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 Jodrell 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 British-Australian astrophysicist. This means she is a scientist who studies space and the universe. She is also an author and a television presenter. Currently, she is a Professor at the University of NSW.
From 2018 to 2024, Lisa was Australia's Women in STEM Ambassador. In this role, she helped the Australian Government make science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) more fair for girls and women. Her research looks at how cosmic magnetism works. She also studies supernova remnants, which are the remains of exploded stars. Other interests include the interstellar medium (gas and dust between stars) and how massive stars form. For nearly ten years, she worked at Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). She was a key scientist for the Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) Telescope. Lisa has written seven non-fiction books about space for both kids and adults. Her book Under the Stars: Astrophysics for Bedtime has won many awards.
Contents
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. Between 1991 and 1996, Lisa was home educated. This means she learned at home instead of going to a traditional school.
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. In 2005, she received her PhD in Radio Astronomy. She completed this degree at Jodrell Bank Observatory from the University of Manchester.
Professional career
Helping girls and women in STEM
From 2018 to 2024, Lisa Harvey-Smith was the Australian Government Women in STEM Ambassador. She led efforts to remove things that stopped girls and women from joining science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. She was chosen for this important role in 2018. She was re-appointed in 2020 and again in 2023.
From 2012 to 2015, Lisa was the head of the Women in Astronomy Chapter. This is part of the Astronomical Society of Australia. During her time, she helped start a national program called The Pleiades Awards. This program helps make things fairer for women astronomers in Australia.
Studying the universe
Lisa Harvey-Smith is an astrophysicist. She has written over 50 scientific papers. These papers are reviewed by other scientists. Her work covers topics like how stars are born and die. She also studies magnetic fields in space and very large black holes.
She is a Professor at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). There, she teaches about how to share science with others. In 2018, she also became a professor at Western Sydney University.
In 2012, Lisa 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 very large 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, Lisa became a Research Group Leader at CSIRO. From 2009 to 2011, she was in charge of deciding how telescope time was given out.
From 2007 to 2009, Lisa 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 space with hot gas around big star clusters.
Lisa also worked in the Netherlands at the Joint Institute for Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) in Europe. She tested a network of telescopes. She made sure the science data was good. She also took part in some of the first global real-time VLBI experiments. During this time, she studied how magnetic fields affect masers. Masers are like natural lasers in space.
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
Lisa Harvey-Smith has written several books about astronomy. These books are for both adults and children. Some of her books include:
- Universal Guide to the Night Sky (2023).
- Aliens and Other Worlds (2021).
- Little Book, BIG Universe (2021).
- The Secret Life of Stars (2020). This book was considered for a top book award in Australia.
- Under the Stars: Astrophysics for Bedtime (2019). This book won several awards. It won a Silver Medal for Children's Illustrated Non-Fiction in 2022. It also won an award for best education title in Singapore in 2021. It was also a finalist for other awards.
- When Galaxies Collide (2018).
Lisa also wrote a chapter in Patrick Moore's Yearbook of Astronomy 2016. She wrote the foreword for The Best Australian Science Writing in 2019. She also wrote a chapter in Australia’s Nobel Laureates Volume III in 2021.
Media appearances
Television 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, Lisa was a co-host on 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 toured Australia with her live astronomy show. It was called “When Galaxies Collide”. In 2016, she hosted the Australian tour for "Eugene Cernan-The Last Man on the Moon". In 2015, Lisa performed several live shows. This included her own "Stargayzing" show at Sydney Observatory. She also helped open "An Evening with Neil DeGrasse Tyson". She was a guest at "Buzz Aldrin: Mission to Mars". In 2012, Lisa gave a public lecture for the Perimeter Institute. This lecture is often shown on TV. In 2004, she was part of the Jodrell Bank Observatory team. They were on the BBC quiz show University Challenge.
Radio and print
Lisa Harvey-Smith has been on many radio shows and podcasts. She shares her knowledge about space and science. She has also been featured in magazines and newspapers. These include Women's Weekly, Women's Health, The Age, The Australian, and The Sydney Morning Herald. She has also written many articles for different publications.
Awards and honours
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 newspaper included Lisa Harvey-Smith in its "Top One Hundred: Sydney's Most Influential People" list.
She was also named in The Sydney Morning Herald's "Good Weekend's Who Mattered 2019: Science" list.
See also
In Spanish: Lisa Harvey-Smith para niños
