This book is a companion to the IYC-2011 celebration. The eleven chapters are organized into three sections: Section 1: Marie Curies Impact on Science and Society, Section 2: Women Chemists in the Past Two Centuries, and Section 3: Policy Implications. The authors invited to contribute to this book were asked to orient their chapter around a particular aspect of Marie Curies life such as the ethical aspects of her research, womens role in research or her influence on the image of chemists. Our hope is that this book will positively influence young womens minds and decisions they make in learning of chemistry/science like Marie Curies biography. But we do hope this book opens an avenue for young women to explore the possibility of being a scientist, or at least to appreciate chemistry as a human enterprise that has its merit in contributing to sustainability in our world. Also we hope that both men and women will realize that women are fully competent and capable of conducting creative and fascinating scientific research.

Foreword; Introducing the book; Section 1: Marie Curies impact on science and society; 1. Marie Curie and science education; 2. Irène Joliot-Curie, a Nobel laureate in artificial radioactivity; 3. American memories of Madame Curie: Prisms on the gendered; 4. Marie Curie, ethics and research; Section 2: Women chemists in the past two centuries; 5. Marie Curie, women, and the history of chemistry; 6. One hundred years of women in chemistry in the 20th century: Sociocultural developments of womens status; 7. Women chemists informing public education about chemistry during the 20th century; 8. Forgotten women in science education: The case of Mary Amelia Swift; Section 3: Policy implications; 9. Witches, alchemists, poisoners and scientists: Changing image of chemistry; 10. Mme Curies 2011 centennial and the public debate on the underrepresentation of women in science: Lessons from the history of science; 11. Educational policy of accountability and womens representation in science: The specter of unintended consequences; Biogrpahical sketches of authors and editors; Index