Science Dolls

My next project is still work in progress, but I wanted to share it with you. I am in the process of making dolls of figures in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). I want to highlight women and men who have made a mark in these fields, at the same time raise funds to support charities that have proven to be effective in helping people.  I will choose the charity based on recommendations by groups like Give Well. 

The dolls are made out of wool felt for the body and stuffed with wool. The face is hand embroidered and the hair is made by crocheting a mohair wig cap for each doll. The dolls do stand on their own but to make it nicer for display, I made a stand for each with one of their quotes and an image that relates to their work. 

The first two dolls are of Marie Curie and Rosalind Franklin. Here is a short description of their contributions:

Marie Skłodowska Curie (7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934)
Marie Curie was a Chemist and Physicist. She won two Nobel Prizes for her work in radioactivity (Physics in 1903, Chemistry in 1911). She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. She developed techniques for isolating radioactive isotopes and discovered two elements, polonium, and radium. I tried to represent the electron configuration of an atom of radium-226, the most stable isotope of this element, on the doll stand by beading. The doll stand is also embroidered with a well known quote by Marie Curie: "Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood".

Rosalind Elsie Franklin (25 July 1920 – 16 April 1958)
Rosalind Franklin was a Chemist and X-ray crystallographer. Her X-ray diffraction images were instrumental in determining the structure of DNA. She also made contributions to the understanding of molecular structures of RNA, viruses, graphite, and coal. I embroidered the well known Photo 51 (X-ray diffraction image of DNA) on her belt buckle and the helical structure of DNA on the doll stand. I also embroidered a quote by Rosalind Franklin "Science and everyday life cannot and should not be separated" on the stand, which was found in a letter to her father. ​