She is an Astronomer with Howard Simkover

• Day: Wednesday
• Date: April 23, 2025
• Time: 1:00pm-3:00pm
• Location: In Person @ Carleton University
• Price: $50 +HST

Room and Parking Information will be sent by email 1-2 days prior to the lecture date.

Overview

Can you name some famous astronomers? Maybe you thought of Copernicus, Galileo, Edwin Hubble, or Carl Sagan? But they were all men. Can you name a single female astronomer? In fact, there are many women who have made foundational discoveries about the universe.
For deep rooted historical and cultural reasons, women were discouraged and even prevented from obtaining a scientific education or entering a science-based career. At long last, this sad situation has started to change… But even today, in 2025, women remain highly under-represented in astronomy.
This presentation is about some heroines of astronomy who overcame societal challenges to reach for the stars, and to thrive in what has been a male dominated field for more than two thousand years. Examples of women, and their work, who will be discussed include: Caroline Herschel, Henrietta Leavitt, Jocelyn Burnell, Vera Rubin, Mary Grey, Sara Seager, Cecilia Payne Gaposhkin, and Helen Sawyer Hogg.

About the Lecturer

Howard Simkover graduated as the leading student in McGill University’s Faculty of Electrical Engineering, and was awarded the British Association Medal for Great Distinction. His professional career has been in the field of telecommunications with Bell Canada and also in management consulting.

Howard’s lifelong interest in astronomy began at age 7. He later became active in the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, where he served on the Observation Committee and the Board of Directors of the Montreal Centre.

For more than two decades, Howard produced numerous shows and lectured on astronomy at the Planétarium de Montréal. He has also lectured at the Canada Science & Technology Museum in Ottawa and at Carleton University. He continues to speak about astronomy to audiences in the National Capital Region, and to groups elsewhere in the world via Zoom technology. He owns and regularly uses several telescopes to observe the sky.

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