Scottish physicist noted for her work in x-ray crystallography and fluid dynamics. As a tribute to her co-discovery of the locations of specific ions they are now known as Beevers–Ross and anti-Beevers–Ross sites.
After being educated at Edinburgh Ladies’ College, Marion Ross studied mathematics and natural philosophy at the University of Edinburgh, receiving prestigious bursaries in mathematics, and graduating with honours. Ross then studied at teacher training college in Cambridge for one year and taught mathematics in a secondary school in Woking, Surrey for two years. In 1928, she took up a post as Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Physics at the University of Edinburgh, and instigated a course in acoustics for music students.
In the Second World War she was a rare example of a female scientist working for the Admiralty. Based at Rosyth docks she led a team involved in underwater acoustics and hydrodynamics.
Her work with Professor C. G. Barkla resulted in her being awarded a PhD in 1943.
For one year, she worked under the direction of William Lawrence Bragg at the University of Manchester, and together with Arnold Beevers, explored the structure of the crystal Beta Alumina. They noted there were ‘problem’ sites in the areas occupied by mobile sodium ions. Subsequently, the presence of these ions was discovered to make this crystal an efficient superconductor. As a tribute to their discovery, the locations of these ions are now known as Beevers–Ross and anti-Beevers–Ross sites.
After the war she returned to the University of Edinburgh as a lecturer, studying high-energy particle spectra. She was the first Director of the University’s Fluid Dynamics Unit. Some of her work was published in the journal Nature.
In 1951 she became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, two years after the first female Fellows were admitted. She was the first female Secretary to the Society (1993-1994).
Her interest in fluid flows led to Ross setting up a fluid dynamics Unit within the Department of Physics. Many students were attracted to this field of study, supervised by Ross.
Ross was elected to University Court for session 1967-1968, one of the first non-Professorial members of staff to serve. Her contributions to the University were rewarded with a Readership, and her success was particularly notable given the male-dominated nature of the profession. On her retirement, the annually-awarded Marion A S Ross Prize was founded in her name.
Ross died on 3 January 1994 at age 90. In 2014 a street at Edinburgh University’s Kings Buildings campus was named in her honour.
Link to Wikipedia biography