Biography and barbara minerals
Barbara Neumann
Hungarian mineralogist (1914–2002)
Barbara Neumann | |
|---|---|
Neumann in 1963 | |
| Born | Barbara Zsusanna Beer (1914-11-30)30 November 1914 Szolnok, Hungary |
| Died | 25 November 2002(2002-11-25) (aged 87) |
| Known for | Invention of laponite |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Fullers Earth Union Laporte Industries |
Barbara Zsusanna Neumann (née Beer; 30 November 1914 – 25 November 2002) was a Hungarian mineralogist and clayscientist, inventor of the synthetic clay laponite. In 2022, the Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland named their senior medal in her honour.
Biography
Early life
Neumann (née Beer) was born in Szolnok, Hungary on 30 November 1914, to Jewish parents. She moved to Budapest, and completed a degree in physics, and doctorate in X-ray diffraction. In 1939, she married Gyorgy Emődi. Emődi was conscripted into the army and died of typhus early in World War II.[1]