Dr.Sandra Faber is Prof Emerita, Astronomy & Astrophysics at University of California Santa Cruz & former director of Lick Observatory in Silicon Valley. She has worked extensively on the formation of galaxies and helped build some of the world's largest telescopes. She has won many awards for her pioneering work including the National Medal of Science Medal from President Obama. In 2018 Dr. Faber and her husband Andrew Faber set up Vera Rubin Presidential Chair for Diversity in Astronomy at UC Santa Cruz. During Dr. Rubin's time the field of astronomy consisted mainly of men with very few women. Often, women were not allowed to work on telescopes. For the last 10 years women make up about half the PhD students in the astronomy department of UC Santa Cruz. In this 2-part interview Dr. Faber shares how she developed an interest in astronomy as a child and pursued her PhD and got a teaching position at UC, Santa Cruz. Until she went to study at college she had not met a professional working woman she shares. What drew her to study astronomy? Who inspires her?
