Betty Allan facts for kids

Frances Elizabeth Allan (born July 11, 1905 – died August 6, 1952) was an amazing Australian scientist. She was a statistician, which means she was an expert at collecting and understanding data. She is famous for being the very first statistician at a big science organization called CSIRO. Many people also see her as the person who started the CSIRO's special math and statistics division. She also strongly believed in using "biometrics," which is about using statistics to study living things.

Early Life and Education

Frances Elizabeth Allan was often called Betty. She was born in a place called St Kilda, Victoria, Australia. Her parents were both journalists, writing for a newspaper. Betty was one of four sisters.

School and University

As a young girl, Betty went to the Melbourne Church of England Girls' Grammar School. After that, she studied mathematics at the University of Melbourne. She earned her first degree in 1926. Then, in 1928, she got her master's degree. For this, she worked with a professor named John Henry Michell. They studied something called "solitary waves" on liquid surfaces. Imagine a single wave that travels without changing its shape!

Studying in England

In 1928, Betty received a special scholarship. This allowed her to travel to England and study at Newnham College, Cambridge. There, she learned more about applied mathematics and statistics. She also studied applied biology and general agriculture.

A year later, she moved to the Rothamsted Experimental Station. This was a famous place for agricultural research. She worked with a well-known scientist named Ronald Fisher. Together, they studied crop experiments and developed new ways to use statistics. While at Rothamsted, she wrote three important scientific papers. She even worked with another statistician, John Wishart, on one of them.

Contributions to Science

Betty Allan returned to Australia in 1930. She became the very first "biometrician" at CSIRO. A biometrician uses statistics to study living things, like plants and animals. She worked in the Division of Plant Industry.

Helping Other Scientists

While at CSIRO, Betty provided statistical help to many different science groups. She helped all six divisions within CSIRO. She also helped other organizations outside of CSIRO. Her skills were very important for many scientific projects.

Teaching and Founding

During her time at CSIRO, Betty Allan also taught students. She taught at the Canberra University College. She also taught at the Australian Forestry School. In 1935, she helped start a new group called the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science. This group helped bring together people working in agricultural science.

Later Life and Legacy

In 1940, Betty married a botanist from CSIRO named Patrick Joseph Calvert. At that time, there were rules that said married women could not work in public service. Because of these rules, she had to retire from her job.

Betty Allan passed away on August 6, 1952, in Canberra.

Remembering Her Work

Even after her death, Betty Allan's work is remembered. A special place at CSIRO's Queensland Centre for Advanced Technologies is named after her. It's called the Betty Allan Data Centre. In 2019, the Statistical Society of Australia and Data61 created an award in her honor. This award helps people travel to share their research.