Vera Rubin, M.S. ’51, the pioneering astronomer whose groundbreaking research on galaxy rotation rates provided key evidence for the existence of dark matter, will be honored on a U.S. Quarter as part of the 2025 American Women Quarters Program.
The American Women Quarters Program, launched by the U.S. Mint and the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum in 2022, is a four-year initiative authorized by the Circulating Collectible Coin Redesign Act of 2020. Each year, the program features five women on the reverse side of the quarter, recognizing their achievements and contributions with unique designs.
Past honorees of the program include poet Maya Angelou, former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and former Congresswoman Patsy Mink, among others.
In the final year of the program, Rubin is honored alongside journalist and suffragist Ida B. Wells, Girl Scouts founder Juliette Gordon Low, disability rights activist Stacey Park Milbern and athlete Althea Gibson.
Rubin, who died in 2016 at the age of 88, is best known for her pivotal research in the 1970s that offered strong evidence for the existence of dark matter — an invisible substance that holds galaxies together and is believed to comprise over 80 percent of the universe’s total mass.
In 1985, Rubin presented data on dark matter from dozens of galaxies to the International Astronomical Union, reshaping scientific understanding of the universe and paving the way for new advancements in both astronomy and physics.
Corey Earle ’07, a Cornell history expert, emphasized the rarity and significance of Rubin's recognition.
“The number of people who get to appear on coins is pretty minuscule, even compared to other unique honors like appearing on a postage stamp,” Earle wrote in an email to The Sun. “Rubin is one of dozens of Cornellians to win the National Medal of Science, but she's the only one on a coin.”
Jillian Epstein ’25, the outreach coordinator for the Cornell Astronomical Society, expressed her excitement in having a Cornell alum being recognized for a significant contribution in the field of astronomy.
“I look forward to keeping my eye out for Vera Rubin's quarter,” Epstein wrote in an email to The Sun. “Additionally, it is so cool to see this being minted in the same year the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile is expecting to see first light!”
In the context of astronomy, “first light” refers to the first time a telescope takes an astronomical image after it has been constructed.
Epstein also shared that CAS plans to celebrate Vera Rubin’s honor and recognize her groundbreaking contributions to the field.
“We are currently working to renovate the Fuertes Observatory historical museum (a long-term project), and have plans to highlight Rubin's important contributions to the field of Astronomy and her connection to Cornell,” Epstein wrote.
In addition, to celebrate Rubin’s 100th birthday in 2028, Epstein wrote that CAS will likely have “special events to honor her important contributions and the results from the first few years of the Rubin Observatory's Legacy Survey of Space and Time.”
Rubin began her academic career in 1944 at Vassar College as an undergraduate studying astronomy. Upon graduating, Rubin started her masters at Cornell in 1948 at a time where women were “very underrepresented in STEM fields,” according to Earle.
“Rubin arrived a year after the first woman faculty member in the College of Arts and Sciences: Martha Stahr Carpenter, an astronomer who was appointed assistant professor in astronomy in 1947,” Earle said. “Carpenter was one of Rubin's professors and thesis advisors, and I imagine having that representation and mentorship was important.”
Allan Rubin, Vera Rubin’s son and a professor of geosciences at Princeton University, shared stories of the sexism his mother faced throughout her life.
When Vera told her high school physics teacher she was attending Vassar, he assured her she would do fine as long as she avoided science, Allan said. During a Swarthmore interview, when she mentioned her desire to become an astronomer and had an interest in painting, the interviewer suggested she might consider painting astronomical objects instead.
Allan also explained that in Vera’s time at Cornell, her thesis advisor William Shaw told her that she should not give a presentation at a conference as she was pregnant, and instead, he would present on her behalf and be listed as the first author. She refused and attended the conference herself.
Allan also said that his mother’s personal experiences shaped her advocacy for women in science.
“I don't think that [these discriminatory] attitudes change overnight, and that's why she was so forceful and upfront about trying to change the representation of women in science,” Allan said.
According to Allan, if Vera noticed a lack of women keynote speakers at conferences, she would contact the organizers and urge them to include more women on the speaker list. She took similar action with the National Academy of Sciences, pointing out the underrepresentation of women among its elected members.
Referencing the Trump administration’s crackdown on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, Allan reflected on how his mother would react to the current political climate.
“I know what she would make of the current political situation. I presume she would be arguing forcefully that you should not end DEI because the playing field is not level now,” Allan said.
Looking back on his mother’s legacy, Allan recalled one of Vera’s famous quotes.
“She was very honest in everything she did. She did what she wanted to do. She worked to increase the representation of women in science,” Allan said. “Her famous quote was, ‘Worldwide, half of all brains are in women.’”
