Marija Strojnik Scholl

Marija Strojnik Scholl (born 13 July 1950 in Ljubljana) is a Slovene astrophysicist currently working as a distinguished professor at the Optical Research Center in León, Mexico. She is best known for developing an autonomous system for optical navigation based on CCD technology which is currently used in nearly all commercial aircraft and numerous spacecraft, including in the NASA Cassini mission.[1][2]

Marija Strojnik Scholl
Born (1950-07-13) 13 July 1950
NationalitySlovene
Alma materArizona State University
University of Arizona
Known fordeveloping a system for autonomous optical navigation
Scientific career
Fieldsastrophysics, infrared technology, infrared spaceborne remote sensing
InstitutionsRockwell International
Honeywell
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Centro de Investigaciones en Optica

Early life and education

Strojnik Scholl developed an interest in optics at an early age, when accompanying her father, Aleš Strojnik to work. After graduating from high school, she enrolled in the physics program at the University of Ljubljana; however, her parents emigrated to the United States soon after that, and she followed them to Tempe, Arizona. There, Strojnik Scholl finished her undergraduate studies at the Arizona State University in only two years, as the only woman in her class. She continued her postgraduate studies at the same university and received a M.S. degree in Physics in 1974. She finished a M.S. in Optical Sciences in 1977 at the University of Arizona and a M.S. in Engineering (Engineering Executive Program) in 1981 at the University of California, Los Angeles. She finished her doctorate degree in Optical Sciences in 1979 at the College of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona, as the first woman in the history of the optics department.[2][3][4]

Career

Specializing in infrared physics, she became manager of the optics department at the Rockwell International corporation, then a senior engineer at Honeywell and at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). At the JPL, she designed, developed and implemented a novel system for autonomous optical navigation using star charts and an intelligent CCD-based camera. This system is the basis for autonomous navigation in all commercial aircraft, in satellites forming the GPS network, and others. The autonomous navigation system was used to facilitate navigation of the NASA's Cassini–Huygens probe to Saturn in 2005.[2][3] Strojnik Scholl received several NASA Certificates for creative development and technological innovations[5]

Based on her merits, Strojnik Scholl became a distinguished professor at the Optical Research Center (Centro de Investigaciones en Optica) in Mexico where she has been working on a method for direct detection of exoplanets using interferometry.[1] She is a Fellow of the Optical Society (OSA) and SPIE, and was the editor of the journal Applied Optics, Infrared for two terms[6] in addition to the Infrared Physics and Technology and The Scientific World Journal.

Awards

Personal life

Marija Strojnik Scholl has three daughters which she raised herself after her husband passed away because of lateral sclerosis. Two of them became scientists themselves. In 2008, Strojnik Scholl was diagnosed with cancer which she has beaten several times with therapy.[2][3]

References

  1. Gass, Jeanette. "Marija Strojnik". The Optical Society. Retrieved 2018-10-15.
  2. "Marija Strojnik, the astrophysicist who sees beyond the solar system". STAznanost. Slovenian Press Agency. 2017-11-23. Retrieved 2019-04-24.
  3. Bandur, Simona (2018-05-23). "Znanstvenica, ki sledi svoji otroški želji po odkrivanju prostora" [A scientist who follows her childhood wish to explore space]. Delo (in Slovenian). Retrieved 2019-04-24.
  4. "Marija Strojnik". www.cio.mx (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-09-13.
  5. "Marija Strojnik". www.cio.mx. Retrieved 2020-09-13.
  6. "Marija Strojnik-Scholl". The International Society for Optics and Photonics. Retrieved 2019-04-24.
  7. "SPIE Fellow".
  8. Jiménez, Arturo Sánchez (2018-12-06). "Reconocen a 20 académicos como investigadores eméritos - Sociedad y Justicia - La Jornada". www.jornada.com.mx (in Spanish). Retrieved 2020-06-13.
  9. Žibret, Andreja (2018-03-01). "Štirinajst slovenskih znanstvenikov na ogled". www.delo.si (in Slovenian). Retrieved 2020-06-13.
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