Joy Tivy

FRSE Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...

FRSGS FIB (1924–1995) was a 20th century Irish physical geographer at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

. She specialised in

biogeography Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time. Organisms and biological communities often vary in a regular fashion along geographic gradients of latitude, elevation, ...

and has been credited for having helped raise the profile of biogeography as a distinct sub-discipline of geography. She published over 40 papers, books and reports and she was often asked to advise government agencies and other organisations. She was a strong advocate of the importance of field studies for providing essential skills for geography graduates. Her capacity as a teacher was as highly regarded as her research — she was known to be enthusiastic and engaging to a wide range of audiences - a medal has been created by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society in honour of her commitment to Geographical Education and Teaching.

Life

Joy Tivy was born in

Carlow Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2016 census, it had a combined urban and rural population of 24,272. The River Barrow flows through the town and forms the historic bounda ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

on 24 August 1924. She commenced studies at the

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...

in 1942 where she studied geography as her primary subject with

botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...

and

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...

as her secondary areas. She excelled as an undergraduate most notably scoring highest in highly competitive exams in 1944, which granted her status as a Scholar. She graduated with first class honours in 1946 and after a brief period of teaching at the University of Leeds she accepted a position at the University of Edinburgh where she completed her doctorate. Her PhD thesis was entitled, ''A study of the effect of physical factors on the vegetation of hill grazings in selected areas of southern Scotland'', p. 55. In 1956 she moved to the University of Glasgow where she stayed for the rest of her career (she retired in 1989). She was the second female to be awarded at professorship at the University of Glasgow in 1976 and was head of the Department of Geography and Topographic Science. In 1984 she was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...

. Her proposers were

John Lenihan John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, William Whigham Fletcher,

Donald Michie Donald Michie (; 11 November 1923 – 7 July 2007) was a British researcher in artificial intelligence. During World War II, Michie worked for the Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, contributing to the effort to solve " Tunny ...

, S. G. Checkland, Lord Cameron, and Wreford Watson. She was also elected a Fellow of the

Institute of Biology The Institute of Biology (IoB) was a professional body for biologists, primarily those working in the United Kingdom. The Institute was founded in 1950 by the Biological Council: the then umbrella body for Britain's many learned biological societies ...

(FIB). Following retirement in 1984 she was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Scottish Geographical Society The Royal Scottish Geographical Society (RSGS) is an educational charity based in Perth, Scotland founded in 1884. The purpose of the society is to advance the subject of geography worldwide, inspire people to learn more about the world around ...

(FRSGS). She was actively involved in the Scottish Field Studies Association, with 10 years as chairperson and served as the editor of ''Scottish Geographical Magazine'' for a decade. She died on 10 July 1995.

Recognition

The RSGS established the Joy Tivy Education Medal in her honour, which is awarded annually "in recognition of an outstanding contribution to geographical education".

Publications

These are some of her most notable books: * ''Agricultural Ecology''. Tivy, Joy. 1990. Longman Scientific and Technical. * ''Biogeography: A Study of Plants in the Ecosphere''. Tivy, Joy. 1993. Routledge. * ''Human Impact on the Ecosystem (Conceptual frameworks in geography)''. Tivy, Joy. O'Hare, G. 1982. Oliver & Boyd. * ''The Organic Resources of Scotland''. Tivy, Joy. 1973. Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd. * ''The Glasgow region: a general survey''. Eds. Ronald Miller and Joy Tivy. 1958. Edinburgh: T. & A. Constable. She has 33 papers listed on ISI Web of Science.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tivy, Joy 1924 births 1995 deaths Scientists from County Carlow Irish geographers Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Alumni of University College Dublin Women geographers Academics of the University of Glasgow Biogeographers 20th-century women scientists Physical geographers 20th-century geographers Irish emigrants to the United Kingdom 20th-century Irish women scientists