She concentrated on finding polymers that would dissolve at low heat so they could be spun into fibers at room temperature. When she was assigned to research extra strong and stable polymers in 1964, she turned to liquid crystal solutions in which all the molecules line up in one direction. Her experiments yielded a solution unlike any she'd ever seen. Most polymer solutions are thick, more like syrup. This was more like water.
Most solutions are transparent.
That milkiness made the technician nervous about putting the solution into the fiber-making machine, called a spinneret. He thought there probably were solid particles that would clog up the spinneret's fine holes. Today, Kevlar is found in a range of products. Ropes that anchor oil rigs to the ocean floor. And Stephanie Kwolek, who retired in 1986 with 17 patents to her name and was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1995, doesn't regret not making it to medical school.