Neil Divine
 |
Neil Divine | |
|---|---|
| Born | Theodore Neil Divine 1939 Orlando, Florida, U.S. |
| Died | 1994 (aged 54–55) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (B.S.) University of Michigan (M.S.) California Institute of Technology (Ph.D.) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Stellar and planetary astrophysics |
| Institutions | Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
| Thesis | Structure and evolution of model helium stars (1965) |
| Doctoral advisor | John Beverley Oke |
Theodore Neil Divine (1939–1994) was an American stellar
planetary scientist
whose work centered on the understanding of star formation.
Early life and education
Divine was born in Orlando, Florida and raised in Dorset, Vermont.[1] He is the son of Dorothy Land Divine.[2] He attended Eaglebrook School and Hebron Academy. Divine was the winner of the Hebron senior prize for scholarship. He also received prizes for outstanding performance in chemistry and mathematics. Divine lettered in swimming, was on the staff of the school newspaper, and was a member of the Glee Club and Record Club.[3]
He completed a B.S. in physics from
Camp Becket.[5] Divine switched from astronomy to astrophysics while completing doctoral research at Caltech.[1] In the summer of 1961, Divine worked in the planetary sciences division at the RAND Corporation.[6] He earned a Ph.D. in astronomy at Caltech in 1965 where he developed the first numerical model of the evolution of helium stars, before they were confirmed to exist.[7] His dissertation was titled Structure and evolution of model helium stars. His doctoral advisor was John Beverley Oke.[8] This research is part of current star formation theory.[1]
Career
Divine worked at the
Galileo Probe, CRAF, and Cassini–Huygens. He served as a mentor for younger space physicists.[1]
Since 1974, Divine was a member of American Geophysical Union's Planetology section.[9]
Personal life
Divine identified as gay and was a resident of
AIDS Project Los Angeles.[1]
References
- ^ .
- ^ "Property Transfers". Bennington Banner. 1982-12-11. Retrieved 2019-07-06 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Dorset Briefs". Bennington Banner. 1955-06-20. Retrieved 2019-07-06 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Neil Divine, MIT Swimmer, Wins Backstroke Event". Rutland Daily Herald. 1957-12-04. Retrieved 2019-07-06 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Dorset Youth Named Caltech Research Aide". Bennington Banner. 1960-05-03. Retrieved 2019-07-06 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Dorset". Bennington Banner. 1961-12-22. Retrieved 2019-07-06 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d "Queer Figures in Astronomy History". Astrobites. 2019-07-05. Retrieved 2019-07-06.
- ^ Divine, Theodore Neil (1965). Structure and evolution of model helium stars (phd thesis). California Institute of Technology.
- ISSN 0096-3941.
