- Irmgard Flügge-Lotz
Irmgard Flügge-Lotz, née "Irmgard Lotz" (1903 - 1974) was a German mathematician and engineer, best known for her work on the mathematics of
aerodynamics , the first female engineering professor at theStanford University .After her father was drafted for military service in
World War I , the young Irmgard helped the family by becoming a math tutor. By high school and through college, she practically supported her family single-handedly. In college she was often the only woman in her class. In 1929 she earned a doctorate in engineering, but she had a tough time getting engineering jobs. Lotz went to work for the Aerodynamics Institute inGöttingen . After she solved a peculiarly thorny equation pertaining to wing lift distribution, Lotz was promoted to team leader. In 1938, she married Wilhelm Flügge, a civil engineer, and the pair moved first toBerlin and later to the small town ofSaulgau .After
World War II , there was no need for the Flügges to undergo a denazification investigation, and they moved toFrance , and later to theUnited States , where they taught at Stanford. Flügge-Lotz started new engineering courses dealing with the mathematics of aerodynamics. In spite of suffering debilitating arthritis, Flügge-Lotz continued her engineering research even through retirement.Bibliography
* J. R. Spreiter & W. Flügge, "Irmgard Flügge-Lotz" in cite book | author=Louise S. Grinstein (Editor), Paul J. Campbell (Editor) | title=Women of Mathematics: A Bio-Bibliographic Sourcebook | year=1987| publisher = Greenwood Press, New York | id = ISBN 978-0313248498 p. 33-40
External links
* [http://www.agnesscott.edu/lriddle/women/lotz.htm "Imrgard Flugge-Lotz", Biographies of Women Mathematicians] ,
Agnes Scott College
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