The Free University here has bestowed an honorary doctorate in mathematics and natural science on Prof. Lise Meitner, renowned Jewish atomic physicist now associated with the Stockholm Nobel Institute. The ceremony’s high point was a eulogy addressed to her by Nobel Prize winner Max von Laue.
Born in Vienna 77 years ago, Dr. Meitner worked in Berlin from 1908 to 1938 with Prof. Otto Hahn, Germany’s foremost atomic scientist. In 1938, when they were on the point of splitting the uranium atom by bombarding it with neutrons, she escaped to Scandinavia, although in her case the Nazis were willing to close their eyes to her Jewishness. Many observers believe that it may have been her flight which prevented Hitler Germany from being the first country to produce an atom bomb.
After her emigration, She informed scientists in America about the successful Berlin experiments conducted by Prof. Hahn and herself. This information was instrumental in precipitating the sense of urgency that prompted the setting up of a large-scale U.S. atomic energy research program.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
