She Can STEM

Gerty Cori

THE CORI CYCLE

CHEMISTRY

SETTING SAIL

Named after a transatlantic ship, Gerty Theresa Cori was born in Prague in 1896. Her father was a chemist who directed a sugar refinery, and she was tutored at home by her mother until she was ten and began attending the local school for girls. By the time she was sixteen, Gerty had decided that she wanted to be a medical doctor but discovered that she lacked many of the classes that were required. She worked extremely hard and over a year learned the science, language, and math she would need to study medicine. Her uncle, who was a professor of pediatrics, encouraged her to apply to medical school and she was admitted to a university in Prague.

A LAB PARTNER

While she was in medical school, ...