Vera Rubin — Mothers in Science

“There is no problem in science that can be solved by a man that cannot be solved by a woman.” Vera Rubin

Vera Rubin (1928-2016) was an American astronomer who provided the first unequivocal evidence for the existence of dark matter, the mysterious “invisible” material that makes about 30% of our universe. Although her discovery is among the most important breakthroughs in astronomy, explaining many observations that had been puzzling scientists for decades, Rubin was never awarded a Nobel prize because of her gender.

From a young age, Rubin had always been fascinated with astronomy from watching the stars from her window. Her father had built her a crude telescope out of cardboard which she used to photograph the stars, and her mother persuaded the local librarian to let her read science books from the adult section.

Although Rubin’s parents were supportive of her career, she faced discouraging comments from many people. She nevertheless persevered and pursued her dreams of becoming an astronomer. Rubin hoped to get a PhD from Princeton University, but the astrophysics graduate programme didn’t admit women, and they even refused to send her a course catalog. She also turned down an offer from Harvard University because her husband was a graduate student at Cornell University.

She once said “Having a family and a career was very hard, but it’s do-able”. She had her first child during her Masters degree at Cornell University. When she started her PhD at Georgetown University studying the motion of galaxies, she was pregnant with her second child.

Rubin went on to have two more children, but never stopped working while she was raising them. She loved her children but was also passionate about her research. There was one occasion when she drove her one-month-old baby through a snowstorm to a meeting in Pennsylvania to deliver a paper with data! Her children saw how she loved science and her research, and all four of them eventually earned their own PhDs in science.

During her research career, Rubin fought hard to gain credibility in a traditionally male-dominated field. A strong advocate for women in science, she encouraged girls to take up astronomy and study the universe. Rubin was an inspiration for the next generation of female astronomers who wished to have a family and a research career.

She continued her research and mentorship until her death in 2016, and in 2019 the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope was renamed the “Vera C. Rubin Observatory” in recognition of her contributions to the study of dark matter and her outspoken advocacy for the equal treatment and representation of women in science.