1. Ruby Payne-Scott was born on 28 May 1912 in Grafton, New South Wales, the daughter of Cyril Payne-Scott and his wife Amy.
17 Facts About Ruby Payne-Scott
1. 2.
Ruby Payne-Scott later moved to Sydney to live with her aunt.
3.
Ruby Payne-Scott's school leaving certificate included honours in mathematics and botany.
4.
Ruby Payne-Scott won two scholarships to undertake tertiary education at the University of Sydney, where she studied physics, chemistry, mathematics and botany.
5.
In 1936, Payne-Scott conducted research with William H Love at the Cancer Research Laboratory at the University of Sydney.
6.
Shortly after this, Payne-Scott joined AWA, a prominent electronics manufacturer and operator of two-way radio communications systems in Australia.
7.
Ruby Payne-Scott left AWA in August 1941, having grown displeased with its research environment.
8.
On 18 August 1941, Ruby Payne-Scott joined the Radiophysics Laboratory of the Australian government's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation.
9.
Ruby Payne-Scott made important contributions to prototype radar systems operating in the 25cm microwave band, achieving significant improvements.
10.
From 1946 to 1951, Ruby Payne-Scott focused on these 'burst' radio emissions from the Sun, and is credited with discovering Type I and III bursts, and with gathering data that helped characterise Types II and IV.
11.
From 1963 to 1974, Ruby Payne-Scott returned to teaching at Danebank School, in a southern suburb of Sydney.
12.
Ruby Payne-Scott was an atheist, a feminist, and an advocate for women's rights, and it was alleged a sometime member of the Communist Party of Australia.
13.
Ruby Payne-Scott was a passionate bushwalker, a lover of cats, and enjoyed knitting.
14.
Ruby Payne-Scott continued to work for CSIRO while secretly married, until the regulations of the new CSIRO in 1949 raised the issue of her marriage.
15.
Ruby Payne-Scott died in Mortdale, New South Wales, on 25 May 1981, three days short of her 69th birthday.
16.
Towards the end of her life, Ruby Payne-Scott suffered from Alzheimer's disease.
17.
Danebank School, where she taught after her radio astronomy career, hosts an annual Ruby Payne-Scott Lecture "presented by outstanding women scientists in a variety of fields".