{"id":12963,"date":"2021-07-02T10:24:20","date_gmt":"2021-07-02T09:24:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=12963"},"modified":"2021-07-02T10:24:20","modified_gmt":"2021-07-02T09:24:20","slug":"caroline-herschel-medal-announced-to-celebrate-female-astrophysicists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/caroline-herschel-medal-announced-to-celebrate-female-astrophysicists\/12963\/","title":{"rendered":"Caroline Herschel Medal announced to celebrate female astrophysicists"},"content":{"rendered":"
The inception of the Caroline Herschel Medal commemorated the visit of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, honouring a scientific collaboration between the two nations that has spanned decades. The Caroline Herschel Medal will alternate between UK and German female astrophysicists each year and will be determined by an expert, independent panel, with the recipient receiving \u00a310,000 that they can spend on research or associated costs.<\/p>\n
The Caroline Herschel Medal will be overseen by the Royal Astronomical Society<\/a> (RAS) and the German Astronomical Society<\/a> (Astronomische Gesellschaft, AG). The RAS has celebrated German astronomers since its formation in 1820; even Caroline Herschel and her brother William when they moved to Bath in the late eighteenth century, with Caroline becoming the first woman to receive a royal pension for astronomy in Britain. Additionally, Caroline was the first woman to receive the RAS Gold Medal, a prize to honour her discovery of eight comets and commitment to refining star catalogues.<\/p>\n In the present day, scientific partnerships between the two nations have never been more prosperous, with the UK and Germany being top partners within the EU Framework Programme Horizon 2020, with in excess of 4000 signed grants. This amounted to \u20ac25.1bn in total being awarded to projects, of which \u20ac3.6bn was awarded to the UK, with 1196 UK and German collaborative projects funded by Innovate UK and the UK Research Councils worth an impressive \u00a31.07bn.<\/p>\n The aim of the Caroline Herschel Medal is to provide an impetus for creating equality in the male-dominated field of astronomy, as in the UK, only 12% of professors, 18% of senior lecturers, and 29% of lecturers in astronomy are female. Furthermore, in solar system science, only 21% of professors, 22% of senior lecturers, and 27% of lecturers are women, with only 20% of A level physics entrants being female.<\/p>\nStriving for equality<\/h3>\n