's Research Excellence Award
- 2000 – Cottrell Scholars Award
- 2008 – Fellow of The Optical Society
- 2018 – Nobel Prize in Physics
- 2019 – Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement
- 2019 – Companion of the Order of Canada
- 2019 – Honorary Fellow of The Canadian Academy of Engineering
- 2019 – Fellow of Royal Society of Canada
- 2020 – Member of the National Academy of Sciences
- 2020 – Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS)
- 2021 – Appointed to Pontifical Academy of Sciences
- 2022 – Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur (highest French award)
- 2022 – Honorary Member of Optica
- 2022 – Joseph Carrier C.S.C. Science Medal
- 2024 – Honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of Alberta
Nobel Prize
On October 2, 2018, Donna Strickland won the Nobel Prize in Physics. She shared half of the prize with her former supervisor, Gérard Mourou. The other half went to Arthur Ashkin for different work on optical tweezers.
Strickland became only the third woman in history to win the Nobel Prize in Physics. The first was Marie Curie in 1903, and the second was Maria Goeppert Mayer in 1963.
Strickland and Mourou published their groundbreaking work on chirped pulse amplification in 1985. This was while Strickland was still a student. Their invention led to a whole new field of science using very intense, short bursts of light.
Because these super-short, super-sharp laser beams can make incredibly precise cuts, the technique is used in many areas. These include:
- Laser machining (cutting materials with lasers)
- Laser surgery
- Medicine
- Basic science studies
It has even allowed doctors to perform millions of corrective laser eye surgeries. Strickland knew their discovery was important when they first developed it.
When she won the Nobel Prize, some people were surprised she wasn't yet a full professor. Strickland explained that she had "never applied" for the title. She said it didn't necessarily mean a pay raise, and she preferred to focus on her research. However, after winning the Nobel Prize, she did apply and was promoted to full professor at the University of Waterloo.
Order of Canada
In 2019, Donna Strickland was named a Companion of the Order of Canada. This is one of the highest honors a civilian can receive in Canada.
Personal Life
Donna Strickland is married to Douglas Dykaar, who also has a doctorate in electrical engineering. They have two children. Their daughter, Hannah, is studying astrophysics, and their son, Adam, is studying comedy. Strickland is an active member of the United Church of Canada.
See also
