Elisabeth Schiemann facts for kids

Elisabeth Schiemann (born August 15, 1881 – died January 3, 1972) was a German scientist who studied genetics and plants. She was also a brave person who stood up against the Nazi government during World War II.

Early Life and Education

Elisabeth Schiemann was born in Viljandi, Estonia, which was part of the Russian Empire at the time. From 1887, she lived in Berlin, Germany. She was one of the first women in Germany who were allowed to go to university and have a career as a scientist.

She first trained to be a teacher and studied languages in Paris. After teaching for a few years, she started studying at the University of Berlin in 1908. In 1912, she earned her doctorate degree. Her research was about how plants change over time, specifically looking at a type of mold called Aspergillus niger.

Her Work as a Botanist

Academic Career

From 1914 to 1931, Elisabeth Schiemann worked at the Institute for Genetics in Berlin. She became an expert in the genetics of different types of barley, like winter and summer barley. She also taught about seeds and how plants reproduce. However, her main interest was studying the history of plants that humans grow, known as cultivated plants.

From 1931 to 1943, she worked at the Berlin-Dahlem Botanical Institute. Here, she became very interested in how ancient people grew crops. In 1932, she published an important book called Entstehung der Kulturplanzen (Origin of Cultivated Plants). This book became a key reference for anyone studying cultivated plants and brought her international fame.

Elisabeth Schiemann was very brave and spoke out against the ideas of National Socialism (the Nazi party). She disagreed with their false ideas about race and their persecution of Jewish people. Because she spoke up, the Nazi government took away her right to teach at the university in 1940.

Even after this, she continued her research. In 1943, she started leading a special department focused on the history of crop plants. After World War II, in 1946, she became a professor at the reopened Berlin University. She taught genetics and crop history until 1949. She continued her research even in difficult conditions. She retired in 1956.

Awards and Recognition

Elisabeth Schiemann received many awards for her important scientific work.

• In 1953, she became a Scientific Member of the Max Planck Society, which was a big honor.
• In 1955, she received the Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
• She became an honorary member of the French Botanical Society in 1955.
• In 1956, she joined the Leopoldina in Halle, a famous science academy.
• In 1959, she was the only woman among 18 scientists to receive the Darwin Plaque from Leopoldina.
• In 1962, she received an honorary doctorate from the Technical University of Berlin, becoming the first woman to do so.
• In 2003, a street in Berlin was named after her: Elisabeth-Schiemann-Strasse.

Standing Up to the Nazis

Elisabeth Schiemann actively helped people who were being persecuted by the Nazi government. She was part of a group of women who supported those in need. She was also a member of the Confessing Church, a Protestant church group that resisted the Nazis.

She wrote letters to church leaders, urging them to speak out more strongly against the Nazi regime. She also wrote to government officials, protesting how Jewish people were being treated. She helped two sisters, Valery and Andrea Wolfstein, avoid being sent away by the Nazis. She also defended Jewish scientists who were trying to attend scientific meetings.

Elisabeth Schiemann was a close friend of the famous physicist Lise Meitner, who had to escape Germany in 1938. They wrote many letters to each other over the years. After World War II, they discussed why the Nazi regime happened and why more Germans didn't resist it. They also talked about the future of Germany and the importance of remembering the past.

On December 16, 2014, Yad Vashem, Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, honored her as a "Righteous Among the Nations". This award is given to non-Jewish people who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust.

Death

Elisabeth Schiemann died in Berlin in 1972. She is buried in the churchyard of the village church of Dahlem, where she had been a member.