# Layers of Brilliance: The Breakthrough - Episode Four

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/lost-women-of-science-4474223/layers-of-brilliance-the-breakthrough-episode-four
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/lost-women-of-science-4474223/layers-of-brilliance-the-breakthrough-episode-four.md
Podcast: [Lost Women of Science](https://stenobird.com/podcast/lost-women-of-science-4474223)
Published: 2026-02-26T03:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://play.prx.org/listen?ge=prx_413_05223db2-38af-4a98-91a2-6524dfe74100&uf=https%3A%2F%2Ffeed.lostwomenofscience.org
Audio file: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/tracking.swap.fm/track/sblTq32fyWAjsHzze2LG/dovetail.prxu.org/_/413/05223db2-38af-4a98-91a2-6524dfe74100/KBB_EP_04_V6_PART_1.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/lost-women-of-science-4474223/episodes/layers-of-brilliance-the-breakthrough-episode-four
Duration seconds: 1559

## Resource

The 1930s prove to be an exceptional decade for research at The General Electric Company. Katharine Burr Blodgett works closely alongside her boss, Irving Langmuir who, in 1932, wins the Nobel Prize for Chemistry . In 1938, Katharine’s meticulous experiments with thin film coatings on solid surfaces lead to her most important breakthrough: non-reflecting glass. The General Electric Company’s public relations machine kicks into high gear. Katharine becomes an overnight sensation, both in the scientific community and in the press, which dub her discovery “invisible glass.” The assistant to the Nobel Prize winner, long invisible herself, takes center stage. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

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## Transcript

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