Lise Meitner: One Of The First Female Scientist

Lisa Jardine’s Ingenious Pursuits: Building the Scientific Revolution provides a comprehensive breakdown of the discoveries that defined the Scientific Revolution and the history behind them. The story of the scientific revolution truly begins with a separation between the Catholic Church and the denizens of Europe brought on by the Protestant Reformation. This separation led directly to the questioning of the church and what they deemed to be true. The growing suspicion of the church applied not only to the politics and religious views but the scientific “facts” the church was built upon. The suspicion of these scientific facts quickly grew to an open challenging of these facts, The Scientific Revolution. The Scientific Revolution is something we have all studied in our grade school years and the discoveries of people such as Isaac Newton and Galileo Galilei are well documented and arguably common knowledge but Jardine’s book Ingenious Pursuits encapsulates the scientific revolution in a new light. Jardine accomplishes this by telling the stories of some of the greatest achievements of the Scientific Revolution. These stories reveal the collaborations of some of histories most brilliant minds as well as the secrecy amongst them and uncover the motives that fueled many of these accomplishments.

During the Middle Ages, except for those in religious positions, women were only seen as three things, which were daughter, wife, and mother. But in the fourteenth through sixteenth centuries, new opportunities in learning humanism arose for only those in the higher class families. Even though they started to educate themselves, the majority had no rights whatsoever in money matters as well as estate. From the 17th century and up to the scientific revolution, women’s rights had consistently been improving. However, during the revolution, the study of the human body brought to attention that the male brain is quite larger than that of a female. This revelation set back the female race back to a limited role, but this time this setback was

One woman that made a major contribution to the field of science was Mae C. Jemison. Jemison was born in Decatur, Alabama on October 17th, 1956. Her parents were just average people, her father was a carpenter and her mother an elementary school

As hard as is it is today for women to succeed in the sciences, one must give kudos to those that came before us. These are the women that paved the way for today's generation of women scientists. One such woman is Rosalind Elsie Franklin, a chemist who had a great impact on the modern day field of genetics.

Born in 1912, Chien-Shiung Wu was an overlooked physician who broke a law of physics when contributing to the Manhattan Project in the 40’s! She helped in developing the atom bomb at Columbia University, and ”became known as one of the best experimental physicists of her time”-According to Nina Byers, a retired Physics professor who taught at University of California in Los Angeles.

Women have always been at the forefronts of science, even though they have not always taken the credit for it. One of the defining marks of humanity is our ability to affect and predict our environment. Science - the creation of structure for our world - technology - the use of structure in our world - and mathematics - the common

Amid the mid 1900s, women were a rarity in the field of science. Female participation in the field was not encouraged. Women were often discouraged from advancing their education and indulging in advanced academics solely due to gender. The relentless acts of courageous women continued to challenge the lack of diversity within the science world. Rachel Carson was a pioneer in changing the face of science. Carson broke barriers with her ecological education, forcing the acknowledgment of female researchers today.

The Disappearing Spoon written by author Sam Kean, is a book in where it talks about how the elements from the periodic table play a huge role into where we stand today. Kean digs deep down into where and how these elements were discovered or created. From the stories of the elements he can tell the reader how it led to other stories of science, history, finance, mythology, the arts, medicine, and more Ch. 1 In Geography is Destiny, the author Sam Kean begins by going into the organization of the periodic table.

Inez Robb, an impressive woman herself, wrote an article entitled, “Youthful Physicist Wins ‘Woman of The Year’ Award”, published in the Washington Post on December 30, 1945. Less than a year after the end of World War II, women were feeling pressure to return to their positions back in the home, to go back to being the feminine ideal.

Marie M. Daly came from a family who very strongly believed in good education and supported her scientific research. She enrolled in Queen’s College in order to live at home. She completed her master’s degree in 1943. There was a shortage of male scientists in World War 2, and because of it Daly was awarded funding for her Ph.D

“In 1912 their research group was relocated to the new Kaiser Wilhelm Gesellschaft, where Fritz Haber was head of the physical chemistry institute, Hahn was head of the radioactivity institute, and from 1918 Meitner was head of the radioactivity institute’s physics department” (Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner, and Fritz Strassmann, n.d.). Hahn served as the the German gas warfare service headed by Haber and Meitner volunteered as an X-Ray nurse for the Austrian Army, during World War I. During the partnership between the two Meitner was the first to calculate the release of energy by the splitting of the uranium atom, known today as nuclear fission. Sullivan states, “According to The New York Times, “Dr. Meitner is credited with having laid much of the theoretical groundwork for the atomic bomb, although she did not participate directly in its production.” (Sullivan 2010) Meitner’s goal was never to produce something that would become part of an atomic weapon, but only to discover something new. Nuclear fission is used as a second source or energy to nonrenewable fossil fuels. “In the process of nuclear fission, energy is being generated from the fission of thorium, uranium or plutonium atoms. The majority of nuclear power plants utilize enriched uranium. Once the uranium atom takes in neutron, it splits or fissions, into 2 segments along with the other particles which reach peak speeds. Once they stop, heat will be converted into energy. After this, water will absorb the heat from the used fuel rods, generating steam that draws the turbines, which produce electricity.” (OCCUPYTHEORY 2014) Meitner’s discovery of nuclear fission has both positives and negatives, but positives outway negatives. Looking at both sides of the argument, people’s biggest concern is the cost of starting up the plant and not making

In the beginning of the life of one of the most significant female scientist to date, there was obscurity. Born in Vienna, Austria on November 7th of 1878 during turmoil of war and persecution that would seem to not cease throughout her life, she was bound to surpass her limitations as a necessity to prosper the scientific status. Born the third child out of eight in a Jewish family, she still was not one to go unnoticed or to be persuaded, as a strong minded individual tends to be. At the time of her birth, her family was fairly wealthy, and though of Jewish background, did not practice the religious beliefs of the Jewish heritage. This meant that although she was Austrian in nationality, her ancestors practiced the Jewish way of life, yet it was not as discernable in Meitner or her direct family. Her mother Hedwig Skovran, a musician, was not well known but of enough skill to continue the occupation, while her father, Philipp Meitner, was a lawyer and a master of chess. Her siblings, much like her parents, grew up to be detached from the Jewish culture, which would lead them towards Christianity during a time of maltreatment of those of Jewish features or religion. This change of religious beliefs would be reflected in Meitner as well in 1908 at the age of thirty as she converted to the Lutheran church. This change of religious practice would not make a difference after the rise of Hitler, which catalyzed the already present disfavor towards the

Lisa meitner was born 7 November 1878 she is a resident of Austria Germany Sweden and United Kingdom. At the age of eight years old she started to keep records of math and science. Lisa went to Austrian Swedish, she worked on radioactivity and nuclear physics. She was the second woman to obtain a doctoral degree. When she was in the University she took everything seriously. Lisa's partner was Otto Hahn they let a small group. They discovered nuclear fission of uranium. The nuclear weapons created in the US during World War II. They use nuclear weapons against Japan. Most of her scientific career was in Berlin.

Born on November 7, 1867 in Warsaw, Poland, Marie Sklodowska, better known as Marie Curie, is famously known for being the first woman to win a Nobel Peace prize and first one person to win twice. Curie’s knowledge has led to the discovery or both polonium and radium and helped with creation of the X-ray. Curie’s legacy has led to various breakthroughs in science and continues to impact the the world today. Marie Curie grew up in an impoverished household, being the youngest of 5 siblings. She obtained an average education in primary school and continued to be a excellent student in secondary school.

Marie Curie LIFE OF MARIE CURIE      Marie Curie(1867-1934) was a French physicist with many accomplishments in both physics and chemistry. Marie and her husband Pierre, who was also a French physicist, are both famous for their work in radioactivity.      Marie Curie, originally named Marja Sklodowska, was born in Warsaw, Poland on Nov.7, 1867. Her first learning of physics came from her father who taught it in high school. Marie's father must have taught his daughter well because in 1891, she went to Paris(where she changed her original name) and enrolled in the Sorbonne.