An initiative of The National Foundation for Australian Women (NFAW) in conjunction with The University of Melbourne
Skip to contentIn 1976 Joan Freeman became the first woman to be awarded the British Institute of Physics' Rutherford Medal. She began her career at CSIR Radiophysics Laboratory during World War II, working on the production of a 10cm microwave radar set, and spent most of her working life at the British Atomic Energy Research Establishment at Harwell.
Freeman was educated at the University of Sydney, where she completed a Bachelor of Science in 1939 and Master of Science in 1943.
She worked with the CSIR Radiophysics Laboratory 1941-46; the Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge 1946-51; and the Van de Graaff Accelerator Group, Harwell Nuclear Physics Division 1951-78.
Freeman was awarded the Rutherford Medal, British Institute of Physics, in 1976.
Sources used to compile this entry: Where are the Women in Australian science?, Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, 22 August 2003, http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/wisa/wisa.html.
Elle Morrell
Created: 1 February 2001, Last modified: 24 June 2009
http://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE0038b.htm
