Elizabeth Monroe Boggs: From Quantum Chemistry to the Manhattan Project

Elizabeth Monroe, married Boggs (1913−1996), trained as a mathematician at Bryn Mawr, as a mathematical chemist at Cambridge, and as a theoretical chemist at Cornell, before joining the Manhattan Project at the Explosives Research Laboratory. Although her contributions to the fields of computational quantum chemistry, statistical mechanics, and explosives had lasting legacies, her scientific career nevertheless ended with World War II. The birth of her son, who suffered from severe developmental disabilities, prevented her from ever rejoining the research workforce. She pivoted instead to a remarkable life of public advocacy for people with disability, building on her scientific training to move research and policy forward. This chapters retraces how Monroe Boggs went from an early quantum chemistry enthusiast to a key figure of the disability rights movement.

Duke Scholars

Author Patrick Charbonneau Physics

Editor Patrick Charbonneau Physics