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Beatrice Tinsley QUEEN OF THE COSMOS 
A world leader in modern cosmology and one of the most creative and significant
theoreticians in modern astronomy. Her scientific work has been described by biographer
Christine Cole Catley in The Book of New Zealand Women: Ko Kui Ma Te Kaupapa as
"opening doors to the future study of the evolutions of stars, galaxies and even the
Universe itself." Beatrice Tinsley has profoundly affected what scientists know about
the origin and size of the universe. |
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Tinsley's research on how galaxies change and evolve over time changed the
standard method for determining distances to far galaxies which, in turn,
was significant in determining the size of the universe and its rate of
expansion. At the time it was assumed that galaxies of the same type -
spiral, elliptical or lenticular - would be a similar size,shape and
luminosity. By comparing the size and luminosity of distant galaxies to
nearby galaxies whose distance was already known, it was thought that an
accurate distance could be obtained. "Extraordinary and Profound" Beatrice Hill was born in 1941 in Chester, northwest England, the second daughter of an Anglican minister father and writer mother. After the war the family moved to New Zealand, first to Christchurch and then settled in New Plymouth, where Beatrice's father was mayor for three years. At New Plymouth Girl's High School, she was a brilliant student in a number of fields, excelling in mathematics, languages, writing and music (she played violin for the National Youth Orchestra for two years). However at the age of 14 she decided that she wanted to be an astrophysicist. She graduated from New Plymouth Girls' High School as Dux at 16, won a junior scholarship and went to Canterbury University to study mathematics, chemistry and physics. She completed a Master of Science with First Class Honours in Physics in 1961, marrying fellow physics student Brian Tinsley in the same year. After graduating, Brian was offered a job at the South West Centre for Advanced Studies, in Dallas, Texas and the couple moved there. 100%
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Aching Choice She had reached a point in her life where she had to choose between staying in Texas with her family and saying goodbye to her scientific career, or taking the hard and less socially accepted road towards fulfilling her scientific promise. Knowing that she would never be taken seriously in Texas, she sought a divorce from her husband in 1974 and left Texas, taking a one year fellowship at the Lick Observatory, at the Santa Cruz campus of the University of California. The following year she started to work as an assistant professor at Yale University and in 1978 became professor of astronomy at the university. It was in the same year that she discovered she had developed a malignant form of cancer, melanoma. She continued to research and publish papers, until shortly before her death, on 23rd March 1981. Over a relatively short academic career of 14 years, Professor Tinsley authored or
co-authored around 100 scientific papers, mostly concerned with the evolution of galaxies.
In addition she was a valuable mentor to younger women scientists in America and New
Zealand, particularly during her tenure as professor at Yale. She was gifted and dedicated
as a teacher and mentor, as well as a scientist, qualities that were recognised during her
tenure at Yale, before her untimely death. |
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High Honours In 1986, as a tribute to her, the American Astronomical Society established the Beatrice M. Tinsley Prize for outstanding creative contributions to astronomy or astrophysics. It was the only major award created by an American scientific society honouring a woman scientist. Her alma mater, the University of Texas at Austin, also created the Beatrice M Tinsley Visiting Professorship in astronomy in her honour. A major biography of Beatrice Tinsley is being researched and written by Christine Cole Catley, e-mail: cape.catley@xtra.co.nz. Publication is expected later this year.
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References: |
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In the meantime, to learn more about
Beatrice Tinsley, you can look at: Books Catley, C.C. (1991) "Beatrice Tinsley" in Macdonald, C. Penfold, M & Williams, B. eds.The Book of Women in New Zealand: Ko Kui Ma Te Kaupapa. Wellington, Bridget Williams Books. Catley, C.C. (1993) "Beatrice Tinsley", New Zealand Official Yearbook. Wellington, Department of Statistics. Hill, E. (1986) My daughter, Beatrice Tinsley. New York. Bowman, G. (1988) "Why does science get the female thumbs down?" New Zealand Woman's Weekly, May 30, pp.14-16. Or check out the website on Beatrice Tinsley (and related pages on other women
astronomers) at: And see the website for New Zealand's Carter Observatory, at: COPYRIGHT NZEDGE.COM IP HOLDINGS LIMITED
1998-2007. |
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