Editorial: A strong passion for science
The first time I heard about “Emma” Noether was in the course of Fisica Teorica by Nicola Cabibbo at the Rome University. It was an inspiring “discovery” for two reasons. The first is because the Noether theorem we were taught is beautiful, elegant and foundational, the second because “Emma” was finally a woman in a male dominated discipline.
It was inevitable that the next day I had to run to the library and read about her life.
Emmy Noether was born in 1882 in Erlangen, Germany. At the age of 18 she took the rather unusual decision for a woman of that time to study at the University, being one of the two females in roughly one thousand male University students.
After having successfully passed the entrance exam, she first attended lectures in mathematics and astronomy at the University of Göttingen, and then went back to Erlangen when this University finally let women enrol. She focussed on mathematical studies.
After her PhD thesis defence, she worked for seven years at the Mathematical Institute of Erlangen without being paid and in 1915 was invited by David Hilbert to join the University of Göttingen. Despite her widely recognised great talent, but because of her gender, she was not allowed to get an academic job, therefore she lectured under Hilbert’s name as his assistant. She obtained permission to lecture only in 1919, although still without a salary. Finally, four years later, as “Lehrbeauftragte für Algebra”, she began to receive a very modest salary.
Emmy Noether had Jewish origins and in 1933, when the Nazi party came into power, it was too dangerous for her to stay in Germany. She accepted a position at Bryn Mawr College (a college for women) in Pennsylvania (USA) and one year later she began lecturing at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, even though she didn’t feel welcome as woman (female students were not admitted). She had an accomplished life in USA, but unfortunately about two years after her arrival in USA, she died at the age of 53 of cancer. Her ashes are buried under the walkway around the cloisters of the M. Carey Thomas Library at Bryn Mawr.
Emmy Noether was a great mentor and has given ground-breaking contributions to abstract algebra and theoretical physics. It would be too long to list all of them. As a physicist, I would like to highlight the beauty and elegance of Noether’s first theorem, a cornerstone in the development of modern physics, which relates the symmetries of a physics system with the existence of conservation laws. It allows physicists to determine the conserved quantities (invariants) from the observed symmetries of a physical system and conversely, to consider whole classes of possible Lagrangians, to describe a physical system.
Emmy Noether was and is recognised as one of the most brilliant minds of the twentieth century. What would have happened if David Hilbert had not challenged the views of some of his colleagues that a woman must not be allowed to teach at a University? Or if her family had not supported her financially?
Since Noether’s time much has been achieved in terms of women’s rights. Still, there are concerns about the underrepresentation of women in top-level academic positions and more generally in physical science. In a global context, Society cannot afford to waste talents and all resources are needed irrespective of gender, race, and age to tackle Societal Challenges.
Emmy Noether was driven by a great passion for science, accepting to have a frugal lifestyle without salary in order to follow her love of abstract conceptualisation. Her perseverance, commitment and enthusiasm set a great example for all researchers.
Her work has inspired generations of mathematicians and physicists; many awards and distinctions are named after her, including the Emmy Noether distinction for women in physics of the European Physical Society.
She was a woman of her time and remains a very modern figure and a prominent role model not only for women but also for men.
Lucia Di Ciaccio
Chair of the EPS Equal Opportunities Committee
