Joan Maie Freeman (7 January 1918 – 18 March 1998) was an Australian physicist.

Biography

Joan Maie Freeman was born in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

on 7 January 1918. Her family moved to Sydney in 1922 and she attended the

Sydney Church of England Girls Grammar School , motto_translation = Let Your Light Shine , established = , type = Independent single-sex primary and secondary day and boarding school , denomination = Anglicanism , oversight = , educational_authority = New South Wales Depar ...

. While still a girl, she took evening classes at

Sydney Technical College The Sydney Technical College, now known as the TAFE New South Wales Sydney Institute, is a technical school established in 1878, that superseded the Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts. The college is one of Australia's oldest technical education i ...

. The school hid her attendance from inspectors, as they thought a girl in the class would reflect negatively on the college. She completed her Intermediate Certificate Examination and earned a place at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

in 1936. Freeman studied mathematics, chemistry, physics and zoology, and was often the only woman, indeed the school stipulated that a seat had to be left vacant between women and men in a lecture hall). She received her BSc in 1940 and was awarded a Commonwealth Research Scholarship to continue her MSc.

Career

Freeman took a position at the Radiophysics Laboratory of the

Council for Scientific and Industrial Research The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is South Africa's central and premier scientific research and development organisation. It was established by an act of parliament in 1945 and is situated on its own campus in the cit ...

as a research officer in June 1941. She researched radar during World War II. After the war ended, Freeman engaged in research on the behaviour of low-pressure gas discharges at microwave frequencies. The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research then awarded her a Senior Studentship that allowed her to read for her PhD at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

in England. She attended

Newnham College Newnham College is a women's constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1871 by a group organising Lectures for Ladies, members of which included philosopher Henry Sidgwick and suffragist campaigner Millicent ...

and later studied short-range alpha particles with Alex Baxter, working on the HT1 accelerator. In 1951 Freeman became Senior Scientific Officer at the Harwell Tandem Accelerator Group. She later led the group and received the Ernest Rutherford Medal and Prize in 1976 with Roger Blin-Stoyle, for their research of the beta-radioactivity of complex nuclei. She was the first woman to win the ''Ernest Rutherford Medal and Prize''. She received an honorary doctorate from Sydney University and fellowships from the

Institute of Physics The Institute of Physics (IOP) is a UK-based learned society and professional body that works to advance physics education, research and application. It was founded in 1874 and has a worldwide membership of over 20,000. The IOP is the Physica ...

and the

American Physical Society The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion of k ...

. She retired in 1978. Freeman was posthumously appointed Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the

1999 Australia Day Honours The 1999 Australia Day Honours are appointments to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by Australian citizens. The list was announced on 26 January 1999 by the Governor General of Australia, Sir William Deane. The Austra ...

for "service to science in the field of nuclear physics and to the environment as an advocate for social responsibility in scientific research". Freeman wrote the 1991 book ''A Passion for Physics''. Freeman married John Jelley in 1958. She died in Oxford on 18 March 1998.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Freeman, Joan Maie 20th-century Australian physicists 1918 births 1998 deaths Australian women physicists Officers of the Order of Australia Fellows of the American Physical Society Fellows of the Institute of Physics University of Sydney alumni Alumni of Newnham College, Cambridge 20th-century Australian women scientists People educated at Sydney Church of England Girls Grammar School Australian expatriates in the United Kingdom

Biography

Career

See also

References