Layers of Brilliance: The Chemical Genius of Catherine Burr Blodgett

In this episode from Scientific American's Science Quickly, Lost Women of Science spotlights Catherine Burr Blodgett, a physicist and chemist whose work helped spark nanotechnology nearly a century ago. Host Katie Haffner discusses Blodgett's career at General Electric's Research Laboratory, where she co-developed non-reflective glass through Langmuir–Blodgett film coatings and helped advance surface chemistry long before the field carried that name. The episode also highlights the era's barriers for women in science, including marriage rules that forced many to give up work, and Blodgett's decision not to marry. A surprising archival find in a New Hampshire family's storage locker adds a deeply human dimension to her scientific legacy. Learn more at LostWomenofScience.org.

Introduction

The episode inaugurates Layers of Brilliance, a multi‑episode turn in Lost Women of Science that revisits Catherine Burr Blodgett, a remarkable but underrecognized physicist and chemist who worked in the early GE Research Laboratory. The host, Kendra Pierre Lewis, and co‑executive producer Katie Haffner discuss why telling Blodgett's story matters today, highlighting how industrial pure science supported groundbreaking work and who carried that effort forward, often women who faced discrimination and barriers.

"these are not cartoon characters, these are not kind of one-off people. They were, in fact, a fully realized human in so many ways." - Katie Haffner, host and co-executive producer of Lost Women of Science

Catherine Blodgett's early life and education

Blodgett demonstrated mathematical brilliance from a young age, studied at Bryn Mawr College on a substantial scholarship at 15, and was nudged toward physics by a professor who recognized her talent. She pursued graduate work at the University of Chicago and went on to Cambridge University, where she became the first woman to earn a PhD in physics in 1926. The narrative places her achievements within the era's constraints on women in academia and industry, including marriage‑related employment restrictions that shaped many careers.

Scientific contributions and the Langmuir–Blodgett technique

The conversation centers on Langmuir's surface chemistry and Blodgett's refinement of molecularly thin layer coatings. She and Langmuir demonstrated that stacked, one‑molecule‑thick layers could create non‑reflective glass, a breakthrough with wide implications for optics, electronics, and preservation of artifacts in museums. The discussion notes that Blodgett achieved this using relatively simple methods — dipping slides in troughs of solution — decades before modern nanotechnology equipment existed, illustrating how fundamental science advances can precede, and enable, later technological leaps.

"her eureka moment where she realized that stacking layers could yield non-reflecting glass." - Katie Haffner

Personal life, barriers, and the culture of science

The episode examines the brutal gender dynamics of Blodgett's time, where marriage could terminate a woman’s career in university or industry. Blodgett never married, a choice framed within a system that often valued domestic life over scientific contribution. Yet the narrative emphasizes her full humanity beyond the lab, noting her religious devotion, talent as an amateur actor and poet, love of skiing, and the intense dedication she brought to her work. This holistic portrayal counters stereotypes of scientists as one‑dimensional figures and highlights how personal and professional identities intertwine in historical contexts.

Behind the scenes: archival discovery and storytelling

The producers recount nearly a year of research and an unexpected find in a New Hampshire family’s storage locker that adds texture to Blodgett’s life and work. This revelation underscores the persistence required in investigative storytelling and signals how private archives can illuminate overlooked figures in science.

"We stumbled on this in a family's storage locker in New Hampshire." - Katie Haffner

Why this season matters

The episode situates Blodgett within a broader project to rewrite the record of women in science, emphasizing that half the population contributed to scientific progress and that discrimination and gatekeeping shaped careers. Lost Women of Science aims to build a database of hundreds of women who deserve recognition, offering a more inclusive and accurate history of science and its development.

Listen and engage

Listeners are encouraged to explore the Layers of Brilliance season and access transcripts at LostWomenofScience.org to learn more about Blodgett’s life and the ongoing work to elevate forgotten women in science.