Under the Radar: The First Woman in Radio Astronomy: Ruby Payne-Scott

ISBN-13: 9783642031403 / Angielski / Twarda / 2009 / 378 str.

W. M. Goss; Richard McGee

Opis

It is rare for a complete biography of an Australian scientist, particularly of an Australian woman scientist, to be published. It is rarer for such a book to be co-authored by an American. Although scientists have written discourses on the history of their discipline, it is most unusual for a scientist to write a full length biography of a colleague in his ?eld. It is also uncommon for a man to write about an Australian woman scientist; most of the work on Australian women scientists has been done by other women. However, these authors, both distinguished researchers in the ?eld of radio astr- omy, became so interested in the history of their discipline and in the career of the pioneer radio astronomer Ruby Payne-Scott that they spent some years bringing this book to fruition. Until relatively recently, Ruby Payne-Scott had been the only woman scientist mentioned brie?y in histories of Australian science or of Australian radio astronomy. This book will be an invaluable resource for anyone interested in these disciplines. Being scientists themselves, the authors explain Payne-Scott's scienti?c work in detail; therefore, the value and importance of her contributions can, for the ?rst time, be recognised, not only by historians but also by scientists.

Recenzje

From the reviews:

"This is a beautifully-researched, copiously-illustrated and well-written book that tells us much more than the life of one amazing female radio astronomer. It also provides a profile on radar developments during WWII and on Australia's pre-eminent place in solar radio astronomy in the years following WWII. Under the Radar is compelling reading, and if you have taken the time to read right through this review then it certainly belongs on your bookshelf!" (Wayne Orchiston, Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, March, 2010) "Under the Radar is a technically thorough biography of Ruby Payne-Scott, who had a remarkable career as a radio astronomer in Australia. ... Goss (National Radio Astronomy Observatory, New Mexico) and McGee (CSIRO, Australia) are also radio astronomers. ... Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty, and professionals." (M. Dickinson, Choice, Vol. 47 (9), May, 2010)

"This detailed biography of Ruby Payne-Scott ... one of the early pioneers in Sydney, is a welcome and scholarly addition to this growing body of work. ... written in a style that would probably appeal more to radio astronomers with an interest in history ... . The book concludes with a lengthy Appendix divided into fourteen sections covering a diverse range of subjects ... ." (Peter Robertson, Historical Records of Australian Science, Vol. 22 (2), 2011)

"Under the Radar, a biography of the first woman in radio astronomy ... . The book Under the Radar is a much deserved look at her life and times, and is an extremely through look at her background, her family, and the astronomy and physics involved in her research, definitely one worth searching out!" (Astroguyz, April, 2012)

Spis treści

Foreword.- Preface.- Chapter 1 Introduction – the Life of Ruby Violet Payne-Scott -28 May 1912 (Grafton NSW, Australia) to 25 May 1981 (Sydney Australia).- Chapter 2 Ruby Payne-Scott - the Early Years: 1912-1938, Ancestors, Childhood, Secondary School and Sydney University.- Chapter 3 Woodlands Church of England Girls' Grammar School, Glenelg (Adelaide).- Chapter 4 Personnel File from CSIR/CSIRO.- Chapter 5 War Time Research by Payne-Scott at RPL.- Chapter 6 Payne-Scott - the first woman radio astronomer and the transition to peacetime - 1944-1945.- Chapter 7 Payne-Scott at Dover Heights 1945-1947 - Discovery of Type I, II and III Solar Bursts and the Introduction of Fourier Synthesis in Astronomy.- Chapter 8 Hornsby 1948 - Type III Bursts Revealed; Conflicts with Bolton.- Chapter 9 Payne-Scott at Potts Hill, 1949-1951 - Movies of the outward motions of solar outbursts with the Swept-Lobe Interferometer.- Chapter 10 Payne-Scott and URSI, 1952 - her last experience as a radio astronomer.- Chapter 11 Reminiscences and Anecdotes of Ruby Payne-Scott as told by Friends and Colleagues.- Chapter 12 A Remarkable Family: Bill and Ruby Hall.- Chapter 13 Payne-Scott, Communist Party of Australia, Commonwealth Investigation Service and Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.- CHAPTER 14 Danebank School 1963-1974; the Ruby Payne-Scott Lectures. Chapter 15 The End of Payne-Scott’s Life - A Retrospective.- Chapter 16 Epilogue - Why did we write this book ?.- Appendices.

O autorze

Miller Goss received his undergraduate degree in astronomy from Harvard in 1963 and a PhD from the University of California (Berkeley) in 1967, working on the newly discovered OH radio frequency line at the Hat Creek Observatory. He then moved to Australia to the CSIRO Division of Radiophysics, first as a postdoctoral fellow and later as a staff member. In 1976 he was the recipient of the Pawsey Medal of the Australian Academy of Science. From 1977 to 1986 he was on the staff of the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute of the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, and then professor from 1980 to 1986. In 1986 he moved to the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in Socorro New Mexico (USA). He was Director of the Very Large Array and the Very Long Baseline Array from 1988 to 2002. He and Dick McGee began working on Under the Radar, the First Woman in Radio Astronomy: Ruby Payne-Scott, in 1997. It was published in 2009 with book launches in Sydney and Canberra. At present Goss and Claire Hooker are working on a joint biography of J.L. Pawsey and J.G. Bolton. Goss scientific interests are radio astronomical studies of the interstellar medium in the Milky Way and nearby galaxies. Goss is currently on the scientific staff of NRAO and is the author of over 500 astronomical publications.

Blurb

This is the biography of Ruby Payne-Scott (1912 to 1981). As the first female radio astronomer (and one of the first people in the world to consider radio astronomy), she made classic contributions to solar radio physics.
She also played a major role in the design of the Australian government's Council for Scientific and Industrial Research radars, which were in turn of vital importance in the Southwest Pacific Theatre in World War II and were used by Australian, US and New Zealand personnel. From a sociological perspective, her career also offers many examples of the perils of being a female academic in the first half of the 20th century.
Written in an engaging style and complemented by many historical photographs this book gives a fascinating insight into the beginning of radio astronomy and the role of a pioneering woman in astronomy.