User:Jadespen/Inge Lehmann

Early life and education

Inge Lehmann was born on May 13, 1888 at Osterbro by the lakes and grew up in Østerbro, a part of Copenhagen, Denmark.

In 1894, Lehmann's parents enrolled both her and her sister in Fællesskolen, a progressive school that offered the same curriculum to both boys and girls, a practice uncommon to that time. This school was led by Hanna Adler, Niels Bohr's aunt. This was unusual as most schools at the time separated boys' and girls' education. The principles of gender isolation went much deeper for girls who were education-oriented. It was thought to be damaging to expose girls to mental exhaustion throughout puberty. Males were believed to be more biologically adapted for such activities and therefore, allowed to take the high school entrance exam and start upper-secondary education (high school) at 15 years old, whereas females were not allowed to do so. This policy remained in effect. until 1903. Lehmann credited her father and Hanna Adler as the most significant influences on her intellectual development. Lehmann studied mathematics at the University of Copenhagen, and later attended Newnham College in Cambridge from 1910 to 1911. However, due to overwork she returned to Copenhagen. Lehmann served as an actuarial assistant from 1911 to 1918 without attending school.

This school was led by Hanna Adler, Niels Bohr's aunt, a pioneering woman scholar and firm believer in gender equality. A year after earning her degree, Adler launched her school, inspired by innovative teaching practices in the US. Many of her female co-graduates, who were not eligible for many of the positions accessible to their male peers, were hired by Adler to teach. Women were prohibited from working in universities at the time, and the vast majority of female college graduates searched for employment as elementary school teachers despite obtaining degrees that allowed them to teach at the upper-secondary (high school) level.

Career

Lehmann was the first to interpret P-wave arrivals as reflections from an inner core. Lehmann observed seismic waves from earthquakes, leading her to hypothesize that the Earth's core consisted of two parts: "a solid metal core surrounded by an outer liquid core, overturning the accepted theory of an entirely liquid core." She published her findings in a paper titled P′ (1936), Prior to 1936, scientists believed that the Earth's core was thought to be a single, massive molten sphere. However, many global observations did not analytically add up until Lehmann reached the heart of the issue.

Challenges and contributions as women in science

In the early to mid-20th century, when institutional entities and societal conventions heavily favoured men, Lehmann encountered many obstacles as a woman pursuing science. Her experiences in research, education, and professional recognition were influenced by these obstacles.

Lehmann's academic confidence was nurtured by her experience at a modern coeducational school that offered equal opportunity for boys and girls. She was disappointed to learn about the pervasive gender bias in academics, though, as this experience was unusual for her era. After her early schooling, and getting into postsecondary education, Lehmann had to negotiate establishments where women were frequently shut out of scientific conversations and chances at the Universities of Copenhagen and Cambridge.​

Social norms that positioned women in passive roles restricted Lehmann's career options despite her evident ability. Male scientists were often assigned to high-profile projects or positions of power. ​ Lehmann was employed in a predominantly male field while she was the head of the seismological department at the Royal Danish Geodetic Institute. She frequently had to prove to win the respect of her male coworkers.

Biases against Lehmann as a female scientist contributed to the initial doubts around her key discovery of Earth's solid inner core in 1936. Despite the significant ramifications of her work, it took a while for it to be acknowledged. Lehman emphasized on the significant difference between the societal prejudice she faced in her professional life and the gender-equal environment of her schooling. Based on her early experiences, she believed that men and women were intellectually equal, which made the obstacles she later faced increasingly more bothering.

Lehmann persisted in spite of these obstacles, emerging as a trailblazer in seismology and a representation of tenacity for female STEM professionals. Her accomplishments stand as a testament to her academic excellence and determination to overcome societal barriers.

Legacy

Some scientists, including British geophysicist Harold Jeffreys, were initially skeptical of her theories, but later accepted them as more evidence supported her three-layer Earth Model.

Awards & Honors

• The Harry Oscar Wood Award in 1960
• The Emil Wiechert Medal in 1964
• The Gold Medal of the Danish Royal Society of Science and Letters 1965
• The Tagea Brandt Rejselegat in 1938 and 1967
• Her election as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1969
• The William Bowie Medal in 1971
• The Medal of the Seismological Society of America in 1977
• She received the Medal of the Seismological Society of America
• She was awarded honorary doctorates from Columbia University in 1964 and from the University of Copenhagen in 1968, and other honorific memberships