Barbara A. Williams

Last updated
Barbara A. Williams
Alma mater University of North Carolina at Greensboro
University of Maryland, College Park
Known forRadio astronomy
Scientific career
Institutions University of Delaware
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Doctoral advisor Frank John Kerr

Barbara Ann Williams is an American radio astronomer who was the first African-American woman to earn a PhD in astronomy (University of Maryland, College Park, 1981). Her research largely focused on compact galaxy groups, in particular observations of their emissions in the H I region in order to build up a larger scale picture of the structure and evolution of galaxies. Williams was named as the Outstanding Young Woman of America in 1986. She is a retired associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Delaware.

Contents

Early life and education

Williams earned her bachelor's degree in physics at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. [1] She moved to the University of Maryland, College Park for her graduate studies, earning a Master's and PhD in the field of radio astronomy in 1981. [2] [3] She was a member of Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society. Williams was the first African-American woman to earn a PhD in astronomy. [1] She studied elliptical galaxies using HI emissions. [4] She returned to the University of North Carolina at Greensboro as a research associate, where she worked until 1984. In 1984 Williams was appointed as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She spent a year as a NASA-American Society for Engineering Education summer faculty member at the Goddard Space Flight Center. [5] She was named as the 1986 Outstanding Young Woman of America. [5]

Career

Williams's research focused on radio astronomy and the study of galaxies. [6] [7] She used radio waves to examine groups of galaxies with compact cores [8] [9] [10] [11] and HI emissions to study several galaxies, including the IC 698 group. [12] [13] Williams's work on the Hickson Compact Group of galaxies established that atomic gases must undergo a phase transformation to result in the observed HI deficiency. [14] She used VLA neutral hydrogen imaging of compact galaxy groups. [15] [16]

Williams was made an associate professor at the University of Delaware in 1986. [1] There, Williams later studied educational research [17] and in particular strategies to retain women in physics. [18] Williams is a Fellow of the National Society of Black Physicists. [19]

Along with Sheella Mierson, Williams was the co-principal investigator of a study on problem-based learning in introductory sciences, in the Center for Teaching Effectiveness, University of Delaware. [20]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metallicity</span> Relative abundance of heavy elements in a star or other astronomical object

In astronomy, metallicity is the abundance of elements present in an object that are heavier than hydrogen and helium. Most of the normal currently detectable matter in the universe is either hydrogen or helium, and astronomers use the word "metals" as convenient shorthand for "all elements except hydrogen and helium". This word-use is distinct from the conventional chemical or physical definition of a metal as an electrically conducting solid. Stars and nebulae with relatively high abundances of heavier elements are called "metal-rich" in when discussing metallicity, even though many of those elements are called nonmetals in chemistry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4323</span> Galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices

NGC 4323 is a lenticular or dwarf elliptical galaxy located about 52.5 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. The galaxy was discovered in 1882 by astronomer Wilhelm Tempel and is a member of the Virgo Cluster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4203</span> Galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices

NGC 4203 is the New General Catalogue identifier for a lenticular galaxy in the northern constellation of Coma Berenices. It was discovered on March 20, 1787 by English astronomer William Herschel, and is situated 5.5° to the northwest of the 4th magnitude star Gamma Comae Berenices and can be viewed with a small telescope. The morphological classification of NGC 4203 is SAB0−, indicating that it has a lenticular form with tightly wound spiral arms and a weak bar structure at the nucleus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 3862</span> Galaxy in the constellation Leo

NGC 3862 is an elliptical galaxy located 300 million light-years away in the constellation Leo. Discovered by astronomer William Herschel on April 27, 1785, NGC 3862 is an outlying member of the Leo Cluster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4586</span> Spiral galaxy in the constellation Virgo

NGC 4586 is a spiral galaxy located about 50 million light-years away in the constellation Virgo. The galaxy was discovered by astronomer William Herschel on February 2, 1786. Although listed in the Virgo Cluster Catalog, NGC 4586 is considered to be a member of the Virgo II Groups which form a southern extension of the Virgo cluster. NGC 4586 is currently in the process of infalling into the Virgo Cluster and is predicted to enter the cluster in about 500 million years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 3311</span> Galaxy in the constellation Hydra

NGC 3311 is a super-giant elliptical galaxy located about 190 million light-years away in the constellation Hydra. The galaxy was discovered by astronomer John Herschel on March 30, 1835. NGC 3311 is the brightest member of the Hydra Cluster and forms a pair with NGC 3309 which along with NGC 3311, dominate the central region of the Hydra Cluster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 708</span> Galaxy in the constellation Andromeda

NGC 708 is an elliptical galaxy located 240 million light-years away in the constellation Andromeda and was discovered by astronomer William Herschel on September 21, 1786. It is classified as a cD galaxy and is the brightest member of Abell 262. NGC 708 is a weak FR I radio galaxy and is also classified as a type 2 Seyfert galaxy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 703</span> Galaxy in the constellation Andromeda

NGC 703 is a lenticular galaxy located 240 million light-years away in the constellation Andromeda. The galaxy was discovered by astronomer William Herschel on September 21, 1786 and is also a member of Abell 262.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 753</span> Galaxy in the constellation Andromeda

NGC 753 is a spiral galaxy located 220 million light-years away in the constellation Andromeda. The galaxy was discovered by astronomer by Heinrich d'Arrest on September 16, 1865 and is a member of Abell 262.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 759</span> Galaxy in the constellation Andromeda

NGC 759 is an elliptical galaxy located 230 million light-years away in the constellation Andromeda. NGC 759 was discovered by astronomer by Heinrich d'Arrest on September 17, 1865. It is a member of Abell 262.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4065</span> Galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices

NGC 4065 is an elliptical galaxy located 300 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. The galaxy was discovered by astronomer William Herschel on April 27, 1785. It was then rediscovered by John Herschel on April 29, 1832 and was listed as NGC 4057. NGC 4065 is the brightest member of the NGC 4065 Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4066</span> Galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices

NGC 4066 is an elliptical galaxy located 340 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. The galaxy was discovered by astronomer William Herschel on April 27, 1785. NGC 4066 is a member of the NGC 4065 Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4065 Group</span> Group of galaxies in the constellation of Coma Berenices

The NGC 4065 Group is a group of galaxies located about 330 Mly (100 Mpc) in the constellation Coma Berenices. The group's brightest member is NGC 4065 and located in the Coma Supercluster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4294</span> Galaxy in the constellation Virgo

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">NGC 4302</span> Galaxy in the constellation Coma Berenices

NGC 4302 is an edge-on spiral galaxy located about 55 million light-years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. It was discovered by astronomer William Herschel on April 8, 1784 and is a member of the Virgo Cluster.

Sangeeta Malhotra is an astrophysicist who studies galaxies, their contents, and their effects on the universe around them. The objects she studies range from our own Milky Way galaxy to some of the earliest and most distant known galaxies in the epoch of cosmic dawn.

Misty C. Bentz is an American astrophysicist and Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Georgia State University. She is best known for her work on supermassive black hole mass measurements and black hole scaling relationships.

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References

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  3. "The Physicists – AAWIP" . Retrieved 2019-01-15.
  4. Knapp, G. R.; Kerr, F. J.; Williams, B. A. (1978). "H I observations of elliptical galaxies". The Astrophysical Journal. 222: 800. Bibcode:1978ApJ...222..800K. doi: 10.1086/156199 .
  5. 1 2 "Women in Astronomy 2009 - Invited Speakers". attic.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2019-01-15.
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  9. "DELAWARE ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY: DAS MONTHLY PROGRAMS - 1984 to Date" (PDF). www.eecis.udel.edu. Retrieved 2019-01-15.
  10. Williams, B. A. (March 1985). "MKW 10 - A group of galaxies with a compact core". The Astrophysical Journal. 290: 462. Bibcode:1985ApJ...290..462W. doi:10.1086/163004. ISSN   0004-637X.
  11. Rood, Herbert J.; Williams, B. A. (April 1989). "The neighborhood of a compact group of galaxies". The Astrophysical Journal. 339: 772. Bibcode:1989ApJ...339..772R. doi:10.1086/167335. ISSN   0004-637X.
  12. Williams, B. A. (August 1983). "The IC 698 group of galaxies". The Astrophysical Journal. 271: 461. Bibcode:1983ApJ...271..461W. doi: 10.1086/161213 . ISSN   0004-637X.
  13. Mardirossian, F.; Giuricin, G.; Mezetti, M. (2012-12-06). Clusters and Groups of Galaxies: International Meeting Held in Trieste Italy, September 13–16, 1983. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN   9789400964129.
  14. Verdes-Montenegro, L.; Yun, M.S.; Williams, B. A.; Huchtmeier, W. K.; Del Olmo, A.; Perea, J. (2001-10-01). "Where is the neutral atomic gas in Hickson groups?". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 377 (3): 812–826. arXiv: astro-ph/0108223 . Bibcode:2001A&A...377..812V. doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20011127. ISSN   0004-6361. S2CID   14562994.
  15. Williams, B. A.; McMahon, P. M.; van Gorkom, J. H. (June 1991). "VLA neutral hydrogen imaging of compact groups of galaxies. II - HCG 31, 44, and 79". The Astronomical Journal. 101: 1957. Bibcode:1991AJ....101.1957W. doi: 10.1086/115820 . ISSN   0004-6256.
  16. Williams, B. A.; Rood, Herbert J. (February 1987). "Neutral hydrogen in compact groups of galaxies". The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. 63: 265. Bibcode:1987ApJS...63..265W. doi: 10.1086/191165 . ISSN   0067-0049.
  17. "NSF Award Search: Award#0089408 - Problem-Based Learning and Physics: Developing problem solving skills in all students". www.nsf.gov. Retrieved 2019-01-15.
  18. Williams, Barbara A.; Taylor, Beverley A. P.; Shaw, Kimberly A.; Butler, Heather Z.; Blaha, Cynthia A.; Allen, Patricia E.; Duncombe, Margaret L.; Dorato, Shannon R.; Whitten, Barbara L. (2007). "What Works for Women in Undergraduate Physics and What We Can Learn from Women's Colleges". Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering. 13 (1): 37–76. Bibcode:2007JWMSE..13...37W. doi:10.1615/JWomenMinorScienEng.v13.i1.30. ISSN   1072-8325.
  19. "NSBP Fellows". www.nsbp.org. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  20. "Problem-Based Learning in Introductory Science Across Disciplines". www1.udel.edu. 2022-04-29. Retrieved 2022-04-29.