Sponer, Hertha, 1895-1968

  1. Sponer, Hertha, 1895-1968
  2. Version History

Hertha Sponer, 1895-1968, was a German physicist who became, in 1926, only the second woman awarded the Habilitation in her field--qualification to teach physics at the university level in Germany. She left Germany in 1934, taught two years in Norway and Spain, and arrived at Duke University in 1936, where she became the first woman appointed to its Physics Department faculty. She conducted research and taught at Duke until 1965, supervising thirty-five masters and doctoral degree graduates.

1895 Sept. 1 Born in Neisse, Prussia (today Nysa, Poland) 1918 Transferred from University of Tübingen to University of Göttingen 1920 Awarded Ph.D in physics, adviser Peter Debye 1920 1921 Became assistant to James Franck at Kaiser Wilhelm Institute of Chemistry, Division of Physics, Dahlem (Berlin) 1925 Awarded Venia Legendi and Habilitation (qualification to teach at university level) 1925 1926 Awarded Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship to study at the Department of Physics, University of California Berkeley 1933 Charles W. Edwards, Chair of Duke University Physics Department, first contacted by Rockefeller Foundation about Sponer's possible availability 1934 Tentatively accepted offer from Edwards of guest professorship at Duke, but preferred to remain in Europe 1934 Sept. 1934 Oct. Left Germany for Norway, to begin guest professorship at University of Oslo 1935 January, contacted again by Charles Edwards about a position at Duke; May, accepted "trial half-year," to begin Feb. 1, 1936 1935 1936 Published "Molekülspektren I"(Molecular Spectra and Their Application to Chemical Problems Vol. I and II) 1936 Appointed to Duke University faculty as Professor of Physics 1939 1940 Joined with Lise Meitner and other scientists in letter-writing campaign to assist Jewish physicist Hedwig Kohn in emigrating from Germany 1940 1942 Served as Associate Editor of The Journal of Chemical Physics 1946 June 29 Married James Franck, Chicago 1949 Spectroscopy laboratory moved to new Physics Building, Duke University 1952 Arranged Duke Physics research associateship for Hedwig Kohn, following Kohn's retirement from Wellesley 1952 1953 Awarded Guggenheim Fellowship to fund guest professorship at Uppsala University, Sweden 1962 Research and lecture trip to Japan and India 1964 May 21 James Franck died in Göttingen 1965 Sept. 1 Retired from Duke University 1966 Named Professor Emeritus in Physics 1966 Moved to Celle, Germany, to be near her sister and nephew 1968 Feb. 17 Died in Ilten, near Hannover

From the guide to the Hertha Sponer Papers, 1917-1967, (University Archives, Duke University)
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