Lise Meitner
Today I got the opportunity to learn about Lise Meitner! To be completely honest, I knew a little about her, but not a ton. So it was super interesting to learn more about her from MaryAnn! Maryann told us she was born in October of 1878 in Vienna. She went to the University of Austria and was the second woman to graduate from there in physics. She came up to Berlin to do experiments and have a lab. She worked with Otto Honn and together they made the discovery of nuclear fission. She was nominated for a Nobel prize 49 times and didn’t win a single one. She was invited many times to come and speak to the group, but never won a prize. Another fact about her is that she was invited to participate in the Manhattan Project. She said she wanted no part in a bomb, and said no because it was unethical. She died in 1968 from a heart attack, and on her grave it says how even though she was a scientist, she never lost her humanity.
I think there are many things that make Lise Meitner’s contribution important. First, her work led to the development of nuclear energy and atomic weapons. This impacted energy production, global politics, and scientific research in general. Her achievements also focus on and put light to women's roles in science, going against the gender norms and inspiring a future generation of female scientists. Even after losing the Nobel prize so many times, she never gave up, and her legacy shows that. Her legacy acknowledges her work and all of the strides she made in the field not only for women but for science in general, and it emphasizes the importance of never giving up and focusing on things you’re passionate about!
In my opinion, I do think Lise Meitner has been commemorated well. As MaryAnn was telling us, she not only has the statue in Vienna, but also one in Berlin. She also has streets and schools in honor of her and her achievements. She also has an element named after her; element 109, Meitnerium. I think these commemorations are fitting for her pioneering work in nuclear physics and her role in discovering nuclear fission. However, like we were talking about, some argue that although she has all of these things, her legacy could be more celebrated in mainstream scientific history.
Yay!
Sophie
Absolutely fire post Sophie. I think it is truly incredible that such an amazing and intelligent woman was able to make her contributions in the city of Berlin. The fact that the place that would let her have a "lab" was Berlin shows how ahead of its time the city really was. This deepens my understanding of Berlin as a cultural capital because it shows that they were more accepting of women, when most cities were not. I think you did a good job writing about this and the entirety of Lise Meitner's history. Great job!!
ReplyDeleteLOVELY! I love that she was able to make such an impact and be well recognized for it now it terms of being so well commemorated. She deepens our understanding of history so much because she played a vital role! The only issue is that she didn't receive enough recognition during her lifetime and never won that dang Nobel prize! I love that now we are doing better to focus on her achievements now and with other women as well! Fantastic post my friend!
ReplyDeleteI love this post!! Lisa Meitner experienced many different things that hampered her in her field of study. One of these included not having a proper lab and not being able to study at her original University. These things still happen today like the professor that was mistreated as she was teaching.
ReplyDeleteThis shows that Berlin has always been a leader in science and continues to be today. I love that we are able to deepen our understanding about how much importance Berlin puts into science.
Great post Sophie! Lise Meitner had a lot of obstacles to overcome in her field. One was that she was not allowed to have an actual lab when she began her job. She also worked with Otto Hahn and other scientists and they stole her work. She also never got a nobel prize even though people who stole her work got them.
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