28 Jocelyn Bell Burnell Quotes for You to Enjoy

Jocelyn Bell Burnell

Irish Scientist

Born: Jul 15, 1943

Life Research Science Stars Universe You

Related authors: Carl Sagan Charles Darwin Galileo Galilei George Washington Carver Hippocrates Margaret Mead Marie Curie Neil deGrasse Tyson

A search for truth seems to me to be full of pitfalls. We all have different understandings of what truth is, and we'll each believe - or we are in danger of each believing - that our truth is the one and only absolute truth, which is why I say it's full of pitfalls. Jocelyn Bell Burnell

Truth Me Truth Is Believe Our Danger Say Seems Only Absolute Absolute Truth Pitfalls Different Which Full Search Each Why Believing

The universe is very big - there's about 100,000 million galaxies in the universe, so that means an awful lot of stars. And some of them, I'm pretty certain, will have planets where there was life, is life, or maybe will be life. I don't believe we're alone. Jocelyn Bell Burnell

Science is a quest for understanding. Jocelyn Bell Burnell

Science Understanding Quest

I'm one of the few women in science. I have pioneered that. One of the things I worry about is what that pioneering has done to me. I have had to fight quite hard most of the way through life. Jocelyn Bell Burnell

Life Me Science Fight Women Few Worry Way One Of The Things About Through Had Most Pioneering Few Women Done Quite Hard Things

Once a star dies, it's gone forever. There are no new stars to take its place. Eventually, there will be no stars, and the universe will turn black. That really will be the end. Jocelyn Bell Burnell

Will Black Gone Stars Universe Once Take New End Forever Dies Place Turn Really Star Eventually

Some of the hydrogen in your body comes from the Big Bang, and when you see a kid walking down the street with a helium balloon, you can say, 'There goes some of the primordial universe.' Jocelyn Bell Burnell

I was born in Northern Ireland, also known as Ulster, and I'm Scots-Irish, therefore. Jocelyn Bell Burnell

Born Also Known Ireland Northern Northern Ireland Therefore

My father was an architect. Jocelyn Bell Burnell

Father Architect

We didn't get television until quite late, the late fifties, but we had radio, and I can remember listening to the Korean War news on the radio with my family and sensing the anxiety of the adults although not understanding it myself, not understanding exactly what was going on. Jocelyn Bell Burnell

War Myself News Family Anxiety Remember Listening Understanding Late Television Exactly Exactly What Adult Had Until Although Korean Korean War Get Going Quite Sensing Fifties Radio

If you look at other countries, you'll find lots of girls doing physics, engineering, and science. It's something to do with the kind of culture we have in the English-speaking world about what's appropriate for each of the two sexes. Jocelyn Bell Burnell

The more diverse a research group or a business, the more robust it is, the more flexible it is, and the better it succeeds. Jocelyn Bell Burnell

Business Better Research Group Diverse More Robust Succeeds Flexible

Demarcation disputes between supervisor and student are always difficult, probably impossible to resolve... it is the supervisor who has the final responsibility for the success or failure of the project. Jocelyn Bell Burnell

Success Failure Impossible Responsibility Difficult Resolve Final Project Supervisor Student Between Always Who Disputes

Britain has still got rather fewer astronomers than many other countries - the French and the Italians, for example. Why is that? I don't think those countries have better brains. Jocelyn Bell Burnell

Better Example Think Other Other Countries Those Rather Countries For Example French Got Still Italians Brains Than Fewer Many Why Britain

There are some countries where there is not an issue with women in physics. Malaysia, for example, has physics departments where 60 per cent of undergraduates are female, and France and Italy are strong, too. It is not about ability but more about what the culture says is appropriate. Jocelyn Bell Burnell

Culture Women Physics Strong Example Too Appropriate France Says Ability Some Per About More Countries For Example Female Issue Malaysia Italy Departments Where Cent

People are suspicious of science. They see it as being responsible for problems like the degradation of our climate. There is also a strand in society that says physics is terribly hard. Jocelyn Bell Burnell

Science People Physics Problems Society Our Says Responsible Degradation See Like Also Terribly Climate Suspicious Being Strand Being Responsible Hard

As observatory architect, my dad was partly concerned with the maintenance of them all. I used to go with him on site visits quite often, from age 7 or 8. I have memories of crawling through the rafters of the old building, trying to find where the leak in the roof was. Jocelyn Bell Burnell

Memories Age Old Roof Building Visits Find Architect Through Observatory Maintenance Leak Concerned Him Partly Go Trying Site Quite Often Where Crawling Them Used Dad

I think failing the qualifying or the 11-plus actually hurt me more than I realised. After I'd become a professor of physics at the Open University, I suddenly thought, 'This is a bit silly.' So I suddenly became much more open about it. But I think probably I was hurt by the failure and didn't want to talk about it. Jocelyn Bell Burnell

Me Failure Hurt Physics Thought Become Think Bit Silly About More Open Failing Talk Qualifying Became Than Want After Realised Much Suddenly Professor Actually University

Solar storms cause power outages. They pose a hazard to satellites. They might interfere with your GPS or send your compass a couple of degrees off course. But I don't think solar storms are a life-threatening event. Jocelyn Bell Burnell

Cause Solar Power Think Degrees Life-Threatening Hazard Couple Course Off Send Storms Might Interfere Your Satellites Event Compass Pose

We all have fundamental beliefs of one sort or another, and it is very threatening if somebody is saying they're wrong. Jocelyn Bell Burnell

Saying Somebody Threatening Wrong Sort Another Very Beliefs Fundamental

You can convert the teachers, and you can convert the kids, but if they go home saying they want to be a physicist, and the parents question why they would want to do that, then it makes it very difficult. Jocelyn Bell Burnell

Saying Home You Parents Difficult Kids Would Physicist Makes Go Go Home Question Very Want Convert Then Teachers Why

My generation was the turning point. Women older than us didn't expect to have jobs or careers; those younger did. But we were where it was changing - which is interesting but uncomfortable. Jocelyn Bell Burnell

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