Students and faculty from physics department posing with Jocelyn Bell, center. Courtesy | Eleanor Whitaker
Students and faculty from the physics department attended a conference where they met famous astrophysicist Jocelyn Bell Burnell, who uses poetry to get women into physics.
The Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics, which took place on Jan. 20, consisted of talks, dinners, networking events, and panels which encouraged undergraduate women in their study of physics.
Assistant Professor of Physics Stephanie Lauback led a group of six physics students and participated in panels focusing on networking and undergraduate time management.
“I find it really encouraging to meet other women in physics,” Lauback said. “It’s always encouraging to hear their stories and find out where people are along their path.”
Lauback said that meeting Bell was a highlight of the conference.
“She was a phenomenal scientist and really inspirational,” Lauback said.
In 1967, Burnell discovered pulsars, a type of spinning neutron star that spews strong electromagnetic radiation beams from its poles, making it appear like a blinking star to observers on earth. Though she was only a graduate student, her discovery was as revolutionary to astrophysics as discovering a new element is to chemistry.
Despite her accomplishment, her advisor received the 1974 Nobel Prize in Physics instead of her.
Burnell said to The Collegian that she did not feel resentful about losing the opportunity to win the Nobel Prize.
“You can almost do as well not getting a Nobel Prize as getting a Nobel Prize,” Burnell said.
She said she received many other rewards and opportunities after her discovery, which would not have happened had she won the Nobel Prize.
Burnell said she finds fulfillment in her career by giving talks about astrophysics to lay audiences.
“One of the things I appreciate the most is if somebody invites me to come and do a talk,” Burnell said. “It’s public money that funds research. Where possible, the public deserves some feedback about what’s being done with their money.”
Burnell also published an anthology of poems with a scientific and astronomical theme in an effort to bridge the gap between the sciences and the humanities. She said she wishes more scientists appreciated the beauty of poetry.
“Poetry and science tend to be seen as sort of separate domains, which is just a bit sad,” Burnell said. “While poets may be aware there’s this stuff called science, I’m not sure how aware scientists are that there’s this stuff called poetry.”
Burnell said she found that speaking about astronomy poetry was an effective way to bring women into physics.
“One of my campaigns is to get more women into my audiences,” Burnell said. “And it’s quite hard with physics, with astronomy, but maybe do a talk on astronomy and poetry and your audience is beginning to get balanced.”
Sophomore Paige Lettow, who attended the conference, said she was surprised at Burnell’s eagerness to talk to her and other students.
“My favorite part about the conference was not only meeting Jocelyn Bell Burnell, but sitting with her at dinner and getting to tell her about my own research with pulsars,” Lettow said. “She was so sweet. As much as I wanted her to talk about her experience, she wanted me to talk about my experience.”
