Astrophysicist receives $ 3 million prize

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LULU GARCIA-NAVARRO, HOST:

Here is Lulu 's Log, September 9, 2018, where we explore space, star and universe issues.

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GARCIA-NAVARRO: In 1967, Jocelyn Bell Burnell revolutionized astronomy. She discovered the first pulsar, a type of neutron star, which launched the field of astrophysics to new heights. The discovery won the Nobel Prize, but Burnell was not recognized. Instead, his male supervisor received the honor. Last week, she received the $ 3 million Breakthrough Award in Basic Physics for her work, previously won by, among others, Stephen Hawking. She comes from England where she teaches at Oxford University. Welcome to the program.

JOCELYN BELL BURNELL: Thank you. Good to be with you.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: I read that you always had to fight to take science classes, even when you were small.

BELL BURNELL: Yes, especially at the beginning of science – I think you call the college around the age of 12. And in Britain at that time, the girls only had to get married and stay at home. So, instead of having a chance to do a science lab, we were directed to the domestic science room to learn cooking and needlework.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: How did you slip into science classes?

BELL BURNELL: My protests have not been heard. But when I told my parents the first night, they were extremely angry. And I think the director's phone is a little hot.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: (laughing) And then you went to the university. And I also read that, you know, you would get a chat call and that it was not a very friendly environment for women.

BELL BURNELL: No, that was not the case. It was the tradition at that time, when a woman entered the conference room, all whistled, hit, hit the desks, called the cats. You came in somehow pretending not to have heard.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Yeah. I guess I lead to the fact that, you know, you went to Cambridge. And you made the discovery of the first pulsar. And then your teacher, your supervisor received the Nobel Prize instead. What did you think of that moment when it happened?

BELL BURNELL: Well, at this point, I had left Cambridge. I was married I even had a small child. And it was actually a very difficult time for me on a professional level, trying to continue because, again, the assumption was always that married women were not working.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Yes, you were angry. You were – you know, you felt that you had been cheated?

BELL BURNELL: No. No. I recognized that the Nobel Committee would not notice students – because I was a student at the time of discovery – regardless of the student's gender.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: You told the Guardian something that made me laugh, that you were very successful in not getting the Nobel.

BELL BURNELL: Yes.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: What do you mean by that?

BELL BURNELL: Yes. Well, there is a strong vote of sympathy.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: (laughs).

BELL BURNELL: So if you get the Nobel Prize, I do not think you're getting anything else because people think they can not match the Nobel Prize. If you do not get a Nobel Prize, you get everything.

(TO LAUGH)

BELL BURNELL: So every year for 40 years, there have been awards or awards. And it was really fun because there is usually a party and more.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: (laughs).

BELL BURNELL: So it was fantastic.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: And your last is the Breakthrough Prize in fundamental physics …

BELL BURNELL: Indeed.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: … for your research on pulsars and for being a leader in the scientific community. So what does this last reward mean to you?

BELL BURNELL: Well, that left me speechless when I got the news because I've never dreamed of it, I have to admit it. And it is a huge amount of money, which …

(TO LAUGH)

BELL BURNELL: … it's really, I think, a little hard to believe.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: That's certainly the case. Many things have changed for women in science, but, as you surely know, many have not been. And I think the fact that you were giving money for scholarships might be a nod to the fact that it's still difficult for some people to enter the market.

BELL BURNELL: Yes. I think it's still difficult for some categories of people, so I want to support people from under-represented groups in physics. But there are also people who may need this money. People from poorer households could be very good physicists, but do not have this financial cushion.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: So I'm wondering what advice you would give to a young woman pursuing a career in science.

BELL BURNELL: I would encourage him to stay there. It's not as easy for her as for her male colleagues, but it's better. And working in science is fantastic. You will never want to work again.

GARCIA-NAVARRO: Jocelyn Bell Burnell is an award-winning astrophysicist. Congratulations on your price

BELL BURNELL: Thank you very much. Transcription provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.