Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin was an outstanding scientist who had made a brilliant discovery regarding stars in the early 1900s. In spite of the fact that she faced great discrimination as a woman, she stood tall and never let any obstacle stand in her way. This is her remarkable story:
More info: www-history.mcs.st-and.ac.uk
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She was born in England in 1900, and she wanted to be a scientist, so she went to Cambridge University to study natural sciences. However, at that time, the university did not give any degrees to women; hence, she could not acquire any degree from this institution.
Due to the limited opportunities that female scientists had in the UK, Cecilia went on to move to the United States for astronomy. She joined Harvard University, becoming the first person to obtain a doctorate in astronomy from Radcliffe College.
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Cecilia had also made a startling discovery on the constitution of stars, pointing out that they were essentially composed of helium and hydrogen. That was a brilliant finding since nobody had ever thought over it. She was however discouraged from presenting her finding by her boss, while another scientist hijacked the work published under his name.
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However, Cecilia refused to give up and continued to work tirelessly. Over time, people came to recognize the significance of her groundbreaking discovery. She eventually became the first woman to hold a professorship at Harvard and the first woman to head the Department of Astronomy.
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Cecilia's story reminds us that even in the face of adversity, much can be achieved by one individual through hard work and a belief in self. Her groundbreaking discoveries transformed our understanding of stars and encouraged other women to pursue their dreams in science.
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