Ruby Payne-Scott — the girl who listened to the stars
Fierce Girls
ABC Australia
4.5 • 956 Ratings
🗓️ 30 April 2018
⏱️ 15 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In the 1940s when Ruby Payne Scott went to university she was the only girl in her class. Back then, you could count the number of female physicists in the entire country on one hand. Ruby was super smart but she struggled to get a job because blokes thought women belonged at home. Not Ruby — she once used a bent coat hanger, some plugs and a few bits and bobs to tune in to the noises of the galaxy — something nobody had ever done before. It’s no wonder she went on to become one of Australia’s most outstanding physicists. Narrated by robotics whiz Marita Cheng.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Yes. |
| 0:02.0 | Girl Power. |
| 0:05.0 | This is the story of the girl who listened to the stars. |
| 0:09.0 | Ruby Payne Scott, |
| 0:10.0 | read by robotics whiz, |
| 0:12.0 | Marita Chang. |
| 0:13.2 | D'N. |
| 0:15.0 | D'Ding, one of the girls in the classroom sniggered, |
| 0:23.0 | Tinker Bell wants us to listen. |
| 0:26.0 | Tinker Bell was the un inventive nickname |
| 0:29.0 | Some of the naughty girls had given their science teacher. |
| 0:32.0 | It was because she sometimes used the bell to get |
| 0:35.0 | their attention. No big deal. But that science teacher, she was a big deal. She'd just never |
| 0:42.2 | told her students about her secret past. |
| 0:45.0 | If she did, they may have thought twice about mocking one of the universe's brightest stars. |
| 0:59.0 | Ruby Violet Payne Scott had always shone brightly. She was head and shoulders in size and smarts above other kids. |
| 1:04.0 | When her parents realized she was gifted, |
| 1:07.0 | they sent her to a city school, the big smoke, |
| 1:10.0 | in hope of better opportunities. |
| 1:13.3 | It seemed to work because at just 16, |
| 1:16.4 | she won a scholarship to Sydney University. |
| 1:20.4 | But that didn't mean it was easy. Well, the study itself was easy enough for Ruby, |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from ABC Australia, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of ABC Australia and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.