Person
Turner, Helen Alma Newton (1908 - 1995)
AO
- Born
- 15 May 1908
New South Wales, Australia - Died
- 26 November 1995
- Occupation
- Geneticist
Summary
Helen Newton Turner was one of the world's leading authorities on sheep genetics and worked with the CSIRO for over 40 years. From 1956-1973 she was Senior Principal Research Scientist in the Division of Animal Genetics and led the CSIRO sheep genetics research team. With Robert Dun and Frederick she was part of team of CSIRO and State Departments of Agriculture scientists during the 1950s to apply new techniques of animal breeding to the Australian Merino.
Details
Chronology
- 1930
- Education - Bachelor of Architecture (BArch), ?the University of Sydney
- 1931 - c. 1945
- Career position - Clerical Officer at CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research)
- 1946 - 1956
- Career position - Technical Officer and then Statistician at CSIR/O Division of Animal Health and Production
- 1953
- Award - Coronation Medal
- 1956 - 1976
- Career position - Senior Principal Research Scientist at the CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) Division of Animal Genetics
- 1966 - 1995
- Award - Fellow, Australian Society of Animal Production
- 1970
- Education - Doctor of Science (DSc), ?the University of Sydney
- 1974
- Award - Farrer Memorial Medal
- 1975 - 1987
- Award - Foundation Fellow, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences
- 1977
- Award - Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) - Primary Industry
- 1980
- Award - (FAO) Ceres Medal, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
- 1985
- Award - Rotary Medal for Vocational Excellence
- 1987
- Award - Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) - For service to science, particularly in the field of animal genetics and sheep breeding
- 1987 - 1995
- Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE) [Elected Fellow AATS 1975]
Related entries
Colleague
Archival resources
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Corporate Records and Archives Strategies
- Helen Alma Newton Turner - Records, 1950 - 1988; Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Corporate Records and Archives Strategies. Details
National Library of Australia Manuscript Collection
- Helen Alma Newton Turner - Records, 1953 - 1973, MS 3987; National Library of Australia Manuscript Collection. Details
Published resources
Articles
- Allen, Nessy, 'Obituary: Helen Newton Turner', WISENET Journal, 40 (February) (1996), http://www.wisenet-australia.org/ISSUE40/turner.htm. Details
Book Sections
- McCann, Doug, 'Turner, Helen Alma (1908-1995), animal geneticist and statistician' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 19: 1991 - 1995 A-Z, Melanie Nolan, ed. (Canberra: Australian National University Press, 2021), pp. 843-845, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/turner-helen-alma-29660. Details
Edited Books
- Moyal, Ann ed., Portraits in Science (Canberra: National Library of Australia, 1994), 209 pp. Details
Journal Articles
- Allen, Nessy, 'The Contribution of Two Australian Women Scientists to its Wool Industry [Kathleen Rachel Makinson and Helen Alma Newton Turner]', Prometheus, 9 (1) (1991), 81-92. Details
- Allen, Nessy, 'Australian Women in Science: Two Unorthodox Careers [Isobel Ida Toon Bennett and Helen Alma Newton Turner]', Women's Studies International Forum, 15 (5-6) (1992), 551-562. Details
- Allen, Nessy, 'Helen Newton Turner and the Wool Industry', Journal of Australian Studies, 16 (33) (1992), 56-62. https://doi.org/10.1080/14443059209387099. Details
- Field, J. B. F.; Speed, F. E.; Speed, T. P.; and Williams, J. N., 'Biometrics in the CSIR: 1930 - 1940', Australian Journal of Statistics, 30 (B) (1988), 54-76. Details
- Lancaster, H. O., 'Statistical Society of New South Wales', Australian Journal of Statistics, 30 (B) (1988), 99-109. Details
- Turner, Helen Newton, 'Ian Clunies Ross: a leader of men', Australian Veterinary Journal, 44 (10) (1968), 467-480. Details
Resources
- Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q21489878. Details
- VIAF - Virtual International Authority File, OCLC, https://viaf.org/viaf/162865987. Details
- 'Turner, Helen Alma Newton (1908-1995)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1474234. Details
Resource Sections
- 'Helen Newton Turner - pioneer agricultural statistician', in The 1997 Australian Science Festival, 1997, http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/other/asf_scientists.htm#helen. Details
- Ward, C., 'Helen Alma Newton Turner', in CSIROpedia, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), 2011, https://csiropedia.csiro.au/Newton-Turner-Helen-Alma. Details
See also
- Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, Technology in Australia 1788-1988, Online edn, Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, Melbourne, 3 May 2000, http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/tia/index_t.html. Details
- McCann, D. A.; and Batterham, P., 'Australian Genetics: a Brief History', Genetica, 90 (2-3) (1993), 81-114. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF01435033. Details
McCarthy, G.J.
Created: 20 October 1993, Last modified: 14 March 2024
- Foundation Supporter - Committee to Review Australian Studies in Tertiary Education