Maria Goeppert-Mayer

Maria Goeppert-Mayer was born on June 28, 1906, in Kattowitz, which was then part of the German Empire. She was the only child of Friedrich Göppert, a professor of pediatrics, and Maria née Wolff. Her family later moved to Göttingen, where her father was appointed as a professor and physician at the University, marking the beginning of her journey into the academic world.

In 1930, Maria Goeppert married Joseph Edward Mayer, an American chemical physicist, in Göttingen. Joseph's work at Johns Hopkins University provided Maria a new environment in the United States. Despite early struggles in her career due to gender bias, she later made significant contributions to her field with his support.

During World War II, Maria Goeppert-Mayer worked as a voluntary associate professor at Columbia University. There she was involved with the Manhattan Project, mainly focusing on working with chemical isotope separation. This period added valuable experience to her growing expertise in physics, although she was not officially paid by the University.

In 1945, Maria Goeppert-Mayer began work on what would become her most renowned scientific contribution: the nuclear shell model. Her efforts, along with those of Hans Jensen and others, established the theory explaining the stability of atoms in terms of energy levels within the nucleus, akin to electron shells. This work ultimately led to her Nobel Prize.

In 1946, Maria Goeppert-Mayer moved to work at Argonne National Laboratory as a senior physicist. Her tenure there allowed her to dive deeper into nuclear physics research, most notably her work on the nuclear shell model. The position provided her with the resources needed to further explore her revolutionary theories on nuclear structure.

In 1955, Maria Goeppert-Mayer became the first female full professor at the University of Chicago, where she continued her groundbreaking research in nuclear physics. This appointment represented not only a personal achievement but also a symbolic victory for women in science, breaking barriers in academia and challenging gender biases of the time.

Maria Goeppert-Mayer co-authored the book "Elementary Theory of Nuclear Shell Structure" with Hans Jensen in 1960. The publication laid out in detail the nuclear shell model she had worked on for years. This comprehensive volume explained the complex mathematics and physics behind the model, further establishing her as a leading figure in theoretical physics.

Maria Goeppert-Mayer was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics on October 10, 1963, for her pioneering work on the nuclear shell model. She shared the prize with J. Hans D. Jensen and Eugene Wigner. She became only the second woman to win the Nobel Prize in Physics, following after Marie Curie, and her achievement was celebrated as a major milestone for women in science.

Established in 1964 by the American Physical Society, the Maria Goeppert-Mayer Award recognizes outstanding achievement by a woman physicist in the early years of her career. This award honors Maria's contributions to the field and provides important recognition and support for young women in physics, continuing her legacy of inspiration and advancement.

Maria Goeppert-Mayer passed away on February 20, 1972, in San Diego, California. Her death marked the end of a significant era in theoretical physics, but her legacy as one of the foremost scientists in her field endures. She paved the way for future generations of female scientists and left a lasting impact through her groundbreaking work.