Martha Stahr Carpenter | |
---|---|
Born | March 29, 1920 |
Died | February 12, 2013 | (aged 92)
Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley (Ph.D. 1945, M.S. 1943) Wellesley College (B.A. 1941) |
Known for | Microwave astronomy Variable stars |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Astronomy |
Institutions | University of Virginia (Associate professor 1973-1986) Cornell University (Assistant professor 1947-1953, Associate professor 1953-1955, Research associate 1955-1969) Wellesley College (Instructor 1945-1947) |
Notable students | Vera Rubin |
Martha Stahr Carpenter was an American astronomer and president of the AAVSO for three terms between 1951 and 1954. In 1947, she became the first women faculty member in the Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences.[1][2] Stahr advised distinguished astronomer Vera Rubin in galactic dynamics while at Cornell, after which, Rubin went on to provide the first evidence for dark matter using galactic rotation curves.[3]