A young Elizabeth Roemer with her backyard telescope in 1946. | Lowell Observatory Archives
Celebrating Women in STEM: The Legacy of Elizabeth Roemer
From its earliest days, Lowell Observatory has fostered opportunities for women in STEM fields. At a time when it was uncommon, and often discouraged, for women to work outside the home, observatory founder Percival Lowell hired two female staff members: secretary Wrexie Leonard and human computer Elizabeth Williams.
This commitment to supporting women in science continues today, with many accomplished female astronomers on Lowell’s staff, including Dr. Amanda Bosh, an esteemed planetary scientist and observational astronomer, who serves as the observatory’s executive director. Among the many women who have made their mark at Lowell is Dr. Elizabeth Roemer, whose groundbreaking work in astronomy helped shape our understanding of asteroids and comets.
Elizabeth Roemer: A Trailblazer in Astronomy
Astronomer, comet-chaser, and gender equality activist Dr. Elizabeth “Pat” Roemer was born in Oakland, California, on September 4, 1929. Elizabeth’s interest in astronomy began when she was a freshman in high school during World War II. Wartime staffing shortages often left the task of public school teaching to under-qualified individuals hired on emergency credentials.
Even at a young age, Elizabeth knew enough about astronomy to sense that not everything her science teacher told her class about the subject was correct. So, she began searching for the answers on her own; if she couldn’t find them in books, she’d look elsewhere. Eventually, she established contact with a teaching assistant at University of California, Berkeley’s astronomy department who pointed her to further resources. From there, her interest in astronomy grew into a full-fledged passion.
Early Achievements
In 1946, Elizabeth was the winner of a Westinghouse Science Talent Search (now known as Regeneron Science Search) as a high school senior. Her project, entitled “Exploring the Skies from a City Backyard,” featured a series of impressive hand-drawn images of stars and planets based on telescope observations she’d made from her family’s backyard in Alameda, California.
Elizabeth’s childhood home in Alameda, CA. Lowell Observatory Archives
After graduating as valedictorian of her high school class, Elizabeth began studying astronomy at U.C. Berkeley. There, she earned a B.A. in astronomy in 1950, graduating with honors as a Bertha Dolbeer Scholar. She returned to Berkeley to pursue her PhD within the same year, teaching classes at a local community college to help finance her tuition. This helped her discover a passion for teaching that she would return to later in life.
In her final year as a graduate student, Elizabeth worked as an assistant astronomer and lab technician at UC’s Lick Observatory. She earned her PhD in astronomy in 1955.
Research at the United States Naval Observatory
In 1957, the newly-minted Dr. Roemer began her astronomy career at the United States Naval Observatory’s Flagstaff station. There, she quickly gained a reputation for rediscovering “lost” comets that astronomers at the time did not have the technology to continue tracking once they reached a certain distance from Earth. Using the Naval Observatory’s 40-inch astrometric reflecting telescope, Dr. Roemer tracked down the comets by searching the area they were predicted to be as they rounded the Sun, watching for faint movement relative to surrounding stars. This method she established continues to aid astronomers in the tracking of many short-period comets around the Sun to this day.
Dr. Roemer in her office at the U.S. Naval Observatory in the mid-1960’s. Lowell Observatory Archives.
In 1961, Comet 1657 Romera was named in Dr. Roemer’s honor by Swiss astronomer Dr. Paul Wild, who stated his appreciation of her untiring and successful efforts to advance the knowledge of the motions and physical properties of comets and minor planets.
On October 29, 1964, Dr. Roemer discovered the asteroid 1930 Lucifer, which she humorously referred to as her “Guardian Angel Lucifer” in correspondence to colleagues and friends. A year later, she became the first female acting director of the US Naval Observatory.
Research at the University of Arizona
In 1966, Dr. Roemer relocated to the University of Arizona’s (UA) Lunar and Planetary Laboratory in Tucson, Arizona, where she specialized in astrometry with a particular focus on comets and minor planets. She was promoted to the role of professor in 1969, and was asked to chair the committee that would set up the Department of Planetary Sciences in 1972.
In 1975, she discovered asteroid 1983 Bok and co-discovered Jupiter’s moon Themisto with Charles T. Kowal. Themisto was lost soon after its discovery because of its irregular orbit, but it was eventually recovered in 2000. In 1980, while still a UA professor, Dr. Roemer served as an astronomer at Tucson’s Steward Observatory.
Breaking Barriers as a Female Astronomer
Elizabeth earned her PhD in astronomy in 1955, a time when only 10% of doctoral candidates were women, and even fewer were women in the sciences. Many female astronomers at the time were married to male counterparts, but Dr. Roemer forged her path independently. In a 1961 letter to her mother Elsie Roemer, astronomer W.W. Morgan praised Dr. Roemer as “the outstanding person in her field—and probably in the world,” noting that she had accomplished so much without a husband to “clear the way.”
Chart created by Dr. Roemer comparing the salaries of the Steward Observatory staff between 1993 and 1994. Lowell Observatory Archives.
Despite her expertise, she faced significant challenges throughout her career, including ongoing struggles for equal recognition and respect from her male colleagues. When introduced in professional settings, she was frequently referred to simply as “Pat,” while her male counterparts were properly addressed as “Doctor.” In a letter dated November 13, 1958, Dr. Roemer wrote to her mother that not only was she regularly being introduced without her title, she had also been excluded from an academic procession that included her male colleagues.
Dr. Roemer fought tirelessly for fair pay, spending decades challenging the gender pay gap and advocating for herself and others. In 1994, she created a graph comparing the salaries of male and female astronomers at the University of Arizona’s Steward Observatory, highlighting the stark disparities.
In 1992, when asked to participate in a Women in Astronomy workshop, she responded with frustration: “I cannot do this: have experienced too much, bitterness not far below the surface. I survive by avoiding thinking about it.” Despite these barriers, Dr. Roemer’s remarkable career was not only defined by her scientific contributions, but also by her unwavering dedication to fighting for gender equality in the field of astronomy.
Leading the Way for Women in STEM
Dr. Roemer’s feature in Mademoiselle. Lowell Observatory Archives.
While still working at the Naval Observatory in 1959, Dr. Roemer was offered a Merit Award by Mademoiselle Magazine, along with a feature as one of the publication’s 10 ‘Women of the Year.’ The list included young women from around the world who were excelling in their various fields. While the idea of being featured in such a magazine was initially unappealing to her, Dr. Roemer accepted. She was the only woman with a STEM background to make the list, and she knew that such representation would be vital in the fight to make STEM careers more accessible to women. In a letter to the manager of Women’s News for Westinghouse, Roemer expressed her hope that her Mademoiselle Merit Award would encourage young women to explore the field of astronomy.
Honoring a STEM Pioneer
Dr. Roemer officially retired in 1998, but continued her research on comets and asteroids as an astronomer and professor emerita throughout the remainder of her life. She became a member of Friends of Lowell Observatory in 2006, as well as a member of the Percival Lowell Society. Before her death in 2016, she made a donation that created what is known as the Elizabeth Roemer Foundation Donation. The funds were used to create an instrumentation fund in the Lowell Observatory Foundation, supporting the acquisition, development, maintenance of, and access to improved technologies and materials within the observatory’s facilities. Her support created safe and effective organization and operation of the observatory’s equipment and technology.
Putnam Collection Center Exhibit
A current exhibit on display in Lowell Observatory’s Putnam Collection Center creates a visual history of Elizabeth’s life using photographs, handwritten notes and journal entries, and other personal items to paint a picture of the inspiring woman who left her mark on the astronomy community, and the scientific community at large.
Those unable to visit Elizabeth’s exhibit in person are invited to explore Elizabeth Roemer: Comet Notes in our digital archives.
Learn More About the Female Scientists of Lowell Observatory
The Lowell Observatory Archives preserves the papers of nearly three dozen astronomers and affiliates. For Women’s History Month, we proudly present ‘Women in Astronomy,’ a digital exhibit highlighting three pioneering women in astronomy who spent time on Mars Hill: Dr. Elizabeth Roemer, Wrexie Leonard, and Elizabeth Williams. Featuring historical documents, research notes, photographs, and more, this online collection showcases their contributions to space science and offers a glimpse into their personal lives.