Dr. Betsy Ancker-Johnson

Betsy Ancker-Johnson attended Wellesley College and a graduate school in Germany. She received her Ph.D. in 1953 in physics. Betsy's dream was to be a physicist and she was not going to let people's prejudices stop her. Many people did not like her because she was a Christian and it was hard for her to find work. Her first job was a researcher and lecturer at the University of California.   Plasma in solids soon became her specialty. She explains plasma as being the fourth state of matter after gases, liquids, and solids. She is famous for her patent on a computer element. She says,"All computer elements are based on either "on" or "off'." The memory of the computer has to be checked as either "on" or "off,"and the computers go to each bit in the machine and asks if it is "on" or "off." She has written over seventy scientific papers, and she has many patents in solid state physics, microwave electronics, and controlled thermonuclear fusion. Betsy is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.

Back   Back to Biography Menu