Person

Giovanelli, Ronald Gordon (1915 - 1984)

FAA

Born
30 April 1915
Grafton, New South Wales, Australia
Died
27 January 1984
Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation
Astronomer, Physicist and Science administrator

Summary

Ronald Giovanelli was Chief of the Division of Physics, CSIRO from 1958-1976. He was interested in both optical measurements and solar astronomy. His research was varied, and included working on high-grade optical glass during WWII, solar flares and solar magnetic cycles, and the principle of magnetic reconnection. He was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 1962 and awarded the Edgeworth David Medal od the Royal Society of New South Wales in 1948.

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Details

Chronology

1937
Education - Bachelor of Science (BSc(hons)), University of Sydney
1937 - 1939
Career position - Research Fellow, Mount Stromlo Observatory
1939
Education - Master of Science (MSc), University of Sydney
1940 - 1941
Award - Science and Industry Fund Fellowship, to study at the National Physics Laboratory, London
1941 - 1958
Career position - CSIR/O National Standards Laboratory
1948
Award - Edgeworth David Medal, Royal Society of New South Wales
1950
Education - Doctor of Science (DSc), University of Sydney
1958 - 1976
Career position - Chief, Division of Physics, CSIRO
1962 - 1965
Career position - Chairman, Australian National Committee, International Quiet Sun Years
1962 - 1984
Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of Science (FAA)
1968 - 1971
Career position - President, Astronomical Society of Australia
1973
Career position - Chairman, Australian National Committee for Solar-Terrestrial Physics
1973 - 1976
Career position - President, Commission 12 (Solar Radiation), International Astronomical Union
1974 - 1976
Career position - Senior Research Fellow, CSIRO Division of Physics
1979 - 1980
Career position - Chairman, Australian National Committee for Solar-Terrestrial Physics
1981
Career position - Chairman, National Committee for Solar-Terrestrial and Space Physics

Related Corporate Bodies

Archival resources

Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science

  • Ronald Gordon Giovanelli - Records, 1910 - 1987, MS 176; Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science. Details

Published resources

Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Exhibitions

Books

  • Bhathal, Ragbir, Australian Astronomers: Achievements at the Frontiers of Astronomy (Canberra: National Library of Australia, 1996), 243 pp. Details
  • McCann, Doug; McCarthy, Gavan, The Records of Ronald Gordon Giovanelli (1915-1984) (Melbourne: Australian Science Archives Project, 1989), 62 pp. Details

Book Sections

Journal Articles

  • Beckers, J. M., 'Contributions by R.G. Giovanelli to solar instrumentation', Australian journal of physics, 38 (1985), 769-73, https://doi.org/10.1071/PH850769. Details
  • Blevin, W. R.; Loughhead, R. E., 'Ronald G. Giovanelli - Obituary', Australian Physicist, 21 (1984), 72-73. Details
  • Livingston, W., 'Contributions by RG Giovanelli to the study of magnetic field structures', Australian journal of physics, 38 (6) (1985), 775-80, https://doi.org/10.1071/PH850775. Details
  • Piddington, John Hobart, 'Ronald Gordon Giovanelli 1915-84', Historical Records of Australian Science, 6 (2) (1985), 223-236. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9850620223. Details
  • Sheridan, Kevin, 'Ron Giovanelli obituary', Proceedings of the Astronomical Society of Australia, 6 (1) (1985), 112-3. Details

Resources

Resource Sections

See also

  • Lomb, Nick, 'Australian eclipses: the Western Australian eclipse of 1974 and the east coast eclipse of 1976', Journal of astronomical history and heritage, 24 (2) (2021), 475-97. Details
  • Mellor, D.P., 'Optical Munitions', Chapter 12 in Australia in the War of 1939-1945, Series 4: Civil, volume 5 'The Role of Science and Industry', Canberra: Australian War Memorial, 1958 (1958). http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/exhib/papers/mellor.htm. Details

Digital resources

Title
Ronald Gordon Giovanelli
Type
Image

Details

Gavan McCarthy; Ken McInnes

Created: 20 October 1993, Last modified: 12 February 2026

EOAS ID: biogs/P000440b.htm

This Edition: 2026 February - 1926 Centenaries
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