Elizabeth Laird (physicist)
Elizabeth Laird | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | March 3, 1969 | (aged 94)
Nationality | Canadian |
Alma mater | University of Toronto, Bryn Mawr College |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Physics |
Institutions | Mount Holyoke College, Cavendish Laboratory |
Thesis | The absorption spectrum of chlorine (1901) |
Doctoral advisor | Arthur Stanley Mackenzie |
Elizabeth Rebecca Laird (December 6, 1874 – March 3, 1969) was a Canadian physicist who chaired the physics department at
Asteroid (16192) Laird is named in her honour.
Biography
Early life and education
Elizabeth Laird was born on December 6, 1874, in Owen Sound, Ontario. Her mother was Rebecca Laird and her father was Reverend John Laird, a Methodist minister.[4][5]
In 1893 Laird graduated from the London Collegiate Institute, and went on to study at the
Career
Mount Holyoke College
Laird was hired by Mount Holyoke College as an assistant in physics in 1901. She was promoted to instructor the following year and appointed head of the Physics Department in 1903. During her time at Mount Holyoke College Laird worked on the properties of electromagnetic radiation, especially X-rays.[1]
She was the first woman accepted by Sir
Later career
Laird came out of retirement during
In 1945, she was made an honorary professor of physics at the University of Western Ontario and continued working upon the absorption of ultra-high frequency radiation by tissue. Her research studying the effects of microwave radiation on biological materials was supported by the Ontario Cancer Treatment and Research Foundation.
Laird died on March 3, 1969, in London.[9]
Honours and awards
The annual Elizabeth Laird Memorial Lecture series, at the University of Western Ontario, was created in 1970[8] and "honours a remarkable person in Western’s history and was the first lecture series in the Faculty of Science to carry the name of an individual."[11] Memorial University in Newfoundland and Labrador also holds The Elizabeth R. Laird Lecture, established by a bequest from Dr. Elizabeth Laird. [12]
- Fellowship, Bryn Mawr College 1897
- President's European Fellowship 1898-99
- Fellow, American Physical Society
- Sara Berliner Research Fellow in Würzburg 1913-14
- Honorary Research Fellow, Yale University 1925-26
- Honorary D.Sc., Toronto University 1927
- Honorary LL.D., Western Ontario University 1945[13]
References
- ^ a b "science.ca : Elizabeth Rebecca Laird". www.science.ca. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
- ^ a b c d "Dr. Elizabeth Rebecca Laird". The Secrets of Radar Museum. 8 March 2013. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
- ^ a b c d e f "Elizabeth Rebecca Laird". Contributions of 20th Century Women to Physics. UCLA. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8160-6158-7.
- ^ "The Lairds". Daily Life in the 19th Century. 2011-08-25. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
- ^ "Dr. Elizabeth Rebecca Laird". Top Secret War: London Ontario’s Hidden Radar History. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
- ^ "Radar Research in London, ON". Top Secret War: London Ontario’s Hidden Radar History. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
- ^ a b "The Elizabeth Laird Memorial Lectures". www.physics.uwo.ca. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
- ^ a b c d e Zimmer, Mitchell. "Dr. Elizabeth Rebecca Laird". Western Science. Archived from the original on 2013-10-20. Retrieved 19 Oct 2013.
- ISBN 978-0-415-92040-7.
- ^ University, Communications and Public Affairs Advancements Services Western. "Annual LAIRD Lecture: The Eye as a Window on the Brain". Events Calendar - Western University. Retrieved 2020-10-20.
- ^ Foss, Kelly (2019-11-13). "Tomorrow's materials, today". Gazette - Memorial University of Newfoundland. Retrieved 2020-10-21.
- ^ "CWP at physics.UCLA.edu // Elizabeth Laird". cwp.library.ucla.edu. Retrieved 2020-10-20.