Lise Meitner

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#persistence against nuclear weapons

Lise Meitner (1878~1968)

He was a great researcher, almost at the same time as Marie Curie, and was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry/Physics 48 times. In Austria, during childhood, women were only allowed to receive education until the age of 14. After that, they were expected to prepare for marriage, so they had to suspend their studies despite their talent and intelligence. Later, she continued to study independently until the law changed, and she became the second female doctoral student in Vienna. However, due to the gender barrier, she was transferred to the University of Berlin to conduct research, but she still faced difficulties for the same reason. During her time at the University of Berlin, there were no women’s toilets, and the position of research assistant was not welcomed by professors. Fortunately, a peer who respected and appreciated her invited her to study together, although it was an unpaid position.

When the First World War broke out, similar to Marie Curie, she drove an X-ray car to assist soldiers on the French frontline. Later, she worked as an X-ray nurse in a field hospital to help Austrian frontline soldiers. After the rise of the Nazis before World War II, they could no longer stay in Germany and were forced to go into exile in Switzerland. They could only continue to participate in nuclear reaction research remotely through communication. In 1939, she successfully explained the principle of nuclear fission through theory, which became an important foundation for the subsequent development of the atomic bomb. She was then invited to the United States to participate in the “Manhattan Project”. However, she remained committed to pacifism and rejected the idea of using science for military purposes. She steadfastly opposed nuclear weapons until the end of her life.

Lise Meitner, despite her extraordinary scientific research, faced discrimination due to her gender and Jewish identity. As a result, her contributions have been buried in the torrents of history.