Agnes Blackie

Agnes Randall Blackie (12 July 1897 – 18 February 1975) was New Zealand's first female physics lecturer and probably the Southern Hemisphere's only female physics academic at the time of her appointment.[1]

Agnes Blackie
Born12 July 1897
New Zealand
Died18 February 1975
CitizenshipNew Zealand
OccupationPhysics lecturer
EmployerUniversity of Otago
Known forFirst female physics academic in New Zealand

Early life

Blackie was born in New Zealand on 12 July 1897 to parents Jeanetta Margaret and the Reverend James Blackie.[2] James Blackie was a Presbyterian minister, who had been an early student at the University of Otago, and the first graduate of the Theological Hall, while Jeanetta was the first Principal of the Presbyterian Women's Training Institute, later known as Deaconess College.[3] James Blackie died in 1897, the year that Agnes was born.[3]

University of Otago

Encouraged by her mother to attend university, Blackie worked in the University of Otago's Physics Department from 1919, when she appointed as an assistant lecturer, to sometime after her retirement in 1958.[4][1]

Blackie wrote about her experiences as a student and lecturer. Her papers are included in the Blackie family papers in the Hocken Collections. Of her subject, she said “I can't imagine a better subject for a lecturer. Brimful of interest, it illumines and explains the world of everyday experience yet leads out in the furthest realms of space and inwards to the intriguing mysteries of the very small.”[5] She described the practical demonstrations she would do during lectures as fun, and also gave public lectures. She was known to take particular care of female students, often inviting them for afternoon tea at her home.[4] In 1951, Blackie published a guide for her first year students.[6]

Blackie died on 18 February 1975.[4]

Recognition

In 1978, a group of former students donated money to create an award in Blackie's honour. The Agnes Randall Blackie Memorial Prize is awarded in her honour annually in the physics department at the University of Otago, to up to three students achieving the highest grades in 100-Level Physics, and intending to continue studying at a higher level in Biology, Health or Life Sciences.[7]

In 2017, Blackie was selected as one of the Royal Society Te Apārangi's 150 women in 150 words, celebrating the contribution of women to knowledge in New Zealand.[4]

The Dodd-Walls Centre awarded the inaugural Agnes Blackie Memorial Research Fellowship on the centenary of Blackie's appointment as the first female physics lecturer in New Zealand. The recipient was Jami Shepherd (Johnson).[1]

References
  1. Dodd-Walls Centre (2018). "Annual Report 2018" (PDF). The Dodd-Walls Centre. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  2. Birth certificate 1897/11112 available from Department of Internal Affairs
  3. Clarke, Ali (11 January 2018). "Out of the box: the Blackie family collection". Archived from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2021.
  4. "Agnes Blackie". Royal Society Te Apārangi. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  5. Clarke, Ali (17 November 2014). "From natural philosophy to physics". University of Otago 1869-2019. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  6. Agnes Randall Blackie (1951), An approach to physics: written for first year students at the University of Otago., Dunedin, OCLC 429731845, Wikidata Q105037405{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  7. Physics, Department of. "Scholarships and Prizes". www.otago.ac.nz. Archived from the original on 29 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
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