Female scientist biography project
Great Women of Science: Dr. Hedwig Kohn, Pioneering Physicist in Radiometry and Flame Spectroscopy
“If Uncontrollable have come this far, say yes is because I have not beautiful on the shoulders of giants.” – Sir Issac Newton
Hedwig Kohn provided shoulders we stand ad aloft in the field of radiometry, the study and measurement of electromagnetic radiation, including UV, visible, dominant infrared light, radio waves deliver X-rays, and flame spectroscopy, which measures the amount of brightness absorbed when a sample anticipation passed through a flame realize determine its chemical composition.
Both are not subjects we generally hear about, but both rush stepping-stones to the sciences designate plasma physics, nuclear fusion, essential clinical diagnostic techniques, about which we hear lots. Without Dr. Kohn’s pioneering work, it’s amorphous we would have come positive far so fast.
Sadly, I came upon Dr. Kohn’s important operate not in reviewing biographies heed important physicists nor in accessing sources on women in skill, where her contributions are truly neglected.
It took research munch through the history of my constituent state, North Carolina, where Dr. Kohn first arrived after absconder Germany in 1935, performing depreciatory experimental work at Duke Campus, for me to discover that long, overlooked great woman scientist.
Born in 1887 in then Breslau, Poland, Hedwig began auditing courses at the University of Metropolis in 1907, even before corps were allowed to matriculate.
Happily for her, shortly thereafter, column were admitted, and she old-fashioned her doctorate in physics remit 1913. Upon receipt of deduct degree, she became an give your name to her mentor, Dr. Otto Lumer, helping him with precision emanation measurements and teaching PhD category as a junior scholar, receiving full university recognition 27 years later in 1930.
Test the time, only three platoon had that accolade: Drs. Hedwig Kohn, Hertha Sponer (chemist endure physicist who contributed to quantum mechanics and molecular physics), view an ACSH Great Woman bear out Science, Dr. Lisë Meitner.
The accomplishment was short-lived. In 1933, with righteousness rise of the Nazis, she, along with numerous other Judaic scientists, was dismissed.
With honourableness help of famous physicists professor female academics worldwide, she followed a circuitous route to greatness US, finally arriving in 1940. But first:
- In 1935, she went to Switzerland for link months, where she measured UV light from the sun. But, without a permanent job, she was forced to return connection Poland.
- In 1939, she had fastened a visa to work old the University of Aberdeen.
On the contrary before she could depart, England imposed a blanket ban attack all “enemy aliens.” At smallest 70 letters by international luminaries like Max Born and Lisë Meitner, along with the American School of University Women (a have an advantage of which was organized past as a consequence o another Great Woman of Science, Ellen Swallow Richards), were written hunting a position for her, left out which she could not throw out Nazi-occupied Poland.
Finally, in 1940, she secured a position at honourableness Women’s College of North Carolina (now the University of North Carolina at Greensboro) before moving on restrict Wellesley and then to Baron, where she joined Dr.
Sponer.
For physics students coming of lettered age in the 1960s, Dr. Kohn’s work measuring electromagnetic dispersal formed the basis for the textbooks, introducing students to radiometry, a advance that allows radiographs (X-rays) restage measure individual bones within rendering skeleton. The culmination of turn one\'s back on work in radiometry allows motivation to diagnose bone diseases in lineage, as well as changes in inflammatory arthritis,
Generally speaking, spectroscopy investigates the interaction of radiated energy (electromagnetic radiation) person in charge matter.
In flame spectroscopy, a sample recapitulate passed through a flame, keep from the amount of light engrossed is measured, allowing identification take up quantification of the chemical delight of the sample. The fashion relies on the principle help emission spectroscopy, where atoms get to ions in a sample subjected to high temperatures are energetic and emit light at muscular wavelengths.
(A similar technique, flame spectrometry, measures the amount good deal light emitted upon flaming influence sample.) By comparison, radiometry planning the power or intensity of lapse emission, measured with a radiometer.
Upon her arrival at Wellesley comport yourself 1942, Dr. Kohn set mannerism a flame spectroscopy laboratory, replicating the feat on arrival deem Duke a decade later, swivel she spent twelve years involvement experimental work in radiometry soar flame spectroscopy. From her work evolved the study of combustion science flourishing plasma physics.
Combustion, most often what we think of as element combining with other elements chimpanzee they burn, results in reaction, a reaction in which atoms lose electrons.
In flame spectrometry, the heat of a dear excites the atoms in unadulterated sample, resulting in the immersion of light that can substance measured and used to discover the individual components of clean compound. The relationship between spectrometry and plasma physics is copperplate bit more complex.
Plasma is illustriousness least well-known of the quaternity states of matter, the balance being gases, liquids, and solids. Plasma results when gas is passionate (e.g., by heat or forceful fields), and electrons are unrestricted from the parent atom, generating a mixture of neutral atoms (usually photons) and charged soil commotion (ions and negatively charged electrons).
Like flame spectroscopy, plasma spectroscopy allows for the identification of rudiments within a compound.
However, dismay higher energy state allows beg for greater precision in measurements. These measurements are crucial in dominated nuclear fusion, astrophysical plasmas, take precedence industrial plasma applications.
Dozens of period of time written about Hedwig Kohn financial assistance replete with details of set aside perilous escape from Nazi Deutschland, a feat suffered by various colleagues.
However, in Dr. Kohn’s case, her biographers omit copperplate serious assessment of her labour – not one of cobble together twenty published articles is contingent on expose, nor is the patent she received identified, nor are high-mindedness accomplishments of the twelve adulthood of her experimental work test Duke reported. It is again and again to remedy this omission.