Only three quantum physicists appear on paper currency. 

Only three women in the history of science have been honored with their likeness on official currency. This is an extraordinary rarity that underscores their profound contributions to human knowledge. Marie Skłodowska-Curie, Maria Sibylla Merian, and Mary Somerville transcended their respective fields and left legacies that reshaped physics & chemistry, entomology, and astronomy. Their presence on banknotes honors their intellectual achievements and the lasting impact of their work. 

• Marie Curie (1867–1934) appears on the Polish 20,000-zloty banknote (1989), in recognition of her pioneering research on radioactivity. The first person to win two Nobel Prizes, she discovered polonium and radium, laying the foundation for advancements in nuclear physics and medical treatments. 

• Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717) was featured on the German 500 Deutsche Mark banknote (in circulation from 1992 until the Euro replaced it in 2002). A trailblazer in entomology and natural history, she revolutionized the study of insects with her detailed illustrations of metamorphosis, based on firsthand observation rather than prevailing myths. 

• Mary Somerville’s (1780–1872) portrait graced the Scottish £10 note (issued by the Royal Bank of Scotland in 2017). A brilliant mathematician and astronomer, she translated and expanded Pierre-Simon Laplace’s Mécanique Céleste, making complex mathematical theories accessible. Her contributions to celestial mechanics helped bridge Newtonian physics with 19th-century astronomy. 

If you are okay with broadly defining `science', a few other women with scientific legacies have arguably appeared on currency. Queen Elissa (Dido), founder of Carthage, is featured on the 10 Dinar 2005 Tunisian note, with her name tied to isoperimetricity in mathematics. Jocelyn Bell Burnell’s pulsar data appears on the Northern Ireland £50 note (2021, Ulster Bank; depicted on the right), recognizing her discovery of pulsars, a breakthrough in astrophysics. But most convincingly, Florence Nightingale, best known for revolutionizing nursing, was depicted on the British £10 note (1975–1994) and contributed to medical statistics, arguably popularizing the exploded pie chart. 

Marie_Maria_Mary.pdf

MG was awarded the rank of Eagle Scout in 1998, in Georgia. Work included time in New Mexico and the Canadian Boundary Waters.

Samuel Turrentine (MG's 6th great-grandfather on his biological father's line)

• Sam settled in North Carolina from Ireland in 1745.  From warranting 50 acres in 1755 to holding 724 acres by 1780, he rose as a juror, county constable, and Revolutionary-era supplier to the militia. Ultimately, his work led to 55 out of 186 slaves owned by 19 Turrentine households in 1860 to carry on the Turrentine name by 1870.

Daniel Turrentine (MG's 4th great-uncle)

• Born in 1807 in Georgia, General Daniel Turrentine had 14 children, built the first house, and started one of the first businesses in Gadsden, Alabama.  He was known affectionately to many children as "Uncle T."

Kader Howell (MG's 3rd great-grandfather on his mother's line)

• Kader was Private Company F 10th Regiment North Carolina State Troops (1st Regiment N.C. Artillery), born 1820, died 42 years old on July 9, 1865, of disease (TB) while a Prisoner of War in New York.  

Below are the trees, Revolutionary proof and some DNA infomation.  And a bit of vexillology (study of flags). 

MG serves in the SAR, SCV, and SUV.  Qualification required navigating three very different verification processes: SAR’s famously strict genealogical argument (National ID #: 237276) and DNA proof standard; SCV’s no-DNA allowed requirement and compelling ancestral line via documentation-only proof; and SUV’s associate, non-hereditary membership. 

1 blood donation can save 3 lives. During Nazarbayev University’s 2026 Red Crescent Society blood donation week in April, I was the only faculty member to donate blood.  This donation was 13th overall, more than my own blood volume. Subsequently, ferritin levels have dropped from 359 to  69 ng/mL.

My mom, Nancy Ann Rogers (Bunny Rogers), loved gardening and was featured in the first annual Great Gardens of Fayette Tour. Bunny was a founding member of the Atlanta Botanical Garden and one of the first Master Gardeners in Fayette County. The Arbor Day Foundation, in recognition of her lifelong contribution to gardening, has honored her memory through a memorial tribute established in her name.  

I take part in Spring campus clean-up days and pick up trash. It is good to care for a place that belongs to everyone. Picking up trash is humble work, but it's a way to respect myself by taking ownership of my environment.  Reminds me of the Scouting ethic of `leave no trace.' Freedom is discipline, and it is exercising the right to move through the world without making it worse. 

"It isn't obvious the Universe had to work this way. But somehow, the Universe smiles on encryption." - Julian Assange