Rocks, Radio And Radar: The Extraordinary Scientific, Social And Military Life Of Elizabeth Alexander

by Mary Elizabeth Harris

Overview

'This is an interesting and bittersweet biography. Elizabeth Alexander was a capable and energetic scientist, but circumstances meant that she was never able to settle down and develop her scientific career. The three years she spent in charge of the Operational Research Section of the Radar Development Laboratory in New Zealand was the only time that Elizabeth held a position of responsibility, and is a clear indication that, had she lived 50 years later, she would have been an effective science leader … The book outlines the career of a remarkable scientist, and is a significant contribution to the history of several different areas of science. '
Scoop Review of BooksMany women scientists, particularly those who did crucial work in two world wars, have disappeared from history. Until they are written back in, the history of science will continue to remain unbalanced. This book tells the story of Elizabeth Alexander, a pioneering scientist who changed thinking in geology and radio astronomy during WWII and its aftermath.Building on an unpublished diary, recently declassified government records and archive material adding considerably to knowledge about radar developments in the Pacific in WWII, this book also contextualises Elizabeth's academic life in Singapore before the war, and the country's educational and physical reconstruction after it as it moved towards independence.This unique story is a must-read for readers interested in scientific, social and military history during the WWII, historians of geology, radar, as well as scientific biographies.Related Link(s)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781786346643
Publisher:	World Scientific Publishing Europe Ltd
Publication date:	05/21/2019
Series:	History Of Modern Physical Sciences , #4
Pages:	616
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.31(d)

Table of Contents

Foreword vii

About the Author xi

List of Plates xv

List of Maps xvii

Introduction: The Origins of this Book 1

Chapter 1 Family Connexions 17

Chapter 2 From Patna to Cambridge 57

Chapter 3 Singapore: Geology and a Globe 123

Chapter 4 New Zealand Revelations 1940 187

Chapter 5 Singapore: War and the Military 231

Chapter 6a New Zealand: A New Life 289

Chapter 6b New Zealand: A Life Scientific 335

Chapter 7 Singapore: Disaster, Death and Survival 397

Chapter 8 Singapore: Revival and Rebirth 463

Chapter 9 Nigeria's First University 523

Chapter 10 A Disappearance from History 559

Index 585