Beth A. Brown

Beth A. Brown
Born 1969
Roanoke, Virginia
Died October 5, 2008
Nationality American
Fields Astrophysics
Institutions Goddard Space Flight Center, National Space Science Data Center, Howard University
Alma mater Howard University, 1991; University of Michigan, M.S. in astronomy, Ph.D., 1998
Known for The first African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan's Department of Astronomy

Beth A. Brown (1969 – October 5, 2008) was a NASA astrophysicist.

Brown was born in Roanoke, Virginia in 1969.[1] She graduated from William Fleming High School in 1987 as valedictorian.[2] She studied astrophysics at Howard University, graduating summa cum laude in 1991. While at Howard University, she played piccolo in several University bands. She joined Tau Beta Sigma in Fall 1990.[3] She earned her M.S. in astronomy from the University of Michigan and a Ph.D. from there in 1998. She was the first African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan's Department of Astronomy.[4] Her research there concerned X-ray observations of elliptical galaxies from the Röntgen Satellite.[2]

Brown joined NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) as a post-doctoral research associate with the National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council. She became a post-doctoral research associate for the National Space Science Data Center (NSSDC) in 2001. She transferred to the X-ray Astrophysics Laboratory in 2005, providing support for the GSFC XMM Guest Observer Facility. She was hired as Assistant Director for Science Communication and Higher Education for the Sciences and Exploration Director at Goddard. She also completed a NASA Administrator Fellowship where she devoted a year to research with Dr. James Lindesay and taught classes with Dr. Demetrius Venable at Howard's Department of Physics and Astronomy. Brown served as the Administrative Executive Officer for NSBP for two years and was involved with the National Conference of Black Physics Students (NCBPS).[4]

Brown died from a pulmonary embolism on October 5, 2008.[2]

References

  1. Bregman, Joel (1 January 2011). "Obituary: Beth Brown (1969-2008)". Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society 43 (1). doi:10.3847/BAASOBIT2011004.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Bregman, Joel. "Beth A. Brown (1969 - 2008)". American Astronomical Society. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
  3. "Eta Delta Chapter at Howard University - Lineage". Tau Beta Sigma Eta Delta. Retrieved 2015-04-09.
  4. 4.0 4.1 "In Memoriam: Beth Brown". American Physical Society. Retrieved 20 February 2015.