Astronomy Lecture: 7 Women Who Changed Astronomy

Location: Ellipse (Technology Center, Room 8180)

Even today, less than 20% of people in astronomy and physics are female. And in the past, there were even fewer women in that field. From the beginning of people looking up into the sky, until now, a countless number of women have made significant, field-changing discoveries and contributions. These contributions include the measurement of planet and star positions dating back to the first century, stellar composition, the development of the Hubble constant, pulsars, neutron stars, black holes and dark matter.

Given the constraint of time, seven women are highlighted, who made impactful changes to our understanding of the universe, often challenging and proving wrong. many other of their male counterparts, and the common thinking of the time.

Bio:
Steven Bellavia is an amateur astronomer and telescope maker. He is an aerospace engineer who worked for Grumman Aerospace with the Thermodynamics Group of the Space Division. He had a key role in developing a nuclear rocket engine, and performed the analysis, design and fabrication of the micro-gravity liquid droplet radiator that flew on Space Shuttle mission STS-029.

Steve has been at Brookhaven National Laboratory since 1992 and was the principal mechanical engineer for the camera on the Vera Rubin (formerly called the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, LSST). Prior to that, he was doing research and engineering for the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory.

Steve has been recognized for the discovery of the Clair Obscure effect “Lunar L”, which is described in the December 2018 issue of Astronomy magazine.

Steve is an assistant adjunct professor of astronomy and physics at Suffolk County Community College and the Astronomy Education and Outreach Coordinator at the Custer Institute and Observatory in Southold, New York.

For further information, contact Professor Safaie at [email protected].