Irene Fischer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Irene K. Fischer
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Irene K. Fischer, from a 1966 publication of the United States Army
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| Born | July 27, 1907 |
| Died | October 22, 2009 (aged 102) |
| Spouse(s) | Eric Erich Fischer |
| Children | 2 |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Geodesy Mathematics |
Irene Kaminka Fischer (born July 27, 1907, in Vienna, Austria; died October 22, 2009, in Boston) was an amazing Austrian-American mathematician and geodesist. Geodesy is the science of measuring and understanding the Earth's shape, size, and gravity.
Irene Fischer was a member of the National Academy of Engineering. She was also recognized by the American Geophysical Union and the National Imagery and Mapping Agency. She became one of the most famous women scientists in geodesy during the exciting time of NASA's Project Mercury and the Apollo program moon missions. Her special Earth models, called the Mercury datum or Fischer ellipsoid, were very important. Her work on how the lunar parallax (the moon's apparent shift when viewed from different places) affected measurements also helped these space missions succeed.
A colleague, Bernard Chovitz, said she was one of the most well-known geodesists of her time. This was when geodesy changed from studying small areas to mapping the entire globe.
Early Life and Education
Irene Fischer was born and grew up in Vienna, Austria. She studied different types of geometry at the Technical University of Vienna. She also studied mathematics at the University of Vienna. Her teachers were famous thinkers from a group called the Vienna Circle. Some of her classmates became well-known scientists and scholars too.
Her father, Rabbi Armand Aharon Kaminka, was the head of the Maimonides Institute. He also led religious services and worked to help victims of violence in Eastern Europe. He raised money in the U.S. and Western Europe for this cause.
In 1931, Irene married Eric Fischer, a historian and geographer. The Fischer family also ran the Vienna Israelitische Kinderbewahranstalt. This was the first professional kindergarten and teacher training school in Vienna. It also helped immigrants who came to Vienna from Eastern Europe.
Irene's Career Journey
In 1939, Irene, Eric, and their young daughter, Gay, had to leave Austria because of the Nazis. They traveled a long way by train and boat to reach Boston in 1941. There, they lived with Eric's family.
Irene looked for work and first became a seamstress's assistant. Then, she helped professors at Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with their work. She also worked on complex geometry problems for John Rule at MIT. Later, she taught mathematics at schools in Cambridge and Washington, D.C.
After World War II, and once her son Michael was old enough for school, she found a job. She started working at the Army Map Service. This agency is now called the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. She worked in the Geodesy Branch and eventually became its chief.
During her 25 years at the Army Map Service, she worked on what became the World Geodetic System. This system helps us map the entire Earth accurately. She wrote over 120 scientific papers during this time. She also published a geometry textbook for high school students in 1965.
After she retired in 1975, she wrote a book about her scientific career. It talked about her work in geodesy from 1951 to 1975. It also discussed what it was like to be a woman scientist in a government office. The book was published in 2005.
Early in her career, Dr. Fischer quickly learned many important things about geodesy. This included understanding Earth models, gravity, and how to use stars and missiles for measurements. Her new ideas in geodesy helped figure out the parallax of the moon. She also studied how the Earth's surface changes after ice ages.
Irene Fischer disagreed with the accepted idea about the Earth's shape. For a long time, people believed the Earth's "flatness" at the poles was a certain number. She found a different number, but she wasn't allowed to use her figures at first. This was because her results didn't match what was already accepted.
However, after the first satellites were launched, her research was proven right! The data from the satellites showed that her new figures were correct. She was then allowed to update her previous work. Dr. Fischer joked that even the satellites didn't agree with the old ideas!
Irene's Lasting Legacy
Irene Fischer was a pioneer because there were very few women in surveying during her time. In 1967, she was the first employee from the Army Map Service to receive the Decoration for Distinguished Civilian Service. She was only the third woman ever to get this important award.
Fischer was known around the world for her many publications and presentations. These works explained the size and shape of the Earth. One important manual she wrote was "Latitude Functions Fischer 1960 Ellipsoid."
She wrote an autobiography (published in 2005) called "Geodesy? What’s That? My Personal Involvement in the Age-Old Quest for the Size and Shape of the Earth, With a Running Commentary on Life in a Government Research Office.". She also wrote more than 120 other technical reports, articles, and books. Many of her important government reports are still kept secret today.
Irene Fischer won many awards for her government service. She received an honorary degree from the University of Karlsruhe. She was also chosen to be part of the National Academy of Engineering. She became a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union. She was also honored in the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) Hall of Fame. The Learning Center at the new campus of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency is named after her.
Family Life
Irene and her family were active members of Temple Israel in Silver Spring, Maryland. She taught a class there and was part of a discussion group for 40 years. When she moved to Rockville, Maryland, she joined another congregation. She also started a lecture series about Biblical archeology in memory of her husband.
In Israel, where many of her family members live, she and her husband helped fund scholarships for a technical college. In 2001, she moved back to Brighton, Massachusetts. This was close to where she first lived when she came to the U.S. as an immigrant in 1941.
In 2007, she celebrated her 100th birthday! Her children shared stories about her amazing career with a large audience at her retirement community. She is survived by her daughter, Gay Fischer, and her son, Michael M. J. Fischer, and his wife, Susann L. Wilkinson. She also has many nieces and nephews, who are the children and grandchildren of her two brothers in Israel and her husband's sister in New England.
