Maria Sklodowska - Marie Curie-opened up the science of radioactivity; it's best known as the discoverer of the radioactive elements polonium and radium, and as the first cientific to win two Nobel prizes: Physics and Chemistry. For their colleagues and the general public, the radium was a key to a basic change in our understanding of matter and energy. Her work not only influenced the development of fundamental science, but also ushered in a new era in medical research and treatment.