Lise Meitner


    On our walking tour yesterday we stopped outside of Humboldt University of Berlin. While we were stopped we got to talk about Lisa Mintier because her statue was just inside the gate! Here are some of the things I learned from Professor M. McFarland! She was born in Austria and was the 2nd woman to graduate in physics. She ended up moving to Berlin because it was the only place where she would be given a lab. This “lab” was literally a woodworking shop. Yikes. One of my favorite facts I learned about her was that despite being given this crappy lab, she still went on to be one of the only two women to have a periodic element named after her. Lise discovered nuclear fission with her partner Otto Hahn. Otto Hahn ended up winning the Nobel prize, but of course Lise didn’t. Classic. Throughout her life, Lise was nominated 49 times but never won. This is crazy to me. I wonder if she would have won in today's world. Lise sounds like a very cool woman to me and I am very glad I had the opportunity to learn about her. 

    Lise was a very intelligent woman. But more importantly she was a good moral person. Lise was asked to join the Manhattan project, but she turned it down for moral reasons. She could have been a part of this huge, famous thing but she did not want to be a part of something that was going to kill. I think that this is one of her biggest contributions to her field. I think she sets a standard of just because I can do something, it doesn't mean I should. Just because I have the brains to make a bomb, doesn't mean I am going to. I think that she can serve as an inspiration to people in her field that have to deal with the same dilemma.

    I think she has been commemorated well! She has a statue on university grounds, which I think is a very appropriate place. I am sure that she serves as an inspiration for many students, female in particular. I also learned from Professor M. McFarland that she has a bust in the university of Vienna. I love that this woman has been put in universities. She had a brilliant mind and these universities are celebrating that. Lastly, people are able to visit her “lab” (woodshop). I think getting to see where she worked is a great form of commemoration. People are able to get a glimpse into her life.


Comments

  1. Sophie CandlandJune 12, 2024 at 8:29 AM

    Great post, Molly! I loved your thoughts about how she has been commemorated. She was so brilliant, so I also agree with you in that her commemorations are appropriate for her contributions! I also agree with the aspect of people are able to get a glimpse into her life. I think this allows people to appreciate her and all of her work so much more!

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  2. Kaia HathawayJune 12, 2024 at 1:03 PM

    Loved this post, Molly! I also appreciate your point about her commemoration. Even though there are a lot of things named after her, there are still so many people who don't even know of her and her contributions. As we discussed in our lecture today, despite having many things named after her, the guest professor hadn't even heard of her. And she is in the field of science! In that sense, I think more can be done to honor Meitner. Also, the challenges she faced were indeed significant. Being both a woman and Jewish at that time created numerous barriers for her. It's still incredibly frustrating to hear how many times she was nominated for a Nobel Prize without winning, while Hahn did.

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  3. Lilly PetersonJune 12, 2024 at 2:01 PM

    Lovin the shades! Lise Meitner definitely faced a lot of obstacles throughout her career, such as discrimination against her because she was a woman, and also because she was Jewish. It is crazy to me that she had to work in a woodshop, was still able to discover nuclear fission, and then was passed over for the Nobel Prize SO many times! It is really sad to me that she then lost her positions because of the Nazis. Still, despite all of these obstacles, she made insanely important contributions to the world of science and left her mark!

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  4. EleaseJune 17, 2024 at 4:44 AM


    I love this post!!! Many things stood in her way including sexism. As a woman she experienced many things like not being given a proper lab and not being treated as an equal to her male counterparts.

    Learning about this woman and all she contributes helps us to understand that Berlin is a cultural capital and a leader in science because of woman like Lise Meitner.

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  5. Hannah BryanJune 19, 2024 at 9:17 AM

    Wonderful post Molly! Lisa Meitner faced lots of obstacles in her career. She had to go to Berlin as opposed to her native Vienna because the university in vienna was unwilling to give her a lab to work in. The university that hired her in Berlin gave her a makeshift, barebones workplace. The research she did that was repeatedly nominated for nobel prizes were consistently turned down even though she was an incredible and revolutionary scientist.

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