Elizabeth Essex-Cohen (1940-2004) was an Australian physicist who worked in
global positioning satellite
The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of the global navigation satellite sys ...
physics and was amongst the first women in Australia to be awarded a PhD in physics.
Early life and education
Elizabeth Annette Essex-Cohen, née Essex, was educated at
Grafton High.
She subsequently did a PhD in Physics at Australia's
University of New England, investigating
ionospheric
The ionosphere () is the ionized part of the upper atmosphere of Earth, from about to above sea level, a region that includes the thermosphere and parts of the mesosphere and exosphere. The ionosphere is ionized by solar radiation. It plays a ...
irregularities under Frank Hibberd, graduating in 1966. Essex-Cohen was the fourth woman in Australia to receive a
PhD in physics.
Career and impact
After graduating her PhD, Elizabeth Essex-Cohen worked at
University of the West Indies and
James Cook University before taking up a lectureship position in
space physics at
La Trobe University
La Trobe University is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora. The university was established in 1964, becoming the third university in the state of Victoria a ...
in 1968.
She remained at La Trobe for the remainder of her career, though in 1974 and 1978/9 she had simultaneous positions at the US Air Force Geophysics Laboratory as part of her
GPS
The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of the global navigation satellite sy ...
research.
Her initial work focused on the use of
radio wave reflection to study irregularities in the
ionosphere.
Her work on radio transmission through the ionosphere led to some of her best-known work in communications between ground and satellites. In the early US Air force's development of GPS (then called Navstar), she was the only Australian involved in the design. Her collaborations with
Australian Antarctic Division
The Australian Antarctic Division (AAD) is a division of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. The Division undertakes science programs and research projects to contribute to an understanding of Antarctica and the ...
and the
Co-operative Research Centre for Satellite Systems lead to her having a significant role in the development of Australia's
FedSat
FedSat (Australia's 'Federation Satellite'; sometimes FedSat 1; COSPAR 2002-056B, SATCAT 27598) was an Australian scientific research satellite launched from Tanegashima Space Center, Japan by a NASDA H-IIA launch vehicle on 14 December 2002 (N ...
satellite (active 2002-2007).
Death
Essex-Cohen became hospitalised for
mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops from the thin layer of tissue that covers many of the internal organs (known as the mesothelium). The most common area affected is the lining of the lungs and chest wall. Less commonly the lining ...
in December 2002.
After a brief remission which enabled her to attend a Wireless Science conference, she died in March 2004.
Tributes included a special session of the (International) Beacon Satellite Group.
References
External links
Elizabeth Essex-Cohen's publications
{{DEFAULTSORT:Essex-Cohen, Elizabeth
1940 births
2004 deaths
University of New England (Australia) alumni
La Trobe University faculty
University of the West Indies academics
James Cook University faculty
20th-century Australian physicists
20th-century Australian women scientists
Australian women physicists