By the 1970s, scientists’ understanding of the universe was rapidly expanding, and new technology allowed for experiments that weren’t possible before. We no longer relied on sight alone, and searched the darkness for previously unseen radio and infrared waves. Jocelyn Bell Burnell was a pioneer in this radio exploration, and discovered pulsars using a radio telescope she built. Her findings created an entirely new branch of physics, with scientists eagerly studying the extremely dense neutron stars her discovery revealed.
Early Life:
Jocelyn Bell Burnell was born in Northern Ireland on July 15th, 1943. While attending primary school, she was encouraged to take homemaking classes with the other girls. However, Burnell wanted to attend science classes and told her parents about the issue. They were Quakers and deeply believed in equality, so they made sure she had the same opportunities for learning as her male peers. Along with other parents, they demanded the school open up science classes to girls. After they agreed, Burnell and two other girls attended the classes. While still in school, she read Frontiers of Astronomy by Fred Hoyle and decided that she wanted to become a radio astronomer.
Contributions:
Following that path, Burnell graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1965 with a bachelor's degree in physics and then continued her studies at Cambridge. There, she worked as a research assistant in an experiment studying quasars. In 1967, she helped build the project’s radio telescope, which differs from a regular telescope because it picks up radio waves instead of light waves. Its construction took two years, and it was massive! It took up an entire field and had over 100 miles of antennae.
The machine constantly recorded numbers, which were printed out as a graph. While checking these printouts, Burnell noticed something unusual in the data. She wasn’t sure what it was, so she studied it more. After modifying the telescope to take more sensitive readings, she noticed that it was a series of radio pulses. Her team changed the focus of their experiment and ultimately discovered pulsars, locating two different ones with Burnell’s telescope. This discovery created a whole new branch of physics, introducing scientists to the world of neutron stars.
In 1969, Burnell received a doctorate in radio astronomy from Cambridge. She went on to teach at numerous universities, starting with Southampton University, then the University College of London, Open University, the University of Bath, and finally, the University of Oxford. She was also the president of the Royal Astronomical Society (2002-2004) and president of the Institute of Physics (2008-2010).
In 1974, her advisor and his colleague received the Nobel Prize in physics for the discovery of pulsars, and many scientists were outraged that Burnell was not recognized. However, she has received numerous awards since, including the Copley Medal and the Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics. She used her award of 3 million dollars to set up a scholarship fund for female, minority, and refugee students. .
Impact:
Starting in primary school, Burnell faced adversity in the classroom. She was one of few females in a male-dominated field, and this adversity followed her into university and her greater career. After her significant discovery, the media focused on her appearance, using her gender as the headline for many articles. Furthermore, while Burnell accepted her exclusion from the Nobel Prize, given her student status, she admits that the same mistake would not happen again in modern times. Because of these experiences, she is a passionate advocate for women’s rights, especially in the STEM field. Burnell is a true role model, having overcome adversity and created a name for herself despite others’ attempts at erasing it.
“There is stardust in your veins. We are literally, ultimately children of the stars.”
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