Jeannette Virginia Lincoln (September 7, 1915 – August 1, 2003) was an American physicist.

Early life

Lincoln was born on September 7, 1915, in Ames, Iowa. He parents were Rush B. Lincoln and Jeannette Bartholomew Lincoln. Her father was a Major General in the US Army Air Forces. Lincoln's mother taught Chemistry at Iowa State University. Her brother, Rush B. Lincoln Jr. became a Major General in the US Army. Their grandfather Lincoln fought in the Civil War as a Confederate Captain. Lincoln was unsurprisingly deep into her family's military life and continued with this throughout her life. Lincoln studied at Dana Hall in

Wellesley, Massachusetts Wellesley () is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Wellesley is part of Greater Boston. The population was 29,550 at the time of the 2020 census. Wellesley College, Babson College, and a campus of Massachusetts Bay Communit ...

and went on to earn a bachelor's degree in physics from Wellesley College. She received a master's degree from

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the ...

in 1938. Simultaneously, she was an instructor in household equipment at Iowa State from 1936 to 1942, instructing students how to use new electronics and devices.

Career

In 1942, Lincoln began work in the Interservice Radio Propagation Laboratory (later renamed the Central Radio Propagation Laboratory or CRPL) at the

National Bureau of Standards The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce whose mission is to promote American innovation and industrial competitiveness. NIST's activities are organized into physical sci ...

(NBS) in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

In 1946 the CRPL (Central Radio Propagation Laboratory) was created in order to keep information and research in a one place and to provide

radio propagation Radio propagation is the behavior of radio waves as they travel, or are propagated, from one point to another in vacuum, or into various parts of the atmosphere. As a form of electromagnetic radiation, like light waves, radio waves are affect ...

predictions. These predictions included the investigation of solar and geophysical effects as well as ionospheric data. In 1954 CRPL moved to Boulder, Colorado and Lincoln's first job was a radio weather forecaster. She prepared monthly ionospheric prediction contour maps. These predictions were used in selecting frequencies for long distance radio communications. In 1949, Lincoln helped create a statistical method for predicting sunspot activity that is still used today. In 1966, she became director for the World Data Center for Solar-Terrestrial Physics. She later became the Solar-Terrestrial Physics division chief for NOAA's National Geophysical and Solar-Terrestrial Data Center. From there she worked at the Data Center from 1966 until 1980, the year of her retirement.

Later life

In 1973, she received the Department of Commerce Gold Medal for Distinguished Service. She was also inducted into the

Colorado Women's Hall of Fame The Colorado Women's Hall of Fame is a non-profit, volunteer organization that recognizes women who have contributed to the history of the U.S. state of Colorado. As of 2020, 170 women have been inducted. History There was a short-lived recogniti ...

in 2000. After Lincoln retired, she became involved with the Boulder Historical Museum, traveled extensively, and played golf. Lincoln died in Boulder at the age of 87, August 1, 2003.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lincoln, J Virginia 1915 births 2003 deaths 20th-century American physicists 20th-century American women scientists 21st-century American women American women academics American women physicists Dana Hall School alumni Iowa State University alumni Iowa State University faculty Wellesley College alumni