Olga Ehrenhaft-Steindler (28 October 1879 – 21 December 1933) was an

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

physicist and science teacher. In 1903, she became the first woman to earn a physics doctorate at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich histor ...

. She established the first '' Wiener Handelsakademie für Mädchen'' (Vienna Commercial Academy for Girls), as well as a grammar school for girls, in 1907.

Biography

Early years

Olga Steindler was born in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

to lawyer Leopold Steindler and Caroline Steindler,

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Goldberg. She had three siblings. As women could not take the ''

Matura or its translated terms (''Mature'', ''Matur'', , , , , , ) is a Latin name for the secondary school exit exam or "maturity diploma" in various European countries, including Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech ...

'' (comparable to A-Level exams) in Vienna at the time, Olga Steindler went to

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

, where she took her exam on 7 July 1899. Steindler began to study mathematics and physics at

Vienna University The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public university, public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the Geogra ...

in 1899, which was then newly possible for women. She wrote her

thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...

on the validity of the

Helmholtz equation In mathematics, the eigenvalue problem for the Laplace operator is known as the Helmholtz equation. It corresponds to the linear partial differential equation \nabla^2 f = -k^2 f, where is the Laplace operator (or "Laplacian"), is the eigenv ...

for various elements. Her doctoral adviser was Franz Serafin Exner. In 1903, she became the first woman to earn a physics doctorate at Vienna University. In the same year, she took her teacher's exam for secondary schools.

Work for girls' and women's education

For some years, Olga Steindler gave science lectures for women and girls on physics experiments, electricity, and other topics. She also taught at a girls' gymnasium (roughly equivalent to a preparatory high school or a grammar school) in Vienna. In 1907, she founded a girls' gymnasium in

Leopoldstadt Leopoldstadt (; bar, Leopoidstod, "Leopold-Town") is the 2nd municipal district of Vienna (german: 2. Bezirk) in Austria. there are 103,233 inhabitants over . It is situated in the heart of the city and, together with Brigittenau (20th distr ...

, Vienna, and the first commercial academy for girls (''Wiener Handelsakademie für Mädchen'') together with . She became principal of the ''Handelsakademie'', which today is located in

Josefstadt Josefstadt (; Central Bavarian: ''Josefstod'') is the eighth district of Vienna (german: 8. Bezirk, Josefstadt). It is near the center of Vienna and was established as a district in 1850, but borders changed later. Josefstadt is a heavily po ...

Private life

In 1908, she married her former fellow student, physicist

Felix Ehrenhaft Felix Ehrenhaft (24 April 1879 – 4 March 1952) was an Austrian physicist who contributed to atomic physics, to the measurement of electrical charges and to the optical properties of metal colloids. He was known for his maverick and controversial ...

. They had two children, Johannes Leopold Friedrich, born on 10 October 1915, and Anna Maria Luise, born 19 November 1917. Both emigrated to the United States in the 1930s.

Later life and death

Olga Ehrenhaft-Steindler was awarded the Austrian

honorary title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

''Regierungsrat'' in 1927 or 1928 for her commitment to girls' and women's education, which was a rare distinction for women at the time, and the honorary title ''Hofrat'' in 1931. She was diagnosed with

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...

in 1929. She had surgery, but never fully recovered. Olga Ehrenhaft-Steindler acquired

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

in 1933 and died on 21 December that year from

lung embolism Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a blockage of an artery in the lungs by a substance that has moved from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream (embolism). Symptoms of a PE may include shortness of breath, chest pain particularly upon breathin ...

, aged 54.

Publications

* Steindler, Olga: ''Über die Temperaturcoeffizienten einiger Jodelemente'' ("About the temperature coefficients of some iodine elements"), doctoral thesis, 1903. * Steindler, Olga: ''Die Farbempfindlichkeit des normalen und des farbenblinden Auges'' ("The colour sensitivity of the normal and colour-blind eye"), 1906.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ehrenhaft-Steindler, Olga 1879 births 1933 deaths 19th-century Austrian people 20th-century Austrian people Scientists from Vienna University of Vienna alumni Austrian women physicists