Featured today are 10 more women who broke boundaries by their presence in physics. They lived from 1711 to 2000. While I again limited information to one paragraph, I tried to highlight how they got their start, what universities, family members, and scientists were supportive of them. For these women, without the support of fathers, mothers, husbands, and mentors (all male with one exception) their life in science would not have happened. While barriers are not as difficult today as they were at the times these women made their way, it is a testament to what can be done when families and scientists support each other. These women are an inspiration and I hope you look up more information for them. In addition, I'd love to hear who your favorite women in science are in the comments.
![]() |
Laura Bassi by Carlo Vandi |
Laura Bassi (1711-78) lectured on science until a few hoursbefore her death. An Italian
scientist of international fame and one of the first women physicists in
western history, Dr. Bassi earned her doctorate in philosophy and science
through public debate from the University of Bologna. The University of Bologna offered Dr. Bassi a
position in an effort to be known as a leader in women’s education.
Unfortunately, this forward step was not acceptable to much of the rest of the
world’s academic community and required stipulations to Dr. Bassi teaching.
However, she countered these limitations with determination and passion. Her
appointment to full membership in the Bendettini Academics also deterred some
naysayers of Dr. Bassi’s involvement in research and teaching. In order to
further her career, she married. A married woman could achieve more than a
single woman at that time. Her death in 1778 was unexpected, especially as she
had participated in an Academy of Sciences lecture on a few hours before.
If you can access the full article, I highly recommend The Desire to Contribute: AnEighteenth-Century Italian Woman of Science by Gabriella Berti Logan for
more information on Laura Bassi.
Margaret Eliza Maltby (1860-1944) was a recognized scientistand advocate for women in science. She overcame the education offered to
women by taking extra courses in order to attend Oberlin College and receive a
B.A. She studied with the Art Students’ League in New York City to explore her
interest in art and then taught high school before enrolling as a “special
student” at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), receiving her B.S.
Oberlin recognized this extra effort by awarding Dr. Maltby an M.S. She became
a physics instructor at Wellesley College. She was encouraged in her graduate
students by an AAUW fellowship to attend Göttingen University, which culminated
in Dr. Maltby being the first American woman to receive a Ph.D. in physics from
any German university. Dr. Maltby worked as an instructor, a researcher, and
administrator in many universities and
colleges in the U.S. and abroad. Her stature as a scientist was acknowledged
with her entry in the first edition of AmericanMen of Science. She also was active in the AAUW, advocating for women to
gain education and enter scientific fields. After her retirement from
university life, she maintained her interest in the arts.
![]() |
Frederic and Irene Joliot-Cure by By James Lebenthal |
Irène Joliot-Curie (1897-1956) was a Nobel Prize Laureate for "artificial radioactivity." Born to the woman every person thinks
of as the epitome of a woman in science, Marie Curie, Irène had an extremely close
relationship with her paternal grandfather. Her schooling was outside of the
standard schooling type, her first years at home and her latter years in a
science and math heavy co-operative school of Madame Curie’s colleagues. She
received her Bachelor’s degree from the Collège Sévigné and went on to study at
the Sorbonne. She received her doctorate in 1925 based on work with her mother
at the Radium Institute of the Sorbonne. She married Frédéric Joliot, another
research assistant of Madame Curie’s. Dr. Joliot-Curie continued her research,
interrupted by a stint as Undersecretary of State for Scientific Research, one
of the first high government posts to be offered to a woman. She worked as a
professor for the Sorbonne and director of the Radium Institute, but was not
admitted to the Academy of Sciences due to discrimination despite her work. She
died, like her mother, of acute leukemia. Her scientific work was complemented
by her love of physical activity and motherhood.
![]() |
Katharine Burr Blodgett By Smithsonian Institution, U.S. |
Katharine Burr Blodgett (1898-1979) was a woman with an amazing number of firsts. Born to a widow, she was a world
citizen in her formative years, attended high school at a private school in New
York City, won a scholarship to attend Bryn Mawr, and graduated second in her
class there. She received her Master’s degree from the University of Chicago,
then headed off to work with Nobel Laureate Irving Langmuir at General Electric
(GE) and becoming the first woman research scientist there. She was able to work
with Nobel Laureate Sir Ernest Rutherford and earn her Ph.D. from Cambridge
University as the first woman to earn a doctorate from Cambridge. She returned
to GE. During her career, she invented many applications and is credited with
six patents. She achieved much when many women did not, but her work was
de-valued in the media. She did earn recognition from her peers, including the
ACS Garvan Medal, the Photographic Society of America Progress Medal, and a day
named after her in her hometown of Schenectady, NY. In addition to her scientific
life, she enjoyed gardening, civic engagement, acting, and “dart[ing] about
Lake George in a fast motor boat.”
Astrophysicist Charlotte Emma Moore Sitterly (1898-1990) was
an authority on sun composition. She started her career as an excellent student with extracurricular interests,
attending Swarthmore College to earn her B.A. Upon graduation, she accepted a
position as a mathematics computer at Princeton University Observatory, one of
the few employment opportunities available to science inclined women at the
time. A stint at the Mount Wilson Observatory led to results published a 1928
monograph which was considered the authoritative work on the solar spectrum for
four decades. She received her Ph.D. from the University of California,
Berkeley in 1931. Her work earned her the Annie J. Cannon Prize, Silver and
Gold Medals from the Department of Commerce, and several honorary doctorates in
the U.S. and abroad. She was the first woman elected foreign associate by the
Royal Astronomical Society of London. Her enthusiasm for her work continued
until her death.
![]() |
Maria Goeppert-Mayer By Nobel Foundation |
Nuclear Physicist Maria Goeppert-Mayer (1906-1972) was the
second woman to win the physics Nobel. Her early education was public education for girls followed
by a private school founded by suffragettes. Circumstances led Dr.
Goeppert-Mayer to take her exiting exams a year early, passing them she
attended the University of Göttingen for her college education in
mathematics. She continued to study physics at the University of Göttingen,
earning her Ph.D. in 1930. She also married that year. The couple moved to
America in hopes of better career trajectory for Dr. Goeppert-Mayer. Finding a
position was difficult. When she had her first child, she stayed home with her
for one year, then returned to research. While her positions were always
part-time and not well recognized, she grew a well-respected network of
collaborators. This network led to work with Hans Jensen which won her the
Nobel Prize, shared with Jensen. Her network also eventually led to a full
professorship position after 20 years of volunteer work. During this time, her
health began to fail. She persevered with her work, publishing her last paper
in 1965. The American Physical Society established an award in her honor in1985.
Gertrude Scharff Goldhaber (1911-1998) was a respected researcher. She grew up in a time in Germany where girls were expected to
become schoolteachers. She had a fascination with numbers, and eventually
studied physics at the University of Munich, receiving her PhD in 1935. She
fled Germany during the rise of the Nazis due to being Jewish, arriving in the
United States and becoming a citizen in 1944. She had a wide involvement in the
various National Laboratories studying nuclear physics. She also maintained
several committee positions in the science community. She was also a strong
advocate for women in the science community, forming a Women in Science group
at Brookhaven National Lab and supporting other similar groups elsewhere. After her retirement from research, she
continued interests in the history of science, outdoor activities, and art.
![]() |
The Chicago Pile One Team |
Physicist, Molecular Spectroscopist Leona Woods MarshallLibby (1919-1986) Leona Woods grew up on a farm and was known for her
inexhaustible energy. She attained her B.S. in chemistry from the University of
Chicago when she was only 19 years old, and earned her PhD 5 years later. She
worked as the only woman and youngest member of the Chicago Metallurgical
Laboratory, a secret war group led by Enrico Fermi who built the world’s first
nuclear fission reactor during her graduate work. Dr. Woods’ expertise was
essential to the undertaking. She married another member of her team. She hid
her first pregnancy until 2 days before her son’s birth. She took one week off
before returning to work. Childcare was provided by her mother and sometimes
Fermi’s bodyguard, John Baudino. Dr. Marshall was encouraged by Fermi as a
female physicist. In the late 1950s, Dr. Marshall was divorced from her
husband, pursuing her own career. In the early 1960s, Dr. Marshall moved to
Colorado to work and married Willard Libby. Her mind was always considering any
number of problems from many angles. She worked up until her death and was
honored posthumously for her work, along with Lise Meitner, Marie Curie, and
Irene Joliot-Curie.
![]() |
Chien-Shiung Wu |
Chien-Shiung
Wu (1912-1997) was a foremost experimental physicist of modern era. She was encouraged as a girl to pursue her schooling as far
as possible. This led her to teaching training, which lacked science so
she taught herself physics, chemistry, and mathematics. She graduated high
school with the highest grades in her class, earning her a place at the
National Central University in Nanjing. She taught and did research upon
graduation, then moved to the United States to pursue graduate studies. She
earned her Ph.D. from the University of California – Berkeley in 1940, four
years after leaving China. She was known for her expertise in nuclear fission
and was consulted by top scientists. Despite this, her gender and nationality
hindered her finding appropriate employment due to discrimination on both accounts. She married and
started a teaching career, although she missed research. Upon the
recommendation of Ernest Lawrence, she received offers from several Ivy League
schools who were not accepting female students at the time. She became
Princeton’s first woman instructor at that time. She was offered several
positions, including back in China, but chose to remain in the U.S. to raise
her son. She was unable to return to China until 1973. She worked at Columbia
for many decades and earned accolades for her work.
Xide Xie (1921-2000) is a woman in China who needs no introduction. Her early life involved much moving due to war and ill health,
during which she taught herself English, calculus, and physics. She graduated
in 1942 with a degree from Xiamen University. She moved to the United States to
receive her master’s degree from Smith College in 1949 and her Ph.D. in physics
from M.I.T. in 1951. She married in England and returned to China, despite the
political climate. She taught and did research at the prestigious Fudan
University. During the Cultural Revolution of 1966-76, she was detained,
publicly humiliated, and endured breast cancer. After this upheaval, she returned
to Fudan University, growing the physics department and achieving more esteemed
positions in the University and government. She had also remained connected to
her family, caring for her husband through lengthy illness. Her achievements
were internationally recognized.
Awards Mentioned
Benedettini Academics were a select group of scholars from
the Academy of Sciences created and named for Pope Benedict XIV to conduct
research and present it annually at Academy meetings. This appointment
escalated the prestige of the scientist above that given by being a member of
the Academy of Sciences.
American Association for University Women (AAUW): Margaret
Maltby received the European Fellowship from the Association of Collegiate
Alumnae, which became the AAUW. This fellowship was specifically intended to
help American women pursue graduate studies to circumvent rules that did not
allow women to enroll in coeducational universities or earn graduate degrees.
The Nobel Prize is an international award given in several fields. It is one of the most prestigious awards for scientists in the eyes of the public.
The Garvan Medal is an award from the American Chemical Society to recognize distinguished service to chemistry by women chemists.
The Photographic Society of AmericaProgress Medal recognized a person who has made an outstanding contribution to the progress of photography or an allied subject.
Annie Jump Cannon Prize is given to a North American female astronomer in the early stages of her career for her distinguished contribution to the field.
Department of Commerce Silver Medal, Gold Medal are the highest honors granted by the department for distinguished and exceptional performance.
Much of the information for this post came from the book Notable Women in the Physical Sciences: A Biographical Dictionary edited by Benjamin F. Shearer and Barbara S. Shearer.
Images for this post came from Wikimedia Commons.
Adrienne M Roehrich, Double X Science Chemistry Editor
No comments:
Post a Comment