Darleane C. Hoffman
Darleane C. Hoffman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Darleane Christian November 8, 1926 Terril, Iowa, U.S. |
| Nationality | United States |
| Alma mater | Iowa State University |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Nuclear chemistry |
| Institutions | University of California, Berkeley |
Darleane Christian Hoffman (born November 8, 1926) is an American nuclear chemist who was among the researchers who confirmed the existence of Seaborgium, element 106. She is a faculty senior scientist in the Nuclear Science Division of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and a professor in the graduate school at UC Berkeley.[1] In acknowledgment of her many achievements, Discover Magazine recognized her in 2002 as one of the 50 most important women in science.[2]
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Early life and education[edit]
She was born as Darleane Christian on November 8, 1926 at home in the small town of Terril, Iowa, and is the daughter of Carl B. and Elverna Clute Christian.[3] Her father was a mathematics teacher and superintendent of schools; her mother wrote and directed plays.
When she was a freshman in college at Iowa State College (now Iowa State University), she took a required chemistry course taught by Nellie May Naylor,[4] and decided to pursue further study in that field.[5] She received her B. S. (1948) and Ph. D. (1951) degrees in chemistry (nuclear) from Iowa State University.[6]
Career[edit]
Darleane C. Hoffman was a chemist at Oak Ridge National Laboratory for a year and then joined her husband at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory where she began as a staff member in 1953. She became Division Leader of the Chemistry and Nuclear Chemistry Division (Isotope and Nuclear Chemistry Division) in 1979. She left Los Alamos in 1984 to accept appointments as tenured professor in the Department of Chemistry at UC Berkeley and Leader of the Heavy Element Nuclear & Radiochemistry Group at LBNL. Additionally, she helped found the Seaborg Institute for Transactinium Science at LLNL in 1991 and became its first Director, serving until 1996 when she "retired" to become Senior Advisor and Charter Director.[7]
Personal life[edit]
Right after finishing her doctoral work, Darleane Christian married Marvin M. Hoffman, a physicist.[5][6] The Hoffmans had two children, Maureane and Daryl, both born at Los Alamos.[8]
Awards and memberships[edit]
- 2000 – Priestley Medal, (only the second woman to win the Priestley, after Mary L. Good in 1997)
- 1997 – National Medal of Science
- 1990 – Garvan-Olin Medal
- 1983 – ACS Award for Nuclear Chemistry, and she was the first woman to win the award.
- 1978 – Guggenheim Fellowship
She is a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.[9]
References[edit]
- ^ "Darleane Hoffman, Harold Johnston to Receive National Medal of Science". www.lbl.gov.
- ^ Svitil, Kathy (13 November 2002). "The 50 Most Important Women in Science". Discover. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ^ ""Elverna E. Christian," Plaza of Heroines, Iowa State University". iastate.edu.
- ^ "Nellie May Naylor". History of Iowa State: People of Distinction. Iowa State University. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
- ^ a b "Darleane Hoffman: Adventures in the nature of matter". Catalyst Magazine. College of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley. 6 (2). 1 February 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
- ^ a b "Darleane C. Hoffman". Science History Institute. 2016-06-01. Retrieved 2018-11-20.
- ^ "Keynote speaker: D. Hoffman, Ph.D." LLNL 2020: Women Forging the Future of Science and Technology. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Archived from the original on 4 August 2004. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
- ^ Darleane (Christian) Hoffman bio page, Cyclotron Institute, Texas A&M University
- ^ "Gruppe 8: Teknologiske fag" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. Retrieved 7 October 2010.
External links[edit]
- 1926 births
- Living people
- Iowa State University alumni
- 21st-century American chemists
- National Medal of Science laureates
- University of California, Berkeley College of Chemistry faculty
- Los Alamos National Laboratory personnel
- Guggenheim Fellows
- Recipients of the Garvan–Olin Medal
- Members of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
- Women chemists
