Lise Meitner and Vera Rubin were both extraordinary scientists and pioneers as women in the male-dominated field of physics, overcoming many challenges to make major contributions to our understanding of the matter comprising the universe.

In the fall 2024 Bethe Lecture, Beate Heinemann, professor at Universität Hamburg and director for particle physics at DESY (Deutches Elektronen-Synchrotron) in Germany, will share the stories of these scientists and their scientific accomplishments. The lecture, set for Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 7:30 p.m. in Schwartz Auditorium, Rockefeller Hall (with a video livestream) is titled “Pioneers in Physics: Lise Meitner and Vera Rubin, Explorers of the Nuclear Force and Dark Matter.”

Meitner was born in Austria in the late 19th century and played a pivotal role during the first quantum revolution, particularly in understanding of the nuclear force. More than 50 years later in the U.S., Vera Rubin discovered and measured in detail the anomalous rotation of stars around galaxies. Her discovery led to the belief that a halo of dark matter must be part of the galaxy and that it increases the rotation velocity of the stars.

“Beate Heinemann is one of the leading experts in experimental particle physics today, with a vision for the future, and a strong understanding of how we got to this point,” said Julia Thom-Levy, professor of physics in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S). “We stand on the shoulders of brilliant scientists like Meitner and Rubin, and I look forward to hearing Heinemann’s perspective about how their research and their personal paths toward discovery has influenced so much of what particle physicists are thinking about today.”   

Read the full story on the College of Arts and Sciences website.