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. Over these years, she contributed to the birth of computational quantum chemistry with J. E. Lennard-Jones, the emergence of hard sphere crystallization with J. G. Kirkwood, and the development of implosion technology as part of Project Q. Despite these remarkable contributions, her scientific career nevertheless ended with World War II. Following the birth of her son, who suffered from a severe developmental disability, she pivoted to a life of public advocacy for people with disability, for which she is broadly recognized today. By contrast, her scientific training, which later helped her move research and policy forward, is little known. This talk retraces how Monroe Boggs went from early quantum chemistry enthusiast to key figure of the disability rights movement.