22 Donna Strickland Quotes for You to Enjoy

Donna Strickland

Canadian Physicist

Born: May 27, 1959

Because People Physics Think Women You

In high school, I was very good in math and physics. I wasn’t good at much of anything else. Some people are good at a lot of things. I don’t know how they choose what to do. Donna Strickland

Good People Physics School Some People Else High Some High School Know How Math Lot Very Anything Anything Else Much Choose Things

I got paid the same as my male counterpart grad students and onward. Donna Strickland

Onward Students Counterpart Got Male Grad Same Paid

If somebody else thinks something that you don't believe in, just think they're wrong and you're right and keep going. That's pretty much the way I always think. Donna Strickland

You Somebody Believe Think Else Way Pretty Something Wrong Always Going Just Much Keep Keep Going Right Thinks

Because the high-intensity pulses are short, the laser only damages the area where it's applied. The result is precise, clean cuts that are ideal for transparent materials. Donna Strickland

Result Pulses Only Area Clean Ideal Because Materials Precise Short Where Cuts Transparent Laser Applied Damages

When I was a first-year in grad school, there were 18 of us in the Ph.D. program, and four of us were women. Donna Strickland

Women School Were Grad Grad School Us Four Program

I still try to make different types of lasers that other people don’t have. Donna Strickland

People Try Other Types Make Still Different Different Types

We must give scientists the opportunity through funding and time to pursue curiosity-based, long-term, basic-science research. Donna Strickland

Time Opportunity Research Must Give Pursue Through Long-Term Scientists Funding

My PhD project was actually doing something that required a high-intensity laser. It was supposed to work in a way that many, many photons of light would interact with an atom all at the same time. Donna Strickland

Work Time Light Project Way Would Atom Something Supposed Doing Same Same Time Interact Required Many Actually Laser PhD

What the ultrafast laser does is that because it doesn’t have to just cut from the surface, it’s only at the intense focal point that it does this damage where the electrons come off the atoms, you could actually put your laser and scan it over your cornea and it would cut underneath that. Donna Strickland

You Atoms Focal Focal Point Scan Would Only Point Could Put Over Come Underneath Because Does Surface Off Intense Just Where Cut Your Electron Actually Laser Damage

We proved that we could increase laser intensity by orders of magnitude. In fact, CPA led to the most intense laser pulses ever recorded. Our findings changed the world's understanding of how atoms interact with high-intensity light. Donna Strickland

World Light Atoms Understanding Increase Changed Pulses Our Recorded Fact Magnitude Could Most How Proved Led Intense Intensity Interact In Fact Orders Ever Laser

I was a very shy kid and both my best friend and my sister went to Waterloo, and I just thought no I can’t, I can’t go there because I’ll just hang on to them and no one will even know who the heck I am and that’s no way to go through life. Donna Strickland

Life Best I Am Will Thought Sister Waterloo Way Kid Best Friend Both Through No-One Know Because Am Go Friend Very Hang Just Heck Them Who Even Shy

My parents were definitely the biggest influence in my life. Donna Strickland

Life My Life Parents Definitely Were Influence Biggest Biggest Influence

But I don’t see myself as a woman in science. I see myself as a scientist. Donna Strickland

Myself Science Woman I See See Scientist

I feel that women should start to get to be recognized more because for some reason not all men want to recognize us or not all people, but I think that's a minority. I think the majority of people are ready. Donna Strickland

I think for a long time we were just 10 percent women in physics, and so obviously people can see things in the way they’ve always been seen. Donna Strickland

Time Women People Physics Long Seen Long Time Think I Think Way See Percent Obviously Always Were Been Just Things

It is understandable that people want to know how it affects them. But as a scientist, I would hope society would be equally interested in fundamental science. Donna Strickland

Hope Science People Society Would Would-Be Know Equally Understandable How Scientist Affects Want Interested Them Fundamental