Stephanie Kwolek — KevlarKwolek only intended to work for DuPont temporarily, to save up to study medicine. YouTube / WeBoMediaLLCIn the 1960s, chemical company DuPont was trying to find a lighter alternative to steel to reinforce car tires. Kwolek began working with a team at DuPont, experimenting on groups of long-chain molecules with a rigid rod-like structure, known as aromatic polyimides. The DuPont Kevlar Survivors Club, founded in 1987 by police officers who owe their lives to bullet-proof vests is a testament to Kwolek's work but Kevlar has also saved the lives of many soldiers and motorcyclists. After she retired, Kwolek continued to work at her home lab.

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