Alice Everett facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alice Everett
|
|
|---|---|
Portrait of Alice Everett
|
|
| Born | 15 May 1865 Glasgow, Scotland
|
| Died | 21 July 1949 (aged 84) London, England
|
| Alma mater | Girton College, Cambridge |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | astronomy, optics, engineering |
| Institutions | Royal Observatory, Greenwich |
Alice Everett (born May 15, 1865 – died July 21, 1949) was a brilliant British scientist. She was an astronomer and engineer who grew up in Ireland. Alice also made important contributions to how we understand light (optics) and early television. She is famous for being the first woman to be paid for her astronomy work at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. This was a big step for women in science when she started there in January 1890.
Contents
Alice Everett's Early Life
Alice Everett was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1865. When she was two years old, her family moved to Belfast, Ireland. Her father, Joseph David Everett, became a professor at Queen's University, Belfast. He taught about natural philosophy, which included physics. Alice went to school at the Methodist College Belfast. She was a very good student and won many prizes.
University Education and Challenges
Back then, it was hard for women in Ireland to go to university. The main way was through the Royal University of Ireland. This university gave degrees based only on exams. In 1882, Queen's College, Belfast started letting women attend lectures. This helped them prepare for the Royal University exams.
Alice joined this program. In 1884, she came in first place in her science exams. But the college refused to give her a scholarship because she was a woman. This shows how difficult it was for women to get fair chances.
In 1886, Alice moved to Girton College, Cambridge. This was a college only for women. She passed her exams in mathematics in 1887. She earned a Master of Arts degree in 1889. That same year, she passed the tough Mathematical Tripos exams at Cambridge University. Cambridge University did not give degrees to women until 1928. Even so, Alice's university studies ended in 1889. This marked the start of her amazing career in astronomy.
A Career in Astronomy
Working for the UK Civil Service was very difficult for women. This included jobs at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. But in 1890, the Astronomer Royal, William Christie, wanted to hire smart women. These women were now graduating from English universities. He found a way around the rules. He paid women as "supernumerary computers." This meant they were not on the permanent payroll.
Alice Everett was one of four women he hired. They were not just "computers" (people who did calculations). They were second assistants. They helped with observations and calculations. Alice became the first woman to work at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. She started in January 1890.
At Greenwich, Alice worked in the Astrographic Department. She helped with a big international project called Carte du Ciel. This project aimed to map the entire sky. Alice learned to use the Observatory's new telescope. She took photographs of the stars. Her job also involved measuring these photos. She calculated where stars were and prepared data for the star catalog. She also made observations for the Transit Department. This department helped define the Prime Meridian.
In 1891, Alice convinced her friend Annie Russell to apply. Annie also started working at the Royal Observatory. They had both studied at Girton College. They had passed the difficult Tripos exam together.
In 1892, Alice, Annie, and Elizabeth Brown tried to join the Royal Astronomical Society. But none of them were accepted. They did not get enough votes. So, they joined the British Astronomical Association (BAA). This was a group for amateur astronomers. Alice published her work in their Journal. She also wrote for The Observatory and Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
After five years, Alice wanted a better salary. She looked for other jobs. She did not get a job at the Dunsink Observatory in Dublin. Instead, she got a temporary job in Germany. This was at the Astrophysical Observatory of Potsdam. It was a top place for astronomy research in Europe. Alice started there in October 1895. She was the first woman to work in an observatory in Germany. She kept working on the Carte du Ciel project. In 1897, she helped measure 22,000 stars. She left Potsdam in July 1899.
Alice then worked for one year at Vassar College in the United States. There, she wrote two papers with Mary Whitney. James Keeler, who directed the Lick Observatory, wanted to hire her. But he could not get the money. So, Alice returned to London in 1900. Her interest shifted from astronomy to optics. Her astronomy career ended when she was 35.
Contributions to Optics
Alice's interest in optics began when she helped her father. He was retired and needed help translating a German article. It was about special optical glass. She helped him with his research and experiments in optics. This continued until his death in 1904.
In 1903, her father shared a paper she wrote. It was for the Physical Society of London. Her paper described experiments on lenses. This was the first paper by a woman in that society's journal. But there were few chances for women in science back then. Alice could not find regular paid work. This changed during the First World War. The war gave many women a chance to work. In 1917, at age 52, Alice joined the National Physical Laboratory. She worked in the optics section until she retired in 1925.
Engineering and Early Television
Retirement did not stop Alice. It marked the start of her third career: engineering. In the late 1920s, Alice passed exams in wireless and electrical engineering. She also became very interested in the new field of television. She might have been one of two women at the first TV demonstration. This was by John Logie Baird in January 1926.
Because of this, Alice became a founding member of the Television Society. This group is now called the Royal Television Society. She joined in September 1927. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, Alice worked with the Baird Television Company. In 1933, she and the company applied for a patent together. It was about television optics. Alice kept working on television for the rest of her life.
In 1938, she received a special pension of £100. This was to honor her contributions to physics. Alice Everett died in London on July 21, 1949. She left her science books to the Television Society.
