Helen Megaw
| Helen Megaw | |
|---|---|
Megaw circa 1950
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| Born |
1 June 1907 Dublin |
| Died | 26 February 2002 (aged 94) Ballycastle, County Antrim |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Alma mater | Queen's University, Belfast, Girton College |
| Known for | Crystallographer who determined the structure of ice crystals and the Perovskite crystal structure. |
| Awards | The Roebling Medal of the Mineralogical Society of America. Megaw Island and the mineral Megawite (CaSnO3) are named after her. |
| Scientific career | |
| Thesis | (1934) |
| Doctoral advisor | J. D. Bernal |
Helen Dick Megaw (1 June 1907 – 26 February 2002) was an Irish crystallographer who was a pioneer in X-ray crystallography. She made measurements of the cell dimensions of ice and established the Perovskite crystal structure.
Megaw studied at Queen's University, Belfast before moving to Girton College to study Natural Sciences in 1926. In her early career Megaw studied crystallography under J. D. Bernal and was awarded her PhD in 1934. Her first book, "Ferroelectricity in Crystals" was published in 1957. It was followed by a second book, 'Crystal Structures: a Working Approach' in 1973.
Following a conversation with Mark Hartland Thomas in 1949 (chief industrial officer of the Council of Industrial Design), Megaw was appointed scientific consultant for Festival Pattern Group the Festival of Britain, 1951.
In recognition of her work in determining the structures of ice crystals, Megaw Island in the Southern Ocean is named for her. Megawite (CaSnO3), a perovskite-group mineral, is also named after her.
In 1989, Megaw became the first woman to receive the Roebling Medal of the Mineralogical Society of America.
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