Debra Elmegreen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Debra Elmegreen
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Elmegreen in October 2018
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| Born | November 23, 1952 |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Princeton University (AB) Harvard University (MA, PhD) |
| Spouse(s) | Bruce Elmegreen |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy |
| Institutions | Kitt Peak Observatory Arecibo Observatory Hale Observatory Vassar College (1985–present) |
| Thesis | An Optical Analysis of Dust Complexes in Spiral Galaxies (1979) |
| Doctoral advisor | William Liller |
Debra Meloy Elmegreen (born November 23, 1952) is an American astronomer. She made history at Princeton University as the first woman to earn a degree in astrophysics. She was also the first female post-doctoral researcher at the Carnegie Observatories.
Since 1985, she has been a professor of astronomy at Vassar College. She even wrote an astronomy textbook published in 1997. From 2010 to 2012, she was the president of the American Astronomical Society. Later, she became the president of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) from 2021 to 2024.
Early Life and Education
Debra Elmegreen was born in South Bend, Indiana, in 1952. She became interested in space and stars when she was young. She studied astrophysics at Princeton University, graduating in 1975. She was the first woman to get an astrophysics degree from Princeton.
She continued her studies at Harvard University. There, she earned both her Masters and Ph.D. in astronomy. In 1976, she married Bruce Elmegreen, who is also an astronomer.
Career in Astronomy
After finishing her studies, Elmegreen worked at the Hale Observatory starting in 1979. This observatory is now known as Mount Wilson Observatory. She was the first female post-doctoral researcher at any of the Carnegie Observatories.
In 1985, she began teaching astronomy at Vassar College. She became an associate professor in 1990. By 1993, she was the head of the astronomy department.
Elmegreen is very interested in how stars form and how galaxies change over time. In 1997, she published a textbook for college students called Galaxies and Galactic Structure. She has also written more than 200 science papers.
She led the American Astronomical Society as its president from 2010 to 2012. She also served on a special board that plans for the future of astronomy. From 2021 to 2024, she was the president of the International Astronomical Union.
Awards and Honors
Debra Elmegreen has received many honors for her work. In 2019, she was chosen to be part of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. This is a group that recognizes important thinkers.
In 2018, she won the George Van Biesbroeck Prize. This award is given for helping the field of astronomy in many ways. She was also named a Legacy Fellow of the American Astronomical Society in 2020. In 2011, she became a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Published Works
Debra Elmegreen has written an important textbook and many research papers.
- Galaxies and Galactic Structure, Prentice Hall, 1997, ISBN: 0137792328
She has also published over 200 academic papers, including:
- Elmegreen, D. M., S4 G team, 2011, “Grand Design and Flocculent Spirals in the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies,” Astrophysical Journal, 737, 32
- Elmegreen, D.M., et al. 2009, “Clumpy Galaxies in GEMS and GOODS: Massive Analogs of Local Dwarf Irregulars,” Astrophysical Journal, 701, 306
- Elmegreen, D., et al. 2007, “Resolved Galaxies in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field: Star Formation in Disks at High Redshift,” Astrophysical Journal, 658, 763
See also
In Spanish: Debra Elmegreen para niños
