Fay Ajzenberg-Selove has proven time and again that persistence and hard work can overcome any stereotype.
And on Sept. 29, the White House will celebrate these traits by awarding her the 2007 National Medal of Science.
President George Bush announced earlier this month that the professor emerita of physics is among the eight recipients of the Medal, the nation's highest honor for science.
Ajzenberg-Selove and her colleagues will receive their medals at a White House ceremony two weeks from Monday.
"Fay sets an example for women and men in science," said Penn President Amy Gutmann. "She is truly a path-breaking woman and a path-breaking physicist."
She has made significant advances in the field of nuclear physics, and her research continues to facilitate work in nuclear medicine, energy fusion and carbon dating today.
According to the Almanac, the University newsletter, Ajzenberg-Selove was inspired to pursue her education by her father's love of science and engineering.
She received her bachelor's degree in engineering physics from the University of Michigan in 1946 and her Ph.D. in physics from the University of Wisconsin in 1952.
But despite her determination to break into the traditionally male-dominated field of physics, her path was often rocky.
Ajzenberg-Selove was born in Berlin to a family of Russian immigrants but spent the majority of her childhood in France. She arrived in the U.S. as a World War II refugee at the age of 15.
When she came to Penn in 1970 to teach, she was one of few women in her field. Many of her male colleagues felt threatened by her presence and often showed their resentment by making sexist remarks and criticizing her work.
However, Ajzenberg-Selove was not content to take the insults lying down.
Her complaints of gender discrimination at Penn resulted in a state-sponsored investigation into gender equality at the University. The case ultimately led to Ajzenberg-Selove's appointment as a full professor.
She has held several prestigious positions outside of the University, including chairwoman of the Commission on Nuclear Physics and chairwoman of the Division of Nuclear Physics of the American Physical Society.
Ajzenberg-Selove also wrote an autobiography, entitled A Matter of Choices: Memoirs of a Female Physicist, which was published in 1994.
According to College Dean Dennis DeTurck, she is "not only a terrific scientist, she has been a phenomenal teacher and mentor," and that the award is "well-deserved recognition" for a lifetime of work.
