20 12 2007 - Interview with Alinoush Tarian, the first woman physics Professor in Modern Iran

Una intervista a ALINOUSH TARIAN, prima donna iraniana, professore di fisica...
http://www.BMarz.com - 12/19/07
The first Iranian woman, teacher of physics, the founder of the first solar telescopic observatory in Iran, was graduated from Sorbonne University in Paris, and after teaching for 30 years in universities is now resting in an elderly house; her best memories regards the successful students who are today professors.

Alinoush Tarian, was born in an Armenian family in 1920 in Tehran. She graduated in Khordad 1326 [1947] from Tehran University Science Department and began her career in physics laboratories of the same university and was elected as the chief of laboratory operations in the same year.

She could not convince her teacher (Dr Hessabi) to pay for her studies abroad and was obliged to go to Paris on her own where she began studying in Atmospheric physic in Paris University. She graduated in 1856 and after rejecting a teaching job in Sorbonne University came back to Iran to become an assistant professor in thermodynamics physics in Tehran University.

She studied on solar physics observatory for 4 months by a scholarship of German government and finally became the first female professor of physics in Iran on 1964.

In 1966 she became a member of the geophysics committee of Tehran University and in 1969 finally was elected as the chief of the solar physics studies in that university and began to work in the solar observatory which she was one of its founders. She was retired on 1979.

Alinoush Tarian has dedicated herself to teaching students in this country and is now living in an elderly house. We went there with one of her colleagues to have an interview with her.

When asked for her best memory from the teaching days, she answers: All my memories from those days are nice. I loved the students and they loved me as well. So I did not have any difficulty during my teaching career.

Q: What is you best memory?
A: Thirty years of teaching and the construction of the solar observatory.
Q: What was the reason for your success?
A: Human attitude. One day a colleague asked me why do the students come to see me but did not go to him? I said maybe his attitude was not good enough to attract the students.
Q: Did you use a scholarship to study abroad?
A: My grades were always good. When I graduated, I asked for a scholarship but they did not accept because I was woman. I went to Paris by myself. I did not accept to work in Paris University because I loved my country and told them I had to go back and serve my country.
Q: Did you have a trip to Germany?
A: The German government gave me a scholarship to study the basics of solar observatories and I went to study there for a few months.
Q: What made you think of building a solar observatory?
A: When I returned and started to work in the university I requested the building of an observatory for the students to become familiar with this type of observatory.
Q: How many languages do you know?
A: My mother studied in Switzerland. My father and mother knew French, English and Armenian. My brother and I learned Persian and Armenian from childhood. We studied French to understand what our parents say and caught them by surprise. I know Turkish and English as well.
Q: Were you satisfied with your salary?
A: My salary was very low. Unfortunately in Iran teachers are not remunerated well. When I graduated, my father's friend suggested working for his company with 10 times the university salary; but I preferred to work in the university.
Q: Have you been to Armenia?
A: Unfortunately no. I wished to go to Armenia when I was young but at that time if someone went to Armenia he would be sacked from his job.
Q: If you had the opportunity to go back what would you do?
A: If I were to go back, I would do the same thing because I love studying and teaching. I am honoured to see my students' success in physics.
Q: Any recommendation for students and teachers?
A: Teachers must study continuously and keep themselves updated. The students should study hard.
Note: Original article published in Persian by Fars News Agency.
Translated for Payvand.com by BMarz translators: http://www.BMarz.com
... Payvand News - 12/19/07 ...

A.Melikian