astronomy

Marion Robinson

Marion Robinson is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Marion Robinson rather than just read about it. In short: Marion Frances Robinson (née Harrison; 9 November 1923 – 25 February 2003) was a New Zealand nutritionist and physiologist. She was professor of nutrition at the University of Otago, and is particularly noted for her investigation of the importance of selenium in the human diet.

Key takeaways

Marion Robinson belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Marion Robinson to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Marion Robinson from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Marion Frances Robinson (née Harrison; 9 November 1923 – 25 February 2003) was a New Zealand nutritionist and physiologist. She was professor of nutrition at the University of Otago, and is particularly noted for her investigation of the importance of selenium in the human diet.

Early life and family Robinson was born on 9 November 1923, the daughter of Wilfred, a carpenter, and Gladys Harrison. She was educated at Wellington Girls' College and "did well despite a hostile headmistress".

Academic career Robinson completed a Bachelor of Home Science degree at the University of Otago in May 1945, and followed it immediately with a Master of Home Science degree, graduating in December 1945. Robinson received the Anna P. Stout Scholarship for her Master's research. At that time Home Science was the only way of studying biochemistry outside of a medical degree. Robinson studied the fluorine in dental enamel for her master's degree, having been introduced to the study of trace elements by Muriel Bell. Robinson moved to the University of Cambridge to work with Professor Robert McCance. She completed a PhD and from 1949 to 1957 was assistant director of research in the Department of Experimental Medicine. While in Cambridge, Robinson published on the physiology of rat livers. Robinson married James Roper Robinson, a physiologist, in 1951 in Cambridge. Robinson returned to New Zealand with her family in 1957. Robinson's research focused on trace elements and human nutrition. She set up the first trace element laboratory for the School of Home Sciences at the University of Otago, and became internationally renowned for her work on selenium. In 1980, she became a full professor, with the award of a personal chair in nutrition. In 1985, she worked on the World Health Organisation task group on selenium. She served as the head of the Department of Human Nutrition at Otago between 1985 and 1988, and was conferred with the title of professor emeritus when she retired in 1989.

Death Robinson died in Dunedin on 25 February 2003, and she is commemorated by a plaque in the Court of Reflections at Andersons Bay Cemetery. She was survived by her husband and twin daughters, who both held doctorates themselves. Her husband died in 2007.

Honours and awards Robinson was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand in 1978, and a Fellow of New Zealand Institute of Chemistry in 1976. In 1988, she was awarded the prestigious McCollum Award by the American Society for Clinical Nutrition. Following her retirement from Otago, she was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, for services to nutrition education and research, in the 1990 New Year Honours. Also in 1990, she was awarded honorary life membership of the New Zealand Dietetic Association / Dietitians New Zealand. In 2017, Robinson was selected as one of the Royal Society Te Apārangi's 150 women in 150 words.

Selected works L M BROWN; M F HARRISON (1 July 1951). "Effect of a single injection of carbon tetrachloride upon the activity of the pseudo-cholinesterase in the liver and serum of male and female rats". Nature. 168 (4263): 83–84. doi:10.1038/168083a0. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 14852965. Wikidata Q59055172. M F HARRISON (1 August 1951). "Relation between polyploidy and the amounts of deoxynucleic acid per nucleus in the liver and kidney of adult rats". Nature. 168 (4267): 248–249. doi:10.1038/168248a0. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 14875063. Wikidata Q59056623. M F HARRISON (1 April 1953). "Percentage of binucleate cells in the livers of adult rats". Nature. 171 (4353): 611. doi:10.1038/171611a0. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 13054653. Wikidata Q59085634. C. D. Thomson; C. E. Burton; M. F. Robinson (1 May 1978). "On supplementing the selenium intake of New Zealanders. 1. Short experiments with large doses of selenite or selenomethionine". British Journal of Nutrition. 39 (3): 579–587. doi:10.1079/bjn19780073. ISSN 0007-1145. PMID 638126. Wikidata Q43934879. M. F. Robinson; H. M. Rea; G. M. Friend; R. D. Stewart; P. C. Snow; C. D. Thomson (1 May 1978). "On supplementing the selenium intake of New Zealanders. 2. Prolonged metabolic experiments with daily supplements of selenomethionine, selenite and fish". British Journal of Nutrition. 39 (3): 589–600. doi:10.1079/bjn19780074. ISSN 0007-1145. PMID 565216. Wikidata Q39098636. Flatt A; Pearce N; Thomson CD; Sears MR; Robinson MF; Beasley R (1 February 1990). "Reduced selenium in asthmatic subjects in New Zealand". Thorax. 45 (2): 95–99. doi:10.1136/thx.45.2.95. ISSN 0040-6376. PMC 462313. PMID 2315881. Wikidata Q36215036. A. M. van Rij; C. D. Thomson; J. M. McKenzie; M. F. Robinson (1 October 1979). "Selenium deficiency in total parenteral nutrition" (PDF). The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 32 (10): 2076–2085. doi:10.1093/ajcn/32.10.2076. ISSN 0002-9165. PMID 114045. Wikidata Q39686639. C. E. Casey; M. F. Robinson (1 May 1978). "Copper, manganese, zinc, nickel, cadmium and lead in human foetal tissues". British Journal of Nutrition. 39 (3): 639–646. doi:10.1079/bjn19780079. ISSN 0007-1145. PMID 638131. Wikidata Q48193141. Thomson CD; Robinson MF (1 February 1980). "Selenium in human health and disease with emphasis on those aspects peculiar to New Zealand". The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 33 (2): 303–323. doi:10.1093/ajcn/33.2.303. ISSN 0002-9165. PMID 6766657. Wikidata Q40256819. HARRISON MF (1 September 1953). "Effect of starvation on the composition of the liver cell". Biochemical Journal. 55 (2): 204–211. doi:10.1042/bj0550204. ISSN 0264-6021. PMC 1269221. PMID 13093665. Wikidata Q39221784.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Marion Robinson

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Marion Robinson claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Marion Robinson before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Marion Robinson ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Marion Robinson

In research: Marion Robinson appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Marion Robinson in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Marion Robinson is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1923 births, 2003 deaths, Academic staff of the University of Otago, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Marion Robinson outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Marion Robinson” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Marion Robinson in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Marion Robinson means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Marion Robinson out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Marion Robinson in simple terms?

Why does Marion Robinson matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Marion Robinson?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Marion Robinson.