Ellen Hippeli Papers

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Ellen Hippeli taught high school mathematics for nearly a decade and had just received her masters degree in education when, in 1952, she left her civilian career to join the United States Air Force. Following basic training, she was sent to the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and in 1955 earned a bachelors degree in physics, specializing in nuclear engineering effects. Hippeli spent several years at the USAF Special Weapons Center, where she tested the effects of nuclear radiation on humans. She was also sent to Washington D.C. to assist in planning South Pacific nuclear testing projects. In the late 1960s she studied the effects of radiation on electrical equipment and weapons systems at the Nevada Test Site, where she was the first female program director. Hippeli received the Joint Services Commendation Medal for her work at the Nevada Test Site and the Air Force Commendation with First Oak Leave Cluster. She retired from the Air Force in 1973, having reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

The Ellen Hippeli Papers include awards and commendations, clippings, correspondence,
military records, and photographs. The records document the trajectory of her career and her
military assignments, but do not include records related to her specific research.

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