Discovering Dr. Wu

The fascinating life story behind a universe-changing mind. The world reveres Chien-Shiung Wu as a groundbreaking nuclear physicist who made a startling explanation for the universe's existence. She was a rockstar in China and later became famous in America. But, to Jada Yuan, she was Grandma. In this story of loss, scientific ambition and the questions we have about our families that are too late to ask, Yuan explores the tale of a pioneering yet overlooked nuclear physicist who was celebrated with a 2021 USPS stamp. 

"Like many children who come from families of immigrants — or from families of scientists or families who lived through war and destruction — I didn't realize how little I knew of her life until it was too late to ask. Memories merge. Our family stories have been retold so many times in official accounts and biographies that it's unclear which versions are true. The past is a closed chapter. The first generation works to distance itself from the old ways, the language, the food. Second-generation grandchildren, like me, circle back around, yearning to know more about where it all began."