Dr. Beth A. Brown was a NASA astrophysicist who studied x-ray emissions from elliptical galaxies and worked to further science communications.
Dr. Brown studied astrophysics at Howard University, graduating summa cum laude in 1991. 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. Following her PhD, she held a National Academy of Science & National Research Council Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Subsequently, she served at the National Space Science Data Center at Goddard, where she was involved in data archival activities as well as education and outreach. (Wikipedia)
“Her main area of research was on the environment of elliptical galaxies, many of which shine brightly in the x-ray region of the electromagnetic spectrum. This means there is very hot (about 10 million degrees) material in these galaxies. It could be energized by supernova explosions or possibly even the action of supermassive black holes. Dr. Brown used data from the ROSAT X-ray satellite and the Chandra X-Ray Observatory to trace activity in these objects.
She loved to do things involving educational outreach. One of her best-known outreach projects was the Multiwavelength Milky Way project — an effort to make data on our home galaxy accessible to educators, students, and the general public by showing it in as many wavelengths as possible. Her last posting at Goddard was as assistant director for science communications and higher education in the Science and Exploration Directorate at GSFC.
Dr. Brown constantly worked to elevate the position of women and girls in science, particularly females of color. She was a member of the National Society of Black Physicists, and often mentored younger members.” (ThoughtCo)
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Relevant Courses at SUNY New Paltz
PHY 206 Exploring the Universe
PHY 340 Introduction to Astrophysics
PHY 345 Galaxies & Cosmology
Photo 1: Beth Brown at NASA Goddard visitor center.
Photo credit Jay S. Friedlander – NASA
Photo 2:Beth Brown in front of a multi-wavelength Milky Way image. She created outreach projects centered on this image.
Photo credit https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/