Person
Pope, Elizabeth (1912 - 1993)
- Born
- 4 November 1912
Nelson, New Zealand - Died
- 18 September 1993
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia - Occupation
- Marine ecologist, Marine zoologist and Museum director
Summary
Elizabeth Pope was a marine zoologist highly-regarded for her research on the effect of sea temperatures and latitude on the distribution and abundance of intertidal organisms on rocky shores. She mapped large areas of the Australian coast, doing some of the earliest Australian research in littoral ecology. Her fieldwork took her all over Australia, including to Macquarie Island in 1962. This series of comprehensive intertidal surveys provided a useful baseline for assessing the effects of climate change and increases in sea surface temperatures. Pope was keen to introduce young people to the wonders of the sea shore. Exploring between the tidemarks (1958, with Patricia McDonald) was written as an introduction to seashore ecology. Pope also contributed frequently to the popular children's radio program, The argonauts. Joining the Australian Museum in 1939 as a Scientific Assistant, at a salary less than half that of her male counterparts, Pope became Curator of the Worms and Echinoderms Department and ultimately Deputy Director of the Museum. She was active in local professional organisations including the Linnean Society of New South Wales and the Australian Marine Science Association.
Details
Chronology
- 1913
- Life event - Migrated to Australia with her family
- 1935
- Education - BSc (hons), University of Sydney
- 1936 - 1939
- Award - Linnean Macleay Fellowship (zoology), University of Sydney
- 1939 - 1949
- Career position - Scientific Assistant, Crustaceae and Lower Invertebrates department, Australian Museum
- 1940
- Education - MSc, University of Sydney
- 1949 - 1957
- Career position - Assistant Curator, Australian Museum
- 1953 - 1993
- Award - Fellow, Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales
- 1957 - 1971
- Career position - Curator, Worms and Echinoderms Department, Australian Museum
- 1964 - 1965
- Career position - President, Linnean Society of New South Wales
- 1965 - 1968
- Career position - Editor, Australian marine science newsletter, Australian Marine Sciences Association
- 1969? - 1993
- Award - Honorary Life Member, Australian Marine Sciences Association
- 1971 - 1972
- Career position - Deputy Director, Australian Museum
- 1972 - ?
- Career position - Honorary Associate, Australian Museum
- 1972
- Life event - Retired from Australian Museum
Related entries
Published resources
Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Exhibitions
- McCarthy, Gavan; Morgan, Helen; Smith, Ailie; van den Bosch, Alan, Where are the Women in Australian Science?, Exhibition of the Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, First published 2003 with lists updated regulary edn, Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, Melbourne, Victoria, 2003, https://eoas.info/exhibitions/wisa/wisa.html. Details
Books
- Dakin, William J.: assisted by Isobel Bennett and Elizabeth Pope, Australian seashores: a guide for the beach-lover, the naturalist, the shore fishermen, and the student (Sydney: Angus and Robertson, 1952), 372 pp. Details
- Pope, Elizabeth C.; and McDonald, Patricia M., Exploring between tidemarks: an introduction to seashore ecology (Sydney: Trustees of the Australian Museum, 1958), 45 pp. Details
Journal Articles
- Anon, 'Obituary: vale Elizabeth Carrington Pope 1912 - 1993', Australian zoologist 29:277-8, 29 (1994), 277-8. Details
Resources
- 'Pope, Elizabeth C (19121104-19930918)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-949271. Details
Rosanne Walker and Helen Cohn
Created: 30 June 1997, Last modified: 5 July 2022