Maura Shapiro Takes Physics to a New Level

After graduating with degrees in Communication & Rhetoric and Physics, Maura worked as an intern at the American Institute of Physics. Collaborating with both the Center for History of Physics and Niels Bohr Library & Archives to create k-12 teaching guides about women and other underrepresented groups in physics. Through this work, Maura learned about the American scientist, inventor, and women's rights activist Eunice Newton Foote who discovered, in 1856, that carbon dioxide absorbs heat. Eunice then concluded that increasing carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere would cause a warmer planet. Though Eunice initially received praise for her work, she was ultimately forgotten by history. In 2011, a century and a half after she published the results of her groundbreaking experiment, her work was rediscovered from a mention in an old scientific almanac. Maura was immediately taken with her story and wrote an article about Eunice Foote for Physics Today. Her article became Physics Today's most shared article in 2021. Today, most consider Eunice to be a founder of climate science. Her article inspired the University of Cambridge to host a panel discussion about women in climate science on International Women's Day, March 8. As a guest speaker on the panel, Maura told Eunice Foote's story, discussed the historical barriers many women faced in the pursuit of science, and emphasized why it is important to learn about science history to build a more equitable, sustainable future.