He Yizhen

He Yizhen (; 1910–2008) was a Chinese physicist. She contributed to applying spectroscopy to the steel industry in China and to the research in amorphous state physics. Her research specialty in amorphous physics was metallic glass. She filled up the blank of spectroscopy research in China, and became the first person to measure the whole internal friction peak of metallic glass. He Yizhen was one of the founders of the Institute of Solid State Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Hefei. The research emphases of the institute are nuclear engineering, special metallic materials, and internal friction of solid.

Early life He Yizhen was born to a scholarly family as the eldest child in 1910, shortly before the Qing dynasty, the last dynasty of China, was overthrown. Her father, He Cheng, participated in the Xinhai Revolution which overthrew the Qing Dynasty and led to the founding of the Republic of China, in 1912.

Education He Yizhen graduated at Zhenhua Girls School in 1926 and subsequently attended Ginling College, where she studied Mathematics and Physics. Her research focused on improving the production rate of China's nascent steel industry through the application of spectroscopy to alloy steel and slag analysis in steel industry and solved issues in steel production. She published two representative papers: "Effect of Microstructure of Steel on Spectral Analysis" and "Cup Electrode Solution Arc Method for Spectral Analysis of Open Hearth Slag".

From 1966 to 1976, He's research was interrupted by effects of China's Cultural Revolution. She was forced to endure humiliating punishments as a result of her experience studying abroad and her wealthy background. Her papers won the Second Class Prizes of The State Scientific and Technological Progress Award of the Chinese Academy of Science in 1988. She would go on to win the Third Class Prizes of The Natural Science Award of Chinese Academy of Science in 1995 and 1996 and was involved in compiling the book, Amorphous Physics.

In October 1982, she became one of the founders of Institute of Solid State Physics, Chinese Academy of Science.

After their marriage, Ge obtained the opportunity to study in the United States with He, where they remained from 1941 to 1949. Their two children were born in the United States and eventually became scientists: their daughter Ge Yunpei (1942-2013) was a professor in Shenyang Jianzhu University, while their son Ge Yunjian (born 1947), is an expert in robotics. The couple returned to China in 1949, where they both worked for the Chinese Academy of Science for decades. When Ge was dispatched to work in Hefei in 1980, He's husband and children persuaded her to stop her research to join him in Hefei.

Publications (after 1980)

Awards and honors

Second Class Prizes of The State Scientific and Technological Progress Award of Chinese Academy of Science in 1988 Third Class Prizes of The Natural Science Award of Chinese Academy of Science in 1995 Third Class Prizes of The Natural Science Award of Chinese Academy of Science in 1996