Oftentimes, women are looked over, despite the contributions they have made. Men like Issac Newton and Michael Faraday are names we remember from our science classes. However, today, I will be introducing you to Lisa Meitner, to get another name in your head.
Lisa earned her doctorate at the University of Vienna in 1906. After, she worked with Otto Hahn and researched radioactivity. They worked together for three decades. In 1939, Lisa proposed the word fission for the process of barium appearing in neutron-bombarded uranium, in which her and Hahn studied. In the end, only Hahn received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1944 for “discovering” nuclear fission, even though Lisa was involved with the work and proposed the name. Because Lisa is a woman, she was disregarded for her work at the time and did not receive the credit she deserved.
Below is a list of organizations that support women in scientific fields, in which you could support:
- Million Women Mentors- MWM’s goal is to improve the retention of women in STEM careers by finding one-million women in science to mentor girls through high school, college, and into career life.
- Association for Women in Science- AWIS advocates for positive systems to change and increase the awareness of barriers that prevent women from thriving in STEM
- National Girls Collaborative Project- NGCP’s main mission is to make sure all girls have access to resources to stimulate a passion for STEM.