Ālenush Teriān ( hy, Ալենուշ Տէրեան; fa, آلنوش طریان; also: آلنوش تریان; November 9, 1921 – March 4, 2011) was an

Iranian-Armenian Iranian-Armenians ( hy, իրանահայեր ''iranahayer''), also known as Persian-Armenians ( hy, պարսկահայեր ''parskahayer''), are Iranians of Armenian ethnicity who may speak Armenian as their first language. Estimates of thei ...

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, g ...

and

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate caus ...

and is called 'Mother of Modern Iranian Astronomy'.

Early life

She was born on November 9, 1921 to an

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

family in

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

, Iran. Her father, ''Arto'', was a stage director, poet and translator (with the

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

''Arizad'' meaning ''Born to Aryan'') who had translated

Shahnameh The ''Shahnameh'' or ''Shahnama'' ( fa, شاهنامه, Šāhnāme, lit=The Book of Kings, ) is a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between c. 977 and 1010 CE and is the national epic of Greater Iran. Consisting of some 50,00 ...

, from

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

. Her mother,

Varto Terian Varto Terian (; May 11, 1896 – October 2, 1974) also known by the pseudonym LaLa, was an Iranian-born Armenian actress and educator. She was Iran’s first stage actress of theater. Early life and education Varto Terian was born on May 11, 1 ...

, was a stage actress and director.

Education

Teriān graduated in 1947 in the Science Department of

University of Tehran The University of Tehran (Tehran University or UT, fa, دانشگاه تهران) is the most prominent university located in Tehran, Iran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as its research and teaching pro ...

. She began her career in the physics laboratory of this university and was elected the chief of laboratory operations in the same year. She signed for scholarship to study in France but Dr. Hesabi didn't accept it. He believed it's already enough for a woman to study this much. At last she left Iran for France, by her father's financial support, where in 1956 she obtained her doctorate in

atmospheric physics Within the atmospheric sciences, atmospheric physics is the application of physics to the study of the atmosphere. Atmospheric physicists attempt to model Earth's atmosphere and the atmospheres of the other planets using fluid flow equations, che ...

from

Sorbonne University Sorbonne University (french: Sorbonne Université; la Sorbonne: 'the Sorbonne') is a public research university located in Paris, France. The institution's legacy reaches back to 1257 when Sorbonne College was established by Robert de Sorbon ...

. Upon this she returned to Iran and became

assistant professor Assistant Professor is an academic rank just below the rank of an associate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in the United States and Canada. Overview This position is generally taken after earning a doctoral degree and general ...

thermodynamics Thermodynamics is a branch of physics that deals with heat, work, and temperature, and their relation to energy, entropy, and the physical properties of matter and radiation. The behavior of these quantities is governed by the four laws of the ...

at University of Tehran. Later she worked in

solar physics Solar physics is the branch of astrophysics that specializes in the study of the Sun. It deals with detailed measurements that are possible only for our closest star. It intersects with many disciplines of pure physics, astrophysics, and compu ...

in the then

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

for a period of four months through a scholarship that was awarded by the German government to University of Tehran. In 1964 Teriān became the first female professor of physics in Iran. In 1966, Teriān became a member of the

Geophysics Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and physical properties of the Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. The term ''geophysics'' som ...

Committee of the University of Tehran. In 1969 she was elected chief of the solar physics studies at this university and began to work in the solar observatory, of which she was one of the founders. Teriān retired in 1979. At the time of her death she was living in

. Teriān's 90th birthday celebration in Tehran was attended by a number of Iranian parliamentarians and over 100

Iranian Armenians Iranian-Armenians ( hy, իրանահայեր ''iranahayer''), also known as Persian-Armenians ( hy, պարսկահայեր ''parskahayer''), are Iranians of Armenian ethnicity who may speak Armenian as their first language. Estimates of thei ...

. Terian died on March 4, 2011, at the age of 90.Iran’s First Female Astronomer Alenoush Terian Passes Away
, ''The Armenian Weekly'' (March 5, 2011)

References

External links

Photographs of the 90th-year birthday ceremony of Professor Ālenush Teriān in Tehran

Mehr News Agency The Mehr News Agency (MNA; ''Xabâr-gozâri Mehr''; "Mehr News Agency") is a semi-official news agency of the Iranian government. It is headquartered in Tehran, and is owned by the Islamic Ideology Dissemination Organization (IIDO). History and ...

, 9 November 2010. {{DEFAULTSORT:Terian, Alenush 1921 births 2011 deaths 20th-century women scientists Armenian astronomers Iranian astronomers Armenian physicists Iranian physicists Armenian academics Iranian women scientists Women astronomers Iranian people of Armenian descent Academic staff of the University of Tehran University of Paris alumni University of Tehran alumni Burials at Doulab Cemetery

Early life

Education

See also

References

External links