Support the Adler
Women in Space Science Award
Dr. Heidi Hammel
Dr. Vera Rubin
On May 7, 2009 the Women's Board of the Adler Planetarium will award Dr. Heidi Hammel, Senior Research Scientist at the Space Science Institute with the 2009 Space Science Award.
In addition, the Women's Board will present a Lifetime Achievement Award to Dr. Vera Rubin in recognition of her pioneering work on galaxy rotation rates. Her discovery of "flat rotation curves" is the most direct and robust evidence of dark matter (as of 2004). Dr. Rubin holds a BA from Vassar College (1948), and MA from Cornell University (1951), and a PhD from Georgetown University (1954), as well as numerous honorary degrees and awards. Dr. Rubin is currently a research astronomer at the Carnegie Institution of Washington.
Linda Celesia of Oak Brook is chair of the event, and Vera Clark of Flossmoor and Katherine Hunt of Glenview are co-chairs.
The Adler's Women's Board is proud to acknowledge the leadership and generosity of Adler Trustee John W. Estey and S&C Electric Company, lead sponsor of the Women in Space Science Award Celebration.
Download WISS Sponsorship Levels (PDF)
Download WISS Reply Form (PDF)
Download 2008 Media Sheet (PDF)
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Past Award Recipients include:
Barbara Radding Morgan, 2008
NASA chose Ms. Morgan, a former schoolteacher, as the back up to the Teacher-In-Space Christa McAuliffe in 1985. After the Challenger tragedy, Morgan returned to teaching, but continued to be NASA's Teacher-In-Space designee. In 1998, Morgan was asked to become a full-fledged astronaut. On August 8, 2007 Morgan finally achieved her dream at age 55 when she and 6 other astronauts were launched aboard the Endeavor on a 12-day mission in space.
Joan E. Higginbotham, 2007
A Chicago native and Whitney Young High School alumna, Ms. Higginbotham completed a 13-day mission to the International Space Station aboard the shuttle Discovery in December 2006. During the flight, Higginbotham operated the space station's robotic arm as the crew reconfigured the power and cooling systems.
Commander Eileen Collins, 2006
Commander Collins was the first woman to pilot a space shuttle. She made history again in 2005 when she commanded the space shuttle Discovery on NASA's Return to Flight mission.
"When I was a child, I dreamed about space - I admired pilots, astronauts, and I've admired explorers of all kinds. It was only a dream that I would someday be one of them. It is my hope that all children, boys and girls, will see this mission and be inspired to reach for their dreams, because dreams do come true!"
-Commander Eileen Collins
"When I was a child, I dreamed about space - I admired pilots, astronauts, and I've admired explorers of all kinds. It was only a dream that I would someday be one of them. It is my hope that all children, boys and girls, will see this mission and be inspired to reach for their dreams, because dreams do come true!"
-Commander Eileen Collins
The Mercury 13, 2005
On May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American in Space. As the world celebrated his successful flight aboard Freedom 7, a group of women underwent secret testing in the hope of becoming America's first female astronauts. They passed the same tests as the Mercury 7, but were dismissed by NASA and Congress. Twenty years later, Sally Ride became the first American woman in space.
Dr. Kathy Sullivan, 2004
Dr. Kathy Sullivan President & CEO of COSI The first American woman to walk in space, Kathy is a veteran of three shuttle missions and a 2004 inductee to the Astronaut Hall of Fame. Dr. Sullivan has maintained a lifelong commitment to education – a commitment that led her to Columbus in 1996 as President and CEO of COSI (Center of Science and Industry). Under Kathy's leadership, COSI has strengthened its impact on science teaching in the classroom and its national reputation as an innovator of hands–on, inquiry–based science learning resources.
Dr. Jill Cornell Tarter, 2003
Dr. Jill Tarter, Director of the Phoenix Project at the SETI Institute (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence), was the real-life model for Jodie Foster's character in the movie "Contact" based on Carl Sagan's book. Dr. Tarter served as Project Scientist for NASA's High Resolution Microwave Survey (HRMS), until its termination by Congress in October 1993. She has a strong interest in educating the next generation of scientists. She was Prinicipal Investigator for a NSF-funded award winning series of supplementary "Teachers' Guides on Life in the Universe" for middle and elementary schools.
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