Jean Elizabeth Laby (4 November 1915 – 31 May 2008) was an early Australian atmospheric physicist.

Biography

Laby was born in Parkville,

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. She is the daughter of Beatrice Littlejohn and Thomas Howell Laby, a professor of Natural Philosophy at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

. Laby was educated at the Melbourne Church of England Girls' Grammar School and then at the

, during the same time as her father's professorship. She gained a BSc in 1939, MSc in 1951, and PhD in 1959. She was the first woman to be awarded a

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

from the University of Melbourne, and the first to be appointed lecturer in the department in 1959. Laby was employed as a lecturer at the University of Melbourne and between 1961 and 1980 she was also a senior lecturer at the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Academy at

Point Cook, Victoria Point Cook is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-west of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Wyndham local government area. Point Cook recorded a population of 66,781 at the 2021 census. Point Cook ...

. Here she worked on

radar meteorology Weather radar, also called weather surveillance radar (WSR) and Doppler weather radar, is a type of radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, and estimate its type (rain, snow, hail etc.). Modern weather radars are mostly pulse- ...

, balloon-borne cameras and cosmic radiation measurements. She was also involved in the Climatic Impact Assessment Program between 1972 and 1980 and collaborated with the

University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a public land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, and opened in September 1887. The University of Wyoming ...

measuring atmospheric aerosols, ozone and water vapour in the stratosphere.

Recognition and legacy

University of Melbourne Award Bronze Plaque Jean Laby

Laby was the recipient of a

University of Melbourne Award The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

, and bronze plaque honouring her is on the wall along the Professors' Walk at the Parkville campus of the University. Laby was interviewed by the

Australian Academy of Science The Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The academy is modelled after the Royal Soci ...

for its Outstanding Women in Science program in 2000, and inducted to the

Victorian Honour Roll of Women The Victorian Honour Roll of Women was established in 2001 to recognise the achievements of women from the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The Honour Roll was established as part of the cele ...

in 2009. Her papers are held by the University of Melbourne archives and document the role of women in science and atmospheric research.

Research

* Jean E. Laby, The thermal conductivity of water and some measurements with other liquids (MSc Thesis, Department of Science, The University of Melbourne, 1951) * Jean E. Laby, Atmospheric winds and cosmic rays at balloon altitudes (PhD Thesis, Department of Physics, The University of Melbourne, 1959)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laby, Jean Australian physicists University of Melbourne alumni 1915 births 2008 deaths People educated at Melbourne Girls Grammar Australian women physicists Atmospheric physicists Academic staff of the University of Melbourne