Jocelyn Bell Burnell: Discovering Pulsars

Jocelyn Bell Burnell: Discovering Pulsars — page 1 — 1 JOCELYN BELL BURNELL Jocelyn Bell Burnell is a British astrophysicist She made a major scientific discovery when she was only 24 years old She went on to do important astronomic research Burnell also became a highly respected teacher and professor Burnell's success has not been without disappointment In many ways her career was affected by the expectations for women of her time Many people did not take her commitment to her career seriously As a wife and mother she could not always give her work top priority Today Burnell is a strong supporter of women in science Scientists should never claim that something is absolutely true You should never claim perfect or total or 100 percent because you never ever get there Jocelyn Bell Burnell

Jocelyn Bell Burnell: Discovering Pulsars — page 2 — Burnell spoke at the 8th Appleton Space Conference in December 2012 It was held at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire England From a young age Burnell's parents encouraged her to ask questions and find answers She developed a love for unexpected results in the search for new knowledge For Burnell the surprises are what make science exciting

Jocelyn Bell Burnell: Discovering Pulsars — page 3 — 2 EDUCATION ENCOURAGED Susan Jocelyn Bell was born on July 15 1943 in Belfast Northern Ireland She went by her middle name Jocelyn Jocelyn grew up in a large farmhouse near Belfast with her parents and three younger siblings Education was important in Jocelyn's family Her father George Philip Bell was an architect He loved to learn about all kinds of topics George encouraged Jocelyn to explore the books he brought home from the library He also taught his children how to reason and ask questions FAITH AND SCIENCE Jocelyn was raised as a Quaker Quakers are members of the religious group the Society of Friends Quakers believe each person experiences God in his or her own way Their services are simpler than those of most other religions She is still an active member today In 2013 she published a lecture on being a scientist with religious beliefs

Jocelyn Bell Burnell: Discovering Pulsars — page 4 — Jocelyn's mother was Margaret Allison Bell She didn't get to go to college Margaret's family didn't have much money They decided to send Margaret's younger brother to school and not her At that time people thought it was more important to educate boys than girls Belfast is about an hour's drive from Jocelyn's childhood home Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland

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