  Enrico Fermi lived from 1901 to 1954, a period of great progress in physics
and a period in which opportunities for women to study and work in institutions
of higher learning increased significantly in Europe and North America. Though
there are a few examples of women who made important contributions to physics
in the 18th century such as Emilie du Chatelet and Laura Bassi, it was only in
Fermi's time that the number began to increase significantly. It is remarkable
that almost immediately after they gained entrance to laboratories and
universities, among them appeared women of great creative ability who made
lasting contributions to physics. This talk is mainly about some of these whose
scientific lives are not as well known as their contributions deserve - Emmy
Noether, Marietta Blau, Irene Joliot-Curie, Lise Meitner. Additionally, some
outstanding women whose work played a role in Enrico Fermi's life in physics
are noted - Ida Tacke Noddack, Tatiana Ehrenfest-Afanaseva, Leona Woods
Marshall Libby, and Maria Goeppert Mayer.
