Wolff, Sidney C.
Oral history interview with Sidney Carne Wolff, 1999 October 28 and 29.
The interview begins with Wolff's childhood, high school and undergraduate education. The following topics are covered: her graduate training at Berkeley; training with George Preston; research with George Wallerstein; marriage to physicist Richard Wolff; her work at the University of Hawaii, use of the 88-inch telescope; role of John Jefferies in her career; research on A-type stars; the Institute of Astronomy in Hawaii, building the Canadian-France-Hawaiian telescope and the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope; trends in telescope design; changes in astronomy publishing trends; relocation to Tucson in 1984 to become director of Kitt Peak; appointment as director of NOAO in 1987; comments on previous directors of Kitt Peak and NOAO (Leo Goldberg, Geoff Burbidge, John Jefferies); the Gemini 8-Meter Telescopes finished in 1999; funding for astronomy; role of AURA in Gemini project; Dr. Wolff's role in 1990 decadal survey for astronomy; funding for Gemini; design changes; instruments for Gemini; NOAO's future plans for new large telescopes; teaching astronomy and writing textbooks; role of women in astronomy and changes in their status.
Astrophysicist. Director of Kitt Peak National Observatory, 1984-1987; Director, National Optical Astronomy Observatories. First woman to head a major observatory in the U. S.
Jefferies, John T.
Wallerstein, George.
Wolff, Sidney C.
Kitt Peak National Observatory.
Kitt Peak National Observatory -- Administration.
Mauna Kea Observatory.
University of Hawaii at Manoa. Institute for Astronomy.
Astronomy.
Observatories -- International cooperation.
Observatories -- United States -- Hawaii.
Stars.
Telescopes -- Design and construction.
Women in science
Interviews. aat
Oral histories. aat aat
Transcripts. aat
Women astronomers.
McCray, Patrick (W. Patrick) interviewer.
AIP-ICOS
American Institute of Physics. Niels Bohr Library & Archives. One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740, USA