Nancy Roman

“Just as the lunar landings inspired many young people to consider careers in space and related fields, the solution of the challenging instrumentation problems presented in space science can inspire young people to push beyond the current state of the art.”

“One of the reasons I like working with schools is to try to convince women that they can be scientists and that science can be fun.”

“I had left teaching, which I enjoyed, because I realized I couldn't get tenure at a research university.”

“I still remember asking my high school guidance teacher for permission to take a second year of algebra instead of a fifth year of Latin. She looked down her nose at me and sneered, 'What lady would take mathematics instead of Latin?'”

“I started out, as most astronomers do, with a university job. But in my generation, women weren't very welcome at universities, and so I found a job in the government. And the government was appreciably more welcoming.”

“Many societal problems concern science, such as the energy crisis, genetic alterations of foods.”