Lisa Harvey-Smith facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lisa Harvey-Smith
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| Born | |
| Citizenship | British/Australian |
| Education | Braintree College |
| Alma mater | Newcastle University (MPhys) The University of Manchester (PhD) |
| Known for | Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) When Galaxies Collide |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astronomy Astrophysics |
| Institutions | University of New South Wales CSIRO University of Sydney Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe<brJodrell Bank Observatory |
| Thesis | Studies of OH and methanol masers in regions of massive star formation |
| Doctoral advisor | R. J. Cohen |
Lisa Harvey-Smith is a famous British-Australian astrophysicist. She studies space and stars. She is also Australia's Women in STEM Ambassador. This means she works to help more girls and women get involved in science, technology, engineering, and math. She is also a professor at the University of NSW.
Her research looks at many exciting things in space. She studies how cosmic magnetism works. She also explores supernova remnants, which are the remains of exploded stars. Other interests include the interstellar medium (gas and dust between stars), how massive stars form, and special cosmic signals called astrophysical masers. For almost ten years, Lisa Harvey-Smith was a scientist at Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). She was a key scientist for the Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) Telescope.
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Early life and education
Lisa Harvey-Smith was born in Harlow, a town in Essex, England. She went to Finchingfield Primary School. Her mother was the headteacher there. From 1991 to 1996, she was taught at home.
Later, she attended Braintree College. In 2002, she earned a Master of Physics degree from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. Her main subjects were astronomy and astrophysics. She then received her PhD in Radio Astronomy in 2005. She completed her PhD at Jodrell Bank Observatory from the University of Manchester.
A career in science
Helping girls in STEM
Lisa Harvey-Smith is the Australian Government's Women in STEM Ambassador. Her main job is to remove things that stop girls and women from joining STEM fields. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. She was chosen for this important role in 2018. She was re-appointed in 2020 to continue her work.
From 2012 to 2015, she led the Women in Astronomy Chapter. This is part of the Astronomical Society of Australia. During this time, she helped start The Pleiades Awards. This is a national plan to make things fairer for astronomers in Australia.
Studying the universe
Lisa Harvey-Smith is an astrophysicist. She has written over 50 scientific papers. These papers are about topics like how stars are born and die. She also writes about cosmic magnetic fields and huge black holes.
She is a Professor of Practice in Science Communication at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). This means she helps explain science to everyone. In 2018, she also became a professor at Western Sydney University.
In 2012, Lisa Harvey-Smith became a Project Scientist at CSIRO. She worked on the Australian SKA Pathfinder telescope (ASKAP). Before this, she helped Australia and New Zealand try to host the SKA telescope. The SKA is a huge radio telescope project. In 2012, it was decided that the SKA would be built in both Australia and Southern Africa. At CSIRO, she also helped create the ASKAP Early Science Program. This program started in 2015.
After this, she became a Research Group Leader at CSIRO. From 2009 to 2011, she was in charge of deciding who got to use the Australia Telescope National Facility's telescopes.
From 2007 to 2009, Lisa Harvey-Smith was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at The University of Sydney. She studied how magnetic fields shape supernova remnants. She also looked at large magnetic fields in areas of gas around massive star clusters.
She also worked in the Netherlands at the Joint Institute for Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) in Europe. There, she tested telescopes and made sure data was good. She also took part in some of the first global real-time electronic VLBI experiments. During this time, she studied how magnetic fields affect star formation.
Groups and boards
Lisa Harvey-Smith is a member of several important groups. These include Chief Executive Women and the Questacon Advisory Council. She is also on the Australian Space Agency Advisory Board. She is part of the International Astronomical Union and the Astronomical Society of Australia.
Books for young readers
Lisa Harvey-Smith has written several books about astronomy. Some of these are for adults, and some are for children. Here are some of her books:
- Universal Guide to the Night Sky (2023)
- Aliens and Other Worlds (2021)
- Little Book, BIG Universe (2021)
- The Secret Life of Stars (2020)
- Under the Stars: Astrophysics for Bedtime (2019). This book won awards and was a finalist for others.
- When Galaxies Collide (2018)
She also wrote a chapter in Patrick Moore's Yearbook of Astronomy 2016. She wrote the introduction for The Best Australian Science Writing in 2019. She also wrote a chapter in Australia’s Nobel Laureates Volume III in 2021.
Media appearances
On TV and stage
Lisa Harvey-Smith often appears on ABC television news. She shares her knowledge about astronomy, space, and STEM topics.
In 2016 and 2017, she co-hosted the ABC Television show Stargazing Live. She appeared with Brian Cox and Julia Zemiro. In 2016, she was also a presenter on Stargazing Live: Back to Earth. She was a guest scientist on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation series Todd Sampson's Life on the Line.
In 2018, Lisa Harvey-Smith toured Australia with her live show called “When Galaxies Collide”. She also hosted the Australian tour for "Eugene Cernan-The Last Man on the Moon" in 2016. In 2015, she performed several live events. These included her own "Stargayzing" show. She also opened for "An Evening with Neil DeGrasse Tyson". She was a guest at "Buzz Aldrin: Mission to Mars". In 2012, she gave a public lecture for the Perimeter Institute. This lecture is often shown on TV. In 2004, she was on the BBC quiz show University Challenge.
On radio and in print
Lisa Harvey-Smith has been on many radio shows and podcasts. She talks about astronomy, space, and making STEM more welcoming. She has also been featured in magazines like Women's Weekly and Women's Health. She has appeared in newspapers like The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald. She has also written articles for The Conversation and ABC Science.
Awards and recognition
On October 28, 2015, Lisa Harvey-Smith received the CSIRO Chairman's Medal. This was for her work on the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder Telescope. On August 31, 2016, she won the Australian Department of Industry, Innovation and Science Eureka Prize. This award was for helping people understand Australian science research. She was also a finalist for this prize in 2015.
In November 2012, The Sydney Morning Herald named her one of "Sydney's Most Influential People". In 2019, she was also listed in The Sydney Morning Herald's "Good Weekend's Who Mattered: Science" list.
See also
In Spanish: Lisa Harvey-Smith para niños
