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{{Infobox |
{{Infobox scientist |
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| name = |
| name = Jedidah C. Isler, Ph.D |
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| image = File:Pet-Squirrel-Grid-LIFE-1944.jpg |
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| species =Eastern gray squirrel |
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| breed = |
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| gender =male |
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| resting_place =Prince George's Country lawyer's office |
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| years_active =1943 - 1949 |
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|birth_date=|death_date=June 25, 1949|known_for=selling war bonds}} |
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'''Tommy Tucker''' was a celebrity [[Eastern gray squirrel]] in the United States. Adopted in 1942 by Mrs. Zaidee Bullis and her husband Mark C. Bullis, Tommy toured the country to perform tricks in women's fashions, selling war bonds and entertaining small children. A Washington Post columnist noted him as "the most famous squirrel ever to come from Washington."<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/tommy-tucker-washingtons-most-famous-squirrel/2012/04/08/gIQAddnZ4S_story.html|title=Tommy Tucker, Washington’s most famous squirrel|website=Washington Post|access-date=2016-10-02}}</ref> |
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| fields = [[astrophysics]] |
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| workplaces = [[Vanderbilt University]], [[Syracuse University]] |
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| thesis_title = In Like a Lamb, Out Like a Lion: Probing the Disk-Jet Connection in Fermi Gamma-Ray Bright Blazars |
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| thesis_url = http://search.proquest.com/docview/1541890867 |
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| known_for = [[Yale University]]'s first African-American woman to earn a Master's in Astrophysics |
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| website = http://www.jedidahislerphd.com/ |
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}} |
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'''Jedidah C. Isler, Ph.D.''', is an astrophysicist and STEM advocate, and the first African-American woman to receive a Master's degree in Physics from [[Yale University]]. She has written award-winning studies on [[Blazar|blazars]], or supermassive black holes, and has used the [[Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope|Fermi telescope]] examine how black holes operate.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/31302/20151018/jedidah-isler-first-african-american-woman-to-receive-a-yale-phd-in-astrophysics.htm|title=Jedidah Isler First African-American Woman To Receive A Yale PhD In Astrophysics|last=Report|first=Science World|date=2015-10-18|access-date=2016-10-03}}</ref> |
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Origin stories differ, though Tommy was believed to have been orphaned as a baby and adopted by Zaidee in 1942. He may have been named after the 18th century nursery rhyme "[[Little Tommy Tucker]]." Zaidee chose to dress Tommy exclusively in women's clothing to circumvent tailoring around his bushy tail. |
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Dr. Isler spent her childhood admiring the stars from her home. It wasn't until she was 12 years old that she discovered the industry of astronomy itself. It was then that Dr. Isler sought to study science professionally.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://blackgirllonghair.com/2015/09/meet-dr-jedidah-isler-the-first-black-woman-to-graduate-from-yale-with-a-phd-in-astrophysics/|title=Meet Dr Jedidah Isler: The First Black Woman to Graduate from Yale with a PhD in Astrophysics|date=2015-09-25|language=en-US|access-date=2016-10-03}}</ref> |
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Following World War I he married a squirrel named Buzzy, of which little is known.<ref name=":0" /> |
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Dr. Isler's father left the family shortly before she left for college, sparking financial turmoil that threatened to cut her dreams short.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ozy.com/rising-stars/the-astrophysicist-at-the-cutting-edge-of-black-holes/71552|title=The Astrophysicist at the Cutting Edge of Black Holes|last=Mayol|first=Taylor|access-date=2016-10-03}}</ref> |
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== Career == |
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== Education == |
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In 1943, Zaidee and Mark began taking Tommy on tour in their Packard Touring Car. Tommy's lovingly crafted patriotic attire and unusually docile demeanor charmed the nation. One of his earliest shows included a performance for 500 students at Silver Spring's Woodside Elementary School. |
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Dr. Isler graduated Magna cum Laude with a Bachelor's of Science in Physics at [[Norfolk State University]]'s Dozoretz National Institute for Math and Applied Sciences (DNIMAS). From there, she became one of the first three student members of the [http://fisk-vanderbilt-bridge.org/ Fisk-Vanderbilt Master's-to-Ph.D. Bridge Program], a program designed to increase the number of women and under-represented minorities with advanced STEM degrees.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/12/17/251957062/a-graduate-program-works-to-diversify-the-science-world|title=A Graduate Program Works To Diversify The Science World|access-date=2016-10-03}}</ref> She earned an M.A. in Physics. |
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She moved on to Yale, where she earned an M.S. in Physics, and later became the first African-American woman in history to earn a Ph.D in astronomy. |
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Accompanying the three on their adventures was a bulldog, who purportedly had at least one gold tooth and commonly wore a fez.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/tommy-tucker-eternitys-satin-doll-of-a-squirrel-is-at-last-located/2012/04/18/gIQAu5jeRT_story.html|title=Tommy Tucker: Eternity’s satin doll of a squirrel is at last located|website=Washington Post|access-date=2016-10-02}}</ref> |
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She would often be the only African-American in her classes, and endured years of backhanded comments. In an NPR interview, Isler recalled an exchange with her classmates during her first year at Yale.<blockquote>"So there are plates everywhere," she recalls. Everyone seemed full and content. "And all of a sudden, this kid in my class hands me a pile of his dirty plates" — the student is a white male — "he just kind of hands them to me and says, 'Here, now go and do what you're really here to do.'"<ref name=":0" /></blockquote>In 2014, Dr. Isler published the dissertation, ''[http://search.proquest.com/docview/1541890867 In Like a Lamb, Out Like a Lion: Probing the Disk-Jet Connection in Fermi Gamma-Ray Bright Blazars]'', which earned the Roger Doxsey Dissertation Prize from the American Astronomical Society. |
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=== Selling war bonds === |
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In 1944 the squirrel was featured in [[Life (magazine)|LIFE]] magazine, complete with a gallery of photos by [[Nina Leen]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://time.com/3517606/a-squirrels-guide-to-fashion/|title=A Squirrel's Guide to Fashion|last=Cosgrove|first=Ben|website=TIME.com|access-date=2016-10-02}}</ref> In the article, a reporter notes: “Mrs. Bullis’ main interest in Tommy...is in dressing him up in 30 specially made costumes. Tommy has a coat and hat for going to market, a silk pleated dress for company, a Red Cross uniform for visiting the hospital.”<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QFUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA93&lpg=PA93&dq=%22Tommy+Tucker%22+squirrel&source=bl&ots=kf5RmguVJk&sig=fv4GgGB2aByURPZH9nyCveyaExM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjdv727hb3PAhVX6WMKHUnRBUMQ6AEIazAP#v=onepage&q=%22Tommy%20Tucker%22%20squirrel&f=false|title=LIFE|last=|first=|date=January 31, 1944|work=LIFE|access-date=October 2, 2016|via=books.google.com}}</ref> |
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== Blazar research == |
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At the height of his fame in 1945, Tommy's fanclub, the Tommy Tucker Club, had over 30,000 members. |
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Since July 2015, Dr. Isler has served as a Vanderbilt University [[National Science Foundation]] postdoctoral fellow in Astronomy & Astrophysics. This fellowship is funded for three years, "enabling her to research blazars and better understand the jets they shoot out nearly at the speed of light."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://stories.vanderbilt.edu/rising-star|title=Rising Star|date=2016-05-09|access-date=2016-10-03}}</ref> |
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=== Life after World War II === |
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After the war, Tommy spent more time investing in his personal life. Headlines featuring the squirrel largely disappeared until January 1948, where the Bullises were denied entry to California. (Agricultural officials wouldn't recognize Tommy as a pet, rather than a wild animal, for several days.)<ref name=":0" /> He was also barred from visiting Mexico. |
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== Death == |
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Tommy died in his trailer on June 25, 1949. Harold Bryant said his cause of death was “apparently of a heart attack brought on by old age.”<ref name=":0" /> The average lifespan of Eastern gray squirrels in captivity is about 20 years. |
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His taxidermied body is currently on display in a plastic case at a law office in Prince George's County. He was stuffed at Jonas Bros. Taxidermy in Denver, Colorado, where one taxidermist said "he was mounted with his arms out so you could pull the clothes over him."<ref name=":0" /> |
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Zaidee aimed to have Tommy's remains donated to the [[Smithsonian Institution|Smithsonian]], but their curators never took a significant interest. |
Revision as of 00:41, 3 October 2016
Jedidah C. Isler, Ph.D | |
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Citizenship | United States |
Known for | Yale University's first African-American woman to earn a Master's in Astrophysics |
Scientific career | |
Fields | astrophysics |
Institutions | Vanderbilt University, Syracuse University |
Thesis | In Like a Lamb, Out Like a Lion: Probing the Disk-Jet Connection in Fermi Gamma-Ray Bright Blazars |
Website | http://www.jedidahislerphd.com/ |
Jedidah C. Isler, Ph.D., is an astrophysicist and STEM advocate, and the first African-American woman to receive a Master's degree in Physics from Yale University. She has written award-winning studies on blazars, or supermassive black holes, and has used the Fermi telescope examine how black holes operate.[1]
Early life
Dr. Isler spent her childhood admiring the stars from her home. It wasn't until she was 12 years old that she discovered the industry of astronomy itself. It was then that Dr. Isler sought to study science professionally.[2]
Dr. Isler's father left the family shortly before she left for college, sparking financial turmoil that threatened to cut her dreams short.[3]
Education
Dr. Isler graduated Magna cum Laude with a Bachelor's of Science in Physics at Norfolk State University's Dozoretz National Institute for Math and Applied Sciences (DNIMAS). From there, she became one of the first three student members of the Fisk-Vanderbilt Master's-to-Ph.D. Bridge Program, a program designed to increase the number of women and under-represented minorities with advanced STEM degrees.[4] She earned an M.A. in Physics.
She moved on to Yale, where she earned an M.S. in Physics, and later became the first African-American woman in history to earn a Ph.D in astronomy.
She would often be the only African-American in her classes, and endured years of backhanded comments. In an NPR interview, Isler recalled an exchange with her classmates during her first year at Yale.
"So there are plates everywhere," she recalls. Everyone seemed full and content. "And all of a sudden, this kid in my class hands me a pile of his dirty plates" — the student is a white male — "he just kind of hands them to me and says, 'Here, now go and do what you're really here to do.'"[4]
In 2014, Dr. Isler published the dissertation, In Like a Lamb, Out Like a Lion: Probing the Disk-Jet Connection in Fermi Gamma-Ray Bright Blazars, which earned the Roger Doxsey Dissertation Prize from the American Astronomical Society.
Blazar research
Since July 2015, Dr. Isler has served as a Vanderbilt University National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow in Astronomy & Astrophysics. This fellowship is funded for three years, "enabling her to research blazars and better understand the jets they shoot out nearly at the speed of light."[5]
- ^ Report, Science World (2015-10-18). "Jedidah Isler First African-American Woman To Receive A Yale PhD In Astrophysics". Retrieved 2016-10-03.
- ^ "Meet Dr Jedidah Isler: The First Black Woman to Graduate from Yale with a PhD in Astrophysics". 2015-09-25. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
- ^ Mayol, Taylor. "The Astrophysicist at the Cutting Edge of Black Holes". Retrieved 2016-10-03.
- ^ a b "A Graduate Program Works To Diversify The Science World". Retrieved 2016-10-03.
- ^ "Rising Star". 2016-05-09. Retrieved 2016-10-03.