Feb, 11, 1939: Lise Meitner, 'Our Madame Curie'
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| Audience/Grade: | College Freshman-Continuing Education |
| Discipline(s): |
Chemical, Biochemical, Biomolecular Engineering Engineering Diversity Engineering Ethics History of Science and Technology Nuclear Engineering |
| Special Topic(s): | |
| Learning Resource Type: |
Reference - Article/Document |
| Media Type: |
Unknown |
| Author(s): |
Beverly Hanly |
| Description: | Wired article on Lise Meitner's publication on nuclear fission, Feb. 11, 2010. Excerpt: "1939: Austrian-born physicist Lise Meitner publishes her discovery that atomic nuclei split during some uranium reactions. Her research will be overlooked by the Nobel committee when it awards a prize for the work. Meitner is a prominent example of a woman whose gender put her in the back seat when the top prize was given. The political climate in Nazi Germany contributed to her obscurity — as a Jew, she had to flee the country to survive, but leaving cost her the chance to publish with her colleagues. Plain old scientific jealousy also played a part in who got credit for discoveries that led to splitting the atom and, ultimately, the atomic bomb and nuclear power. Other honors would come late in life to Meitner. Einstein even called her “our Marie Curie.” |
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| Related Resources | |
| Keywords: | Lise Meitner gender equity fission nuclear fission |
| Usage Tip | |
| Use of Resource: |
An interesting case study in gender discrimination, Jewish discrimination and the history of technology. "A letter from Bohr documents her inspiration in December 1938. Although some historians say that Hahn hoped he would be able to add her name later, others report that he maintained the fiction that Meitner functioned as a junior assistant. Whatever his intention, her insights were key to his discoveries ? and to the developments in radioactivity and nuclear processes that changed the world." |
| Difficulty: |
Easy |
| Interactivity Level: |
Low |
| Version Info | |
| Publication Date: | February 2010 |
| Platform/Format: |
WWW |
| Cost: |
Free |
| Download URL: | http://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2010/02/0211lise-meitner-publi |
| Metadata: |
IEEE LOM Record |
| Collection: |
NEEDS
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