Debra Meloy Elmegreen (born November 23, 1952 in

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 United S ...

) is an American astronomer. She was the first woman to graduate from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

with a degree in

astrophysics Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline said, Astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the h ...

, and she was the first female post-doctoral researcher at the

Carnegie Observatories The Carnegie Institution of Washington (the organization's legal name), known also for public purposes as the Carnegie Institution for Science (CIS), is an organization in the United States established to fund and perform scientific research. Th ...

. Since 1985, she has been a professor of astronomy at

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely follo ...

, currently on the endowed Maria Mitchell Chair. She wrote an astronomy textbook published by

Prentice Hall Prentice Hall was an American major educational publisher owned by Savvas Learning Company. Prentice Hall publishes print and digital content for the 6–12 and higher-education market, and distributes its technical titles through the Safari B ...

in 1997. She served as president of the

American Astronomical Society The American Astronomical Society (AAS, sometimes spoken as "double-A-S") is an American society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC. The primary objective of the AAS is to promote the adv ...

from 2010-2012. On August 30, 2018 was named President-elect of the

International Astronomical Union The International Astronomical Union (IAU; french: link=yes, Union astronomique internationale, UAI) is a nongovernmental organisation with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreac ...

(IAU) at the group’s 30th triennial General Assembly in Vienna, Austria and became IAU President in 2021.

Early life and education

Elmegreen was born in

in 1952. She became interested in astronomy at a young age. She received her bachelor's degree in

from the

in 1975, where she was the first woman to graduate with an astrophysics major. She earned both her Masters and Ph.D from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in astronomy. In 1976 she married

Bruce Elmegreen Bruce Gordon Elmegreen (born 24 February 1950) is an American astronomer. Life Elmegreen was born in Milwaukee, and received his bachelor's degree in 1971 from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and his PhD in 1975 from Princeton Univer ...

, an astronomer.

Career

Elmegreen did post-doctoral research at the Hale Observatory (now

Mount Wilson Observatory The Mount Wilson Observatory (MWO) is an astronomical observatory in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The MWO is located on Mount Wilson, a peak in the San Gabriel Mountains near Pasadena, northeast of Los Angeles. The observat ...

) beginning in 1979, where she was the first female post-doctoral researcher at any of the

. Starting in 1985, she began teaching astronomy at

. In 1990, she became an associate professor and then department chair in 1993. Elmegreen is particularly interested in

Star formation Star formation is the process by which dense regions within molecular clouds in The "medium" is present further soon.-->interstellar space

and star forming galaxies. In 1997, Elmegreen published an astronomy textbook for undergraduates titled, ''Galaxies and Galactic Structure'', through

. Elmegreen has also published over 200 academic papers. She was president of the

from 2010-2012, and was appointed as a board member of the 2010 Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey through the

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (also known as NASEM or the National Academies) are the collective scientific national academy of the United States. The name is used interchangeably in two senses: (1) as an umbrell ...

. In 2013, she and her husband authored a paper, "The Onset of Spiral Structure in the Universe", published in the ''

Astrophysical Journal ''The Astrophysical Journal'', often abbreviated ''ApJ'' (pronounced "ap jay") in references and speech, is a peer-reviewed scientific journal of astrophysics and astronomy, established in 1895 by American astronomers George Ellery Hale and Jame ...

''.

Recognition

She was elected to the

American Academy of Arts and Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...

in 2019. In 2018, Elmegreen won the

George Van Biesbroeck Prize The George Van Biesbroeck Prize is an award for long-term achievements in the field of astronomy. According to the American Astronomical Society awards website; "The Van Biesbroeck prize is normally awarded every two years and honors a living indi ...

for her unselfish service to astronomy on regional, national, and international scales. She was elected a Legacy Fellow of the

in 2020 She was elected a Fellow of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

in 2011

Works

*''Galaxies and Galactic Structure'',

, 1997, Elmegreen has also published over 200 academic papers including: * Elmegreen, D. M., S4 G team, 2011, “Grand Design and Flocculent Spirals in the Spitzer Survey of Stellar Structure in Galaxies,” Astrophysical Journal, 737, 32 * Elmegreen, D.M., et al. 2009, “Clumpy Galaxies in GEMS and GOODS: Massive Analogs of Local Dwarf Irregulars,” Astrophysical Journal, 701, 306 * Elmegreen, D., et al. 2007, “Resolved Galaxies in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field: Star Formation in Disks at High Redshift,” Astrophysical Journal, 658, 763

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elmegreen, Debra American women astronomers American astrophysicists 1952 births Living people Women astrophysicists Vassar College faculty Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni Princeton University alumni People from South Bend, Indiana 20th-century American astronomers 21st-century American astronomers 20th-century American women scientists 21st-century American women scientists Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellows of the American Astronomical Society American women academics Presidents of the International Astronomical Union