Monica Grady facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Monica Grady
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| Born | 15 July 1958 |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | St Aidan's College, Durham University (1979) Darwin College, Cambridge (1982) |
| Occupation | Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences at the Open University |
| Years active | Since 1979 |
| Known for | Work on meteorites |
| Television | Royal Institution Christmas Lectures (2003) |
Monica Mary Grady, born on July 15, 1958, is a British space scientist. She is famous for her important work on meteorites. Currently, she is a Professor of Planetary and Space Science at the Open University. She is also the Chancellor of Liverpool Hope University.
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Early Life and Education
Monica Grady grew up in Leeds, UK, as the oldest of eight children. Her parents were both teachers. She went to Notre Dame Collegiate School for Girls.
After school, Monica studied at the University of Durham, graduating in 1979. She then went to Darwin College, Cambridge for her PhD. She earned her PhD in 1982, focusing on carbon found in stony meteorites. While studying there, she met her future husband.
A Career in Space Science
Studying Meteorites
Monica Grady used to work at the Natural History Museum in London. There, she was in charge of the UK's collection of meteorites. She became well-known around the world for her studies of meteorites.
She has written many scientific papers. Her research often looks at carbon and nitrogen in meteorites. She also studies Martian meteorites, which are rocks that came from Mars.
Awards and Recognition
Monica Grady has received many honors for her work.
- In 2000, she became a Fellow of the Meteoritical Society.
- In 2012, she was made a Fellow of the Institute of Physics.
- In 2015, she became a Fellow of the Geochemical Society.
- She has been a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society since 1990.
- She has also been a Fellow of the Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland since 1992.
From 2012 to 2013, she was the President of the Meteoritical Society. In 2016, she won the Coke Medal from the Geological Society of London. This award was for her great work in sharing science with the public.
Sharing Science with Everyone
In 2003, Monica Grady gave the famous Royal Institution Christmas Lectures. Her lectures were titled "A Voyage in Space and Time," teaching people about space.
An asteroid, (4731), was named Monicagrady in her honor. This shows how important her contributions to space science are.
In 2012, she was given the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). This was for her services to space sciences.
The Rosetta Mission
In 2014, Monica Grady spoke to BBC News about the Rosetta mission. This mission sent a spacecraft to a comet. Grady explained that scientists wanted to answer a big question: "Where did life on Earth come from?"
A video of her excited reaction went viral when the Philae lander successfully touched down on the comet. Her joy showed how thrilling space exploration can be.
In 2015, she was a guest on the BBC Radio 4 show Desert Island Discs.
Current Work and Role
In 2019, Monica Grady received an honorary doctorate from Liverpool Hope University. This was for her work in explaining science and faith. In 2020, she became the third Chancellor of the university.
She is also part of a project called Euro-Cares. This project is planning how to build a special facility in Europe. This facility would store precious samples collected from space missions. These samples could come from asteroids, Mars, the Moon, and comets.
Personal Life
Monica Grady is a practicing Catholic. Her youngest sister, Dr. Ruth Grady, is also a scientist, studying microbiology.
Monica's husband, Professor Ian Wright, is also a planetary scientist. He works at the Open University with her. Ian was in charge of an instrument called Ptolemy on the Philae lander. This lander was part of the Rosetta spacecraft mission. Monica and Ian have one son, Jack Wright, who works in the film industry.
