Twenty-eight Boston women in male-dominated professions are the subject of an exhibit that opened yesterday at Radcliffe's Schlesinger Library.

The exhibition, entitled "Meeting the Challenge: Women in Careers," opened yesterday at Radcliffe's Schlesinger Library. It brings together photographs from the library's archives by Georgia Litwack, who took them over a period of several years.

Litwack said she hoped her work--which includes portraits of Radcliffe President Matina S. Horner, Brandeis Professor Sissela Bok and Margaret Heckler, the U.S. ambassador to Ireland--would inspire young women to join male-dominated fields such as engineering and the sciences.

"Young women [who] are considering science, medicine or engineering would be inspired and encouraged to see that it's possible to reach heights in these areas," said Litwack.

Because her photos capture their subjects at work, Litwack called them "environmental portraits." She said she interviews each woman twice to develop an appropriate setting.

Renovations completed this summer make exhibitions like this one possible, said archivist Jane S. Knowles, who coordinates exhibits at the Schlesinger. She said the Litwack show was the second of a year-long series planned to spotlight women photographers.