Phyllis S. Freier | |
|---|---|
| Born | Phyllis St. Cyr |
| Died | December 18, 1992(1992-12-18) (aged 71) |
| Alma mater | University of Minnesota, Minneapolis (B.S., M.A., Ph.D.) |
| Spouse | George Freier |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Astrophysics |
| Institutions | University of Minnesota, Minneapolis |
Phyllis S. Freier (19 January 1921, Minneapolis – 18 December 1992, St. Paul) was an American astrophysicist and aFellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science and aFellow, American Physical Society. Freier also served onNASA committees.[1] As a graduate student she presented evidence for the existence of elements heavier thanhelium incosmic radiation. Her work was published inPhysical Review in 1948 with co-authorsEdward J. Lofgren,Edward P. Ney, andFrank Oppenheimer.[2][3][1]
Phyllis St. Cyr was born inMinneapolis, Minnesota, on January 21, 1921. She received her B.S. in 1942, her M.A. in 1944, and finally her Ph.D. in 1950 from theUniversity of Minnesota, Minneapolis. St. Cyr married fellow physicist George Freier after receiving her M.A.[4]
During World War II, Freier was employed as aphysicist at theNaval Ordnance Laboratory from 1944 to 1945. Following the war, she continued her graduate studies in physics at the University of Minnesota. Freier worked on her doctoral research with Edward Ney and Frank Oppenheimer, using high altitude balloons to study cosmic radiation. In 1948, this research led to Freier becoming the first person to see tracks in nuclear emulsions, proving that nuclei of heavy elements were included in cosmic radiation.[5] After completing her Ph.D., Freier was a research associate at theUniversity of Minnesota, Minneapolis from 1950 to 1970. She stayed at that university and from 1970 to 1975 she was an associate professor, and from 1975 to 1992 she was a professor of physics.[2][1]
In 1988, Freier was recognized by the University of Minnesota with a distinguished teaching award for her outstanding contributions to the education of physics undergraduates. She taught for eighteen years where she originated the application of student textbook learning to the laboratory settings.[6]
More specifically, Freier was an internationally reputable cosmic-ray physicist. Her expertise was the application of nuclear emulsions to astrophysics and physics. At theUniversity of Minnesota, she and her colleagues discovered the presence of heavy nuclei in cosmic radiation, which remains one of the key discoveries in astrophysics.[1]
In addition to her contribution as graduate student, mentioned above, she also published other significant contributions in the fields of particle physics, geophysics, and astrophysics that covered nuclearemission spectra,cosmic rays, and applyingnuclear emulsions.[2][7]
Freier died at home inSt. Paul, Minnesota, on December 18, 1992, fromParkinson's disease.[1]
Fellow,American Association for the Advancement of Science[8]Fellow,American Physical Society[8]
Horace T. Morse-Minnesota Alumni Association Award[6]
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