At 4-foot-11, Stephanie Kwolek is hardly an imposing figure.
As the 83-year-old maneuvered her walker around an Acme supermarket recently, she seemed like just another senior shopper in her conservative skirt and blouse. What she lacks in physical stature is more than offset by the contribution she has made.
Kwolek is the scientist behind the discovery of the strong, lightweight fiber known as Kevlar. More than 3,000 law enforcement officers have survived potentially fatal or disabling injuries because of the golden-colored fiber that is spun into sheets used in bulletproof vests, helmets and shields, said Stephanie Jacobson, spokeswoman for DuPont Co. in Wilmington.
In the mid-1960s, Kwolek was a researcher at DuPont, where her work led her to a discovery that became the foundation for Kevlar.
Kwolek was a 42-year-old scientist in search of a super-strong fiber to reinforce radial tires at the company’s Experimental Station when she invented a thin, milky solution of rigid-chain polymers that flowed like water from her lab spatula.
“It wasn’t exactly a ‘eureka moment,’ ” she said, but she sensed she might be onto something. Most polymers have the viscosity of molasses. The physical test results were off the charts in terms of strength and stiffness, she recalled. Initially, Kwolek said, she was afraid to “tell management.” She tested and retested to make sure no mistakes had been made.
“I didn’t want to be embarrassed. When I did tell management, they didn’t fool around. They immediately assigned a whole group to work on different aspects,” she said.
Photo by Jennifer Corbett.
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