This cache is part of an occasional series about Women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). It’s the first one in the series to be located in Lane County.
Marie Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. She shared her first Nobel Prize, in Physics, with her husband Pierre Curie, in 1903 for their study into spontaneous radiation. She received her second Nobel Prize, in Chemistry, in 1911 for her work in radioactivity. Yes, she received two Nobel Prizes, one in Physics and one in Chemistry. She was the first person to receive two Nobel Prizes, and to date is the only person to receive the prize in two different sciences.
She named the first chemical element she discovered, polonium, after her native Poland. She also discovered radium. The element curium, atomic number 96, is named after Marie and Pierre Curie.
At the University of Oregon, there is a sculpture titled, “Marie Curie Gargoyle” created by Wayne Chabre in 1989. There are also a few other nearby gargoyles of other famous scientists. The posted coordinates will take you to the sidewalk in front of the Marie Curie Gargoyle. When you’re facing the gargoyle, the best view about 5 sidewalk “squares” to the left.
I encourage you to walk around the building where you can see gargoyles of a few other notable scientists.
To claim this virtual cache:
Contact me via e-mail or messenger the answers to these two questions
- What is the name of the building with the Marie Curie Gargoyle
- What was the weather like in Eugene the day you were there (in 10 words or less)
And:
- Take and post on the cache page a picture of yourself or a physical item identifying you (such as your cache name, or GPS) with Marie Curie or one of the other gargoyles on the same building. Your face doesn't need to be in the picture. Regardless of which gargoyle or identifying object you choose to include in your picture, creativity is encouraged.
Fair warning: I will delete logs that are not accompanied by the required information or photo, or where it appears that the cacher did not visit the gargoyle in person.
Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.