EVENTI
Ph.D. Programs in Physics, Universities of Bari, Caserta, Lecce and Naples
“Lecce Lectures 2024: Women in Science”
Date: October 31 time: 16:00 CET on Zoom (link will be provided)
Speaker: Prof. Jocelyn Bell
Astrophysics, University of Oxford
and Mansfield College, Oxford.
Seminar
TITLE: ‘Women in astrophysics around the world’.
Abstract:
“ In this talk I will examine International Astronomy Union membership data on women in astrophysics, broken down by country, and how the numbers have changed with time.”
Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell is a renowned astrophysicist best known for her discovery of pulsars, one of the most significant astronomical breakthroughs of the 20th century. Born on July 15, 1943, in Northern Ireland, Bell Burnell attended the University of Glasgow, where she earned a degree in Physics, and later completed her PhD in radio astronomy at the University of Cambridge.
In 1967, while analyzing data from a radio telescope she helped build, Bell Burnell detected unusual signals that led to the discovery of pulsars—rapidly spinning neutron stars emitting beams of radiation. This groundbreaking work earned a Nobel Prize in Physics in 1974, though controversially, the award was given to her supervisor, Antony Hewish, and another colleague, leaving Bell Burnell unrecognized. Despite this, Bell Burnell has had a distinguished career, holding various prestigious academic and research positions. She has been a strong advocate for women in science, received numerous honors, and in 2018, donated her $3 million Breakthrough Prize to fund scholarships for underrepresented groups in physics.
Her legacy not only includes her contributions to astronomy but also her efforts to promote diversity in the scientific community.
Claudio Coriano’
videos celebrating her discovery and activity promoting diversity:
https://www.youtube.com/