Elizabeth Riddle Graves facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elizabeth Riddle Graves
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Elizabeth R. Graves's Los Alamos identity card
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| Born | 23 January 1916 |
| Died | 6 January 1972 (aged 55) |
| Alma mater | University of Chicago |
| Known for | Physics of neutrons |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics |
| Institutions | Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory |
| Thesis | Energy Released from Be 9 (d, α) Li 7 and the Production of Li 7 (1940) |
| Doctoral advisor | Samuel K. Allison |
Elizabeth Riddle Graves (born January 23, 1916 – died January 6, 1972) was a brilliant American scientist. She was a pioneer in studying tiny particles called neutrons. Neutrons are important parts of atoms. Elizabeth was especially good at finding and measuring "fast neutrons." During World War II, she worked on a top-secret project called the Manhattan Project. This project developed the first atomic bombs. After the war, she became a leader in physics research.
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Early Life and Education
Elizabeth Riddle was born in Nashville, Tennessee, on January 23, 1916. Her parents were James Marion Riddle and Georgia Clymetra Boykin. She had two brothers. Around 1921, her family moved to Chicago, Illinois.
Elizabeth went to the University of Chicago. There, her friends called her "Diz." She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in physics in 1936. She became very interested in the physics of neutrons, especially how to find and measure fast neutrons.
She continued her studies and earned her PhD in 1940. Her research focused on the energy released from certain atomic reactions. Her professor, Samuel K. Allison, guided her studies.
While at the university, she met and married Alvin C. Graves. He was also a physics student. It was hard to find jobs during the Great Depression. Alvin stayed at the University of Chicago for a while. Later, he moved to the University of Texas. However, Elizabeth could not get a job there because of rules against hiring family members. These rules often made it harder for women to find work.
A Difficult Incident
On May 21, 1946, a serious accident happened. Her husband, Alvin Graves, was in a room with other scientists. A Canadian physicist named Louis Slotin was doing a test. He accidentally caused a burst of radiation. Slotin knew he had received a very dangerous amount of radiation. He is believed to have saved the lives of the other scientists by quickly reacting.
Alvin Graves was standing closest to Slotin. He became very sick from the radiation and had to go to the hospital for several weeks. He survived, but he had long-lasting health problems. He lost his hair for a time and developed eye problems. Louis Slotin even asked Elizabeth to calculate if a person could survive such a high dose of radiation. He did not tell her at first that the person was her husband. Elizabeth was a very strong person, but she was deeply shocked when she found out.
Personality and Work Ethic
People who worked with Elizabeth said she was a "very" hard worker. They also said she was "very good at her job." Even though she had a traditional way of thinking, she was also an independent thinker. She would speak up and share her ideas when she felt it was important.
She was also known for having a good sense of humor. One story from her colleagues tells how she made a bet with them. She bet she could get a "very proper" European physicist to go through a door before her. It was common for men to let women go first. She won the bet! She told the man that she had ripped her dress. She said that to be modest, he should go first.
The Manhattan Project
In 1942, Arthur Compton invited Alvin Graves to work on the Manhattan Project. This was a secret project to build the first atomic bomb. Alvin joined the project's Metallurgical Laboratory at the University of Chicago. Elizabeth also found a job there. She worked with Enrico Fermi, a famous scientist. She helped with calculations to figure out if a nuclear chain reaction was possible. This work led to the creation of Chicago Pile-1, the world's first nuclear reactor.
In 1943, Elizabeth and Alvin moved to New Mexico. They joined the Manhattan Project's Los Alamos Laboratory. Alvin Graves insisted that Elizabeth be allowed to work at Los Alamos. He made this a condition for him to join the project. Even if he hadn't insisted, Elizabeth likely would have been asked to join anyway. She was one of the few scientists who understood how fast neutrons scattered. This knowledge was very important for designing nuclear weapons. She also knew how to use a special machine called a Cockcroft–Walton accelerator.
Dr. Graves was hired as a "scientist," which was a high-ranking role. She worked in the R-division. She made many important contributions to the project. She measured how different materials reacted with neutrons. She also studied how neutrons multiplied in uranium metal. Her work helped in choosing materials to surround the core of the atomic bomb.
At the time of the Trinity nuclear test in 1945, Elizabeth was seven months pregnant. Because of this, she and Alvin asked to be far from the blast site. They listened to the countdown on the radio. They used Geiger counters to check for radioactive fallout from the test. The fallout took until the afternoon to reach them. Elizabeth even finished an experiment while she was in labor! She timed her contractions with a stopwatch. Their first child, Marilyn Edith, was born healthy. Elizabeth and Alvin later had two more children, Alvin Palmer and Elizabeth Anne.
After the War
Elizabeth and Alvin stayed in Los Alamos after the war. In 1950, Elizabeth became a group leader in the experimental physics division. She continued her research on how neutrons interact with different materials.
Elizabeth Graves died of cancer in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on January 6, 1972. She was buried in Los Alamos.
