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Jane Rigby (astrophysicist)

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Jane Rigby
Jane Rigby in 2023
Born
Jane Rebecca Rigby
Alma materPennsylvania State University
University of Arizona
AwardsNature's 10 (2022)
Scientific career
InstitutionsGoddard Space Flight Center
Carnegie Observatories
ThesisThe properties of weak MgII absorption systems (2000)

Jane Rebecca Rigby is an American astrophysicist who works at the Goddard Space Flight Center and is Senior Project Scientist of the James Webb Space Telescope. She was selected one of Nature's 10 Ones to Watch in 2021 and Shape 2022. In 2024 she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden.[1]

Early life and education

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A 1996 graduate of Seaford High School in Seaford, Delaware, Rigby became interested in astrophysics as a high school student. She has said Sally Ride made her realize that girls could study physics.[2] Rigby was an undergraduate student at Pennsylvania State University.[3][4] She worked toward a degree in physics and astronomy, and completed an undergraduate dissertation on MgII emission systems. She moved to the University of Arizona for graduate studies, where she worked on X-ray diagnostics of active galactic nuclei under the supervision of George H. Rieke.[5]

Research and career

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Nancy Grace Roman with Jane Rigby and the James Webb Space Telescope

Rigby spent six months as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Arizona before being appointed a Carnegie Fellow at the Carnegie Observatories.[6] In 2010, Rigby was appointed deputy operations project scientist at the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and civil servant at Goddard Space Flight Center. She was made project scientist for operations in 2018.[7] She delivered a TED talk on space telescopes in 2011.[8][9] In June 2023, she was chosen as the senior project scientist for the JWST, succeeding John C. Mather.[10]

Rigby is responsible for TEMPLATES (Targeting Extremely Magnified Panchromatic Lensed Arcs and Their Extended Star Formation), a project that looks to use high signal-to-noise NIRSpec and mid-infrared integral field units (IFU) spectroscopy to image 4 gravitationally lensed galaxies.[11] The program is expected to spatially resolve star formation.[11]

Work for inclusivity

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Rigby was a founding member of the American Astronomical Society Committee for Sexual-Orientation and Gender Minorities in Astronomy.[12] In 2015 she co-organised Inclusive Astronomy, a worldwide initiative to celebrate inclusivity and equity in astronomy.[13][14]

Awards and honors

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Selected publications

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Personal life

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Rigby came out as lesbian in 2000.[2] When she joined the University of Arizona as a graduate student, it was still against state law to be gay.[2]

References

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  1. ^ "Judy Shepard, Nancy Pelosi, and Jane Rigby among Medal of Freedom honorees". www.advocate.com. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "SGMA interviews: Jane Rigby | American Astronomical Society". aas.org. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  3. ^ "Jane Rigby". asd.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  4. ^ "| Eberly College of Science". science.psu.edu. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  5. ^ Rigby, Jane Rebecca (2000). The properties of weak MgII absorption systems (Thesis). OCLC 299248856.
  6. ^ "About Jane Rigby". www.astrobetter.com. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  7. ^ Witze, Alexandra (December 8, 2021). "The $11-billion Webb telescope aims to probe the early Universe". Nature. 600 (7888): 208–212. Bibcode:2021Natur.600..208W. doi:10.1038/d41586-021-03620-1. PMID 34880441. S2CID 245090075.
  8. ^ TEDxMidAtlantic 2011 - Jane Rigby - Putting Telescopes into Space, retrieved December 22, 2021
  9. ^ "Magnifying the Universe". Library of Congress. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  10. ^ Gutro, Rob (June 28, 2023). Adkins, Jamie (ed.). "NASA Names Dr. Jane Rigby New Webb Telescope Senior Project Scientist". NASA. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  11. ^ a b "ERS Program 1355". STScI.edu. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  12. ^ a b "hjgg NASA Goddard Astrophysicist Awarded 2022 LGBTQ+ Scientist of the Year". May 12, 2022.
  13. ^ "2021 Candidate Statement: Jane Rigby | American Astronomical Society". aas.org. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  14. ^ "HOME". IAU100InclusiveAstro. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  15. ^ "Spitzer: Fellowships". irsa.ipac.caltech.edu. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  16. ^ Write, Mindy Szkaradnik | Collegian Staff (October 2013). "Penn State Eberly College of Science alumni receive awards". The Daily Collegian. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  17. ^ "Science Journal December 2013 by Penn State Science - The Eberly College of Science - Issuu". issuu.com. November 17, 2015. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  18. ^ "Awards Won - Gravitational Astrophysics Laboratory - 663". science.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  19. ^ "Lindsay Awards and Lectures". scicolloq.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  20. ^ "Nature's 10". www.nature.com. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  21. ^ "BBC 100 Women 2022: Who is on the list this year?". BBC News. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  22. ^ "Nature's 10". www.nature.com. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  23. ^ "Judy Shepard, Nancy Pelosi, and Jane Rigby among Medal of Freedom honorees". www.advocate.com. Retrieved May 4, 2024.
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