Carnegie Institution

News Release

Carnegie Astronomer Vera Rubin awarded Gruber Cosmology Prize

November 18, 2002, Pasadena, California.

Dr. Vera Rubin, of the Carnegie Institution’s Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, is the recipient of the 2002 Cosmology Prize of the Peter Gruber Foundation. The gold medal and the $150,000 award will be presented in the gardens of the Carnegie Observatories in Pasadena, California, at noon. Rubin, who confirmed the existence of dark matter—the mysterious, unseen material that dominates the universe—was chosen also for “her pioneering studies of deviations of galaxy motions from classic Hubble theory [, which] demonstrated that large-scale structure existed in the universe.” The citation additionally noted, “By example and gentle voice she has championed equal rights and revealed the incredible beauty of the universe.”

Carnegie president, Dr. Maxine Singer, remarked, “Vera’s accomplishments are among a long line of groundbreaking discoveries in cosmology at Carnegie. In addition to her scientific legacy, she remains a driving force in raising the profile of women in science. Vera has paved the way for a new generation of women astronomers to succeed.”

Rubin has spent her career as an observational astronomer looking at the spectra, or light signatures, of galaxies to determine their motions. She arrived at Carnegie’s Department of Terrestrial Magnetism in Washington, D.C., in 1965. A Washington native, Rubin graduated from Calvin Coolidge High School and went on to receive her B.A. from Vassar College. She obtained her M.A. from Cornell University and her Ph.D. from Georgetown University, where she then taught for 10 years. Rubin was the first woman allowed to observe at the Palomar Observatory.

In 1993 Vera Rubin received the National Medal of Science—the nation’s highest scientific award. She was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1981, and in 1996 became the first woman to receive the Royal Astronomical Society’s Gold Medal since Caroline Hershel, who was awarded the prize in 1828.

The Gruber Prize recognizes individuals “who have contributed to fundamental advances in the field of cosmology.” It is presented annually to a leading cosmologist, astronomer, astrophysicist, or scientific philosopher in recognition of his or her frontier work. Peter Gruber, chairman of the foundation, states, “Cosmology is the most scientifically rigorous, aesthetically elegant, and the most poetic of the sciences.” The foundation joined forces with the International Astronomical Union in 2000, for its expertise in selecting prizewinners. An international selection committee determines the recipient. Allan Sandage, Staff Member Emeritus at the Carnegie Observatories, won the prize in 2000.

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The Carnegie Institution (www.CarnegieInstitution.org) has been a pioneering force in basic scientific research since 1902. It is a private, nonprofit organization with six research departments in the U.S.: Plant Biology, Global Ecology, Embryology, Geophysical Laboratory, the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, and The Observatories.