Документ взят из кэша поисковой машины. Адрес оригинального документа : http://star.arm.ac.uk/~meb/ras_leaflets2012/WomenInAst.2012.pdf Дата изменения: Tue Mar 6 03:06:30 2012 Дата индексирования: Tue Oct 2 06:49:59 2012 Кодировка: Поисковые слова: hourglass nebula

Careers ormation Inf
The Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) has free leaflets on: Becoming an Astronomer Postgraduate Opportunities in Astronomy and Geophysics Studying and Working in Astronomy and Planetary Sciences in the UK Careers in Astronomy, Geophysics and Planetary Science All these are available from: Royal Astronomical Society, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BQ. The RAS web site (www.ras.org.uk) has lists of universities that run relevant courses and current job vacancies. The Institute of Physics (IoP) has free publications for schools and colleges including information about careers. See their web site www.iop.org/careers for details.

Isabelle Couillet, a graduate from France, is studying viscoThe Daphne Jackson Trust offers fellowships providing funding elastic gels at Schlumberger for people returning to science or engineering after a career break, Cambridge Research, where for example women who have taken time out to look after young oil and gas prospecting is investigated. children. Contact: The Daphne Jackson Trust, Dept of Physics,

University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, or see the web site at www.DaphneJackson.org

The Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowships are for scientists and engineers, offering funding particularly for women. See royalsociety.org/grants/schemes/dorothy-hodgkin Lots of girls who are interested in astronomy and geophysics find careers in publishing, the media, the computer industry or the world of finance, though many also pursue research at universities or government establishments. Studying geophysics is a great way of getting into industrial companies.

DESIGN: PAUL JOHNSON (www.higgs-boson.com)

This leaflet has been prepared by Prof. Ken Phillips (CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory) and Dr Helen Mason (Cambridge University) and members of the RAS Committee for Women in Astronomy and Geophysics. It has been updated by Dr Helen Walker (STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory). It was first printed with the aid of grants from PPARC, now the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), under their Small Awards Scheme. Reprinted 2012 by Armagh Observatory with funding from the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL)


Resources
Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) The Committee for Women in Astronomy and Geophysics (CWiAG) supports and represents female RAS members and young female astronomers and geophysicists. Tel. 020 7734 4582/3307. www.ras.org.uk International Astronomical Union The IAU has over 8000 members and 66 participating countries. www.iau.org Women into Science and Engineering (WISE) The campaign for women into science, engineering and construction works with industry and education to inspire girls and attract them into science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) studies and careers. The WISE Campaign has developed a range of resources to inspire and inform girls and young women, and their teachers, parents and other advisers. It works with employers to help them set up successful outreach days and work-experience packages. It also has expertise in communications, engagement and challenging stereotypes, welcoming positive collaborations with a wide range of organizations and institutions committed to building gender equality in STEM. www.theukrc.org European Association for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology (WiTEC) A well-established European network with coordinators in 12 European countries. It has training initiatives and projects, information exchange and research projects. www.witec-eu.net Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Funds UK research, education and training in particle physics, astronomy and related areas. It publishes the magazine Fascination, featuring the pick of the latest stories from across STFC. STFC has an active Public Engagement programme with a number of initiatives and free resources for schools. www.stfc.ac.uk Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Promotes and supports understanding in Earth-system science. NERC publishes a wide range of free magazines, leaflets, briefing notes and brochures which give excellent insights into some of the big environmental issues ­ climate change, natural hazards, sustainable use of Earth's resources, biodiversity and pollution. www.nerc.ac.uk/publications STEMNET (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Network) Creates opportunities to inspire young people in STEM subjects and encourages them to be well informed about STEM, able to engage fully in debate, and make decisions about STEMrelated issues. It has a team of volunteer Ambassadors from scientific fields who interact with teachers and students in schools. www.stemnet.org.uk

Claire Isham (Year 12, King Alfred's School, Wantage) studies the Sun's corona on the web.


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Women are scientists, educators, teachers, authors, historians. They travel the world, work on the tops of mountains, use virtual reality and help us to understand how the Earth and the Universe were formed. Below, and overleaf, are brief profiles of women working in various branches of astronomy and geophysics. These give a taste of the varied careers possible as well as examples of how they got to where they are now.

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ore and more girls are taking an interest in astronomy and geophysics. Why don't you? In February 2004 at the exhibition `Celebrating Women in Astronomy', the Royal Astronomical Society featured profiles from 45 women, of all ages, from countries all around the world, and all with a link to the RAS. They had a wonderful variety of jobs, career paths and achievements. There were also profiles from 15 `historic' famous female astronomers.

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s a young child, COLLEEN KELLY I found myself Job: BSc student in Astronomy and gazing up at the night Geology at Glamorgan University sky, and as an adult I A-levels studied: Physics, Chemistry, English Literature still do, and I am always amazed by what I see. Useful tips/advice: You have to work hard and be patient but determined I wanted to study science, but I also love literature, so I did physics, chemistry and English literature for my A-levels. I am now studying for a BSc in astronomy and geology at Glamorgan University. My decision to study astronomy was influenced by many people, especially by my physics teacher, and by books. The prospects of astronaut missions to Mars and the question of life on other planets excite me. The universe is a vast place, with many unanswered questions ­ I would like to answer one of the questions and make my mark in history.


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f you are interested in becoming an astronomer or geophysicist, it is important to study mathematics and science. For astronomy, it also helps to belong to a local astronomical club. Here are some examples of girls who were interested in astronomy at school and keen to make their mark in future years.

Laura Watson (Year 10), Soham Village College I first became interested in astronomy when I was 10. I was fascinated by the fact that space is so vast yet we still know so little about it. I saved for two years for my own 10-inch reflector telescope. With it I saw Saturn and its rings and Jupiter and some of its moons for the first time, Laura with the Soham which was amazing. I attend an astronomy class and will be taking Village College telescope. Astronomy GCSE. I am really interested in science, especially astronomy, and would like to study for a career in that area. Astronomy is fascinating as new discoveries are always being made. Humankind has already started searching for a new planet or moon to inhabit! Claire Isham (Year 12), King Alfred's School, Wantage I have always enjoyed looking at the night sky. It must be the greatest paradox in the universe, containing vast emptiness and planets, stars and life. Once you start to look closer, the amazement at what is there can only increase. Relatively close is the Sun, with its sunspots and flares, while further away are the more mind-boggling things ­ twin stars, black holes and even other solar systems. It never ceases to astonish me just how much we don't know. Most of it we probably never will. Oddly, it's this lack of knowledge which entices me into astronomy ­ we have studied it for thousands of years yet still know very little about space. Jessica Jameson (Year 9), Oxford High School Although I love doing science at school, it isn't learning the facts and figures that interests me so much as the unknown bits. I won a prize in the Oxfordshire Science Writing Competition which gave me the opportunity of thinking about some of them. My prize consisted of a tour of Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire Jessica (left) gets an introduction which was brilliant as I met astronomers who to space science technology. were trying to find the answers to some of the unknown bits. I was thrilled to find that astronomy is much more than facts and figures: it's exciting, imaginative, huge and growing all the time because what we do know is tiny compared to what we don't. I hope to specialize in it soon, but the choice of exactly what to do is, like space itself, endless.


Astronomy and
Lots of women work in astronomy and geophysics Find out what opportunities there are for you Here is some information to help you on your journey

Careers for Girls with a Vision

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Making an

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any major discoveries and achievements have been made by women astronomers and geophysicists over the years. Here are just some of them.

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Pioneering meteorite study in Antarctica Before moving to the Open University, Prof. Monica Grady worked at the Natural History Museum, London. There she was in charge of the UK collection of meteorites. In 1988/89, Monica took part in a pioneering survey of meteorites found lying around on the ice sheets of Antarctica. These meteorites fell to Earth millions of years ago. She is fascinated by really old meteorites and also those from Mars. Asteroid 4731 was named "Monicagrady" in her honour. Pulsar discovery in 1967 Prof. Jocelyn Bell Burnell grew up in Northern Ireland and did her graduate work at Cambridge. She was a key member of the radio astronomy team which first found pulsars in 1968, a discovery that opened up a whole new branch of astrophysics. She became Professor of Physics at The Open University in 1991 and then Dean of Science at the University of Bath. She was President of the Royal Astronomical Society from 2002 to 2004. First woman RAS President Prof. Carole Jordan was elected the first woman President of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1994. She has been at Oxford University since 1976; before that she was in the Astrophysics Research Unit at Culham Laboratory. She has studied ultraviolet and X-ray spectra of the Sun and other cool stars, obtained from rocket flights and satellites. She was the first to identify many spectral lines from different ions and molecules. She enjoys the challenge of discovering what the atmospheres of stars are like from their spectra. She was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1990 for her research achievements. Exploring the Earth's magnetosphere Prof. Sandra Chapman is head of the Space and Astrophysics Group at the University of Warwick. She uses a virtual reality environment to explore the chaotic way charged particles behave in a model of the Earth's magnetic field. She builds computer models to simulate the behaviour of complex systems in the solar system, astrophysical objects and comets. She loves to travel, particularly to Japan.
Dr Monica Grady holds a polished slab of the Imilac stony-iron meteorite, recovered from the Atacama Desert in Chile.


aving a passion for astronomy doesn't just have to lead to research. Smitten by the night sky Science Center, Oakland, USA at age seven, I discovered that there A-levels studied: Maths, Physics, were still many things we didn't Chemistry know about the universe, and the Degrees: BSc Leicester (1993) curiosity was too hard to bear. Physics with Astrophysics Communicating the subject, Useful tips/advice: Take time just to look at the wonder of a however, proved more of a draw to starry sky without thinking me than mastering the theory of about how it all works everything. My teenage years were spent studying the usual subjects at school by day, and talking to astronomy clubs in the evening. Not surprisingly, I ended up doing a physics with astronomy degree at Leicester, and having a major role with the planetarium there and at the observatory. This led to my first job, at the BBC, researching for an astronomy series. Later I began working with the media, museums, schools and science centres in projects to get across science to all kinds of audiences. My largest project was the National Space Centre in Leicester (www.spacecentre.co.uk) and leading the design of the exhibition and space theatre. I am now Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Chabot Space and Science Centre in Oakland, California. One of the things that attracted me was the major programme that Chabot runs which sets up science and technology after-school clubs for girls. My long-term goal is to build a sandcastle on Mars! A L E X
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The model of the Thor rocket at the National Space Centre in Leicester.


Steps Along the Way
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Job: Lecturer, University of Manchester, Jodrell Bank Scottish Highers studied: Maths, English, French, Physics, Chemistry Degrees: BSc Hons Aberdeen (1989) Physics, PhD Manchester (1992) Astronomy Useful tips/advice: Do the subjects or options you enjoy



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am a lecturer in physics and astronomy and divide my time between teaching and research at the Jodrell Bank Observatory, University of Manchester. I study gas clouds surrounding new-born and evolved stars in our galaxy. Most of my research work involves analysing data here at Jodrell Bank, but I get the chance to travel to observatories around the world, most recently to Paranal, a mountain in the Atacama desert in Chile, home to the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescopes. I was studying the "Engraved Hourglass" planetary nebula, following-up my exciting discovery a few years before, that there are extremely fast bullets of dense material being ejected by this beautiful nebula. A planetary nebula is formed from an ordinary star like the Sun that has burned up most of its hydrogen fuel. My observations show the star that

produced this nebula may have a companion star, which caused the hourglass shape and the bullets, so perhaps Jupiter might have a similar effect on our Sun one day! My family is very important to me ­ I have two small children who take up most of my time outside of work. Balancing family and career can be tricky, especially when I have to go away on observing trips, but I manage, with a little help from my family and friends.
Hubble Space Telescope image of the Hourglass Planetary Nebula. (COURTESY R SAHAI,
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Job: Research assistant, British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge A-levels studied: Biology, Physics, Maths Degrees: BSc UMIST (1997) Physics with Environment Science Useful tips/advice: Books! Get them ­ they go into much more detail and explain things better than a lecturer Above: Alex at her Antarctic station.

have just come back from Antarctica. When some people find out what I do, they think I am crazy. But honestly, Antarctica is a fantastic place and I love working there. I worked as a meteorologist while I was in Antarctica, so it was my job to record the weather, measure the ozone and monitor pollution. But that's not all the work I did. I also got to drive the bulldozer around, I used the radios to talk to our nearest neighbours 1000 km away and I practised first-aid with the doctor. Sometimes we got to go on holiday ­ my favourite place was the Emperor penguin colony which was about 20 km from my "home". In spring (August) when the Sun rose for the first time in three months we would visit the penguins and see the new-born chicks, tiny bundles of grey fur. Sometimes Antarctica is a scary place to live ­ there are huge cracks in the ice, it's dark for three months and the temperature can drop to ­50 °C. But it's also the most phenomenal place, there are zillions of penguins and seals and, of course, the Southern Lights (aurora australis) which zigzag green and pink across the night sky. In fact, I enjoyed my time so much that I want to go back and I wish I could take you all with me! See the British Antarctic Survey's website www.antarctica.ac.uk
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Yearly measurements of ozone concentrations in the atmosphere over the Antartic showing the depletion in recent times thought to be caused by the production of harmful CFC gases. (COURTESY BRITISH

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lthough most astronomers look up at the sky, I'm interested in looking down at the interior of our planet, the Earth. We know a lot about the Earth, more than other planets, but there is still much we don't know. To reach the centre of the Earth, you would need to dig down about 6400 km. There the pressure reaches over three million times the pressure we feel here at the surface. The Top temperature (°C) temperature at the centre Down pressure (в104 atm) 1500 is very high, more than 18 6000 °C. Upper mantle 4000 The material that wells 140 Lower mantle up in volcanoes comes 4500 330 Outer core from only a few hundred kilometres down. This is 5000 Inner core 360 very far from the centre, well over 6000 km. About 6370 km 5100 90% of the Earth cannot km be reached. Geophysicists study this part with experiments on minerals Fe-Ni, Si, S, O, H etc that are likely to be there. (Mg , Fe, Al) They also make computer (Al, Si)O3 perovskite simulations, since the CaAsiO3 perovskite, pressure and (Fe, Mg)O temperatures are so high Diagram showing the various regions of the Earth's that it is difficult to do experiments in the interior with their temperatures and compositions. laboratory. (COURTESY OF THE JAPAN ATOMIC ENERGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE) For example, we are beginning to understand the nature of iron and iron alloys under the extreme conditions of the Earth's core where iron is squeezed to about half its normal volume. Also, we are just beginning to find what exactly the temperature is at the Earth's core, previously known to an accuracy of only a few thousand degrees. My one-year-old son Humphrey (right) participates fully in my work, having already attended several international conferences and assisted with experiments done at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. L I D U N K
Job: Royal Society University Research Fellow, University College London A-levels studied: Maths, Physics, Chemistry Degrees: BSc University College London (1988) Physics and Astronomy, PGCE Institute of Education (1989), PhD University College London (1993) Geophysics Useful tips/advice: Take every opportunity and experience offered to you, both work and play, however small or unlikely they might at first appear

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have been a lecturer REKHA JAIN in the Department of Job: Lecturer at University Applied Mathematics of Sheffield at the University of Degrees: Bachelors and Sheffield since Masters in India, PhD at St Andrews September 2003. I Useful tips/advice: You teach applied maths can have it all if you courses to work hard for it undergraduates and carry out research in solar physics. My main interests are the influence of magnetic fields on solar oscillations and the hot corona of the Sun. After I finished my PhD in Scotland, I worked at JILA (in Boulder, Colorado) for two years, then returned to the UK to continue my research at UMIST (Manchester). My hobbies are travelling and sports but above all I enjoy life with my beautiful children (a daughter who is 5 years old and a son who is 3 years old). J O A N N A H O LT

stronomy has always fascinated me but until I started applying for university courses, I never realized it was a career possibility. Fortunately, my A-level subjects included maths and physics and I was able to study for an MPhys physics with astronomy degree. I chose the University of Sheffield because of the broad range of astronomy courses it offered. As the course progressed, more time was devoted to research Job: PhD student in Astrophysics at Sheffield University projects, culminating in the chance A-levels studied: Physics, Maths, Further Maths, Geography to spend my final year working at Degrees: MPhys Sheffield University (2001) Physics with the Isaac Newton Group of Astronomy Telescopes in La Palma, Canary Useful tips/advice: Try and get extra experience, such as summer placements ­ postgrad admissions tutors love Islands. My time was split between this. If you can spend some time at an observatory the a year-long research project, experience is invaluable searching for high-redshift quasars, and more general observatory work. Above: By the dome of the Isaac Newton Telescope. Along with another student, I helped with the running of the large Jacobus Kapteyn Telescope (JKT), both teaching visiting astronomers how to use the telescope and performing service observations myself. During my time in La Palma I experienced first-hand the world of astronomical research. For me, continuing in astronomy is the natural way forward and I am now studying for a PhD, researching radio galaxies.

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Job: Research Scientist, St Andrews University Career Stage: Postdoctoral fellowship A-levels studied: Maths, Physics, Chemistry Degrees: BSc Cardiff (1991) Maths, PhD St Andrews (1994) Solar Physics Useful tips/advice: Keep your options open ­ choose subjects that open doors rather than close them

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have been interested in the Sun since starting my postgraduate studies at St Andrews University. I studied mathematics and was looking for a way to use my knowledge, and found that modelling the Sun's outer atmosphere (the corona) and the sudden releases of energy that occur called flares was just right. The corona is a puzzle since it is so much hotter than the Sun's surface ­ the temperature increases dramatically from 6000 to 2 million degrees. Just like the Earth with its volcanoes, earthquakes, tornadoes and lightning storms, the Sun is very dynamic. Its surface oscillates and its magnetic field is complex and always changing. Eruptions occur frequently on all scales, from small ones the size of a nuclear bomb to giant ones many times larger than anything seen on the Earth. I am trying to understand and explain these phenomena. I have held an RAS Norman Lockyer fellowship and a PPARC special fellowship, and am now Professor of Astronomy at the University of St Andrews. My work has taken me to some fascinating places including Japan, California, Hawaii and much of Europe. This is great because I love hill walking and climbing.

Image of an active region on the Sun in extreme ultraviolet radiation from the Transition Region And Coronal Explorer (TRACE) spacecraft.