According to the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission out of all the women working in STEM, black women only represent 14.58%. Additionally, black women are arguably the most underrepresented population in higher education. The hard work, dedication, and intelligence these women have is greatly overlooked by many to this day. In this article I will be highlighting four black women in STEM and celebrating their incredible achievements.
- Mae C. Jemison
Dr. Mae Jemison is an American doctor, engineer, and the first African American woman to go to space. Born in Decatur, Al in 1956, her family moved to Chicago, IL, where she grew up. After watching the Star Trek TV show as a child, she was inspired to go into space. Dr. Jemison graduated from Stanford University with a BA in chemical engineering and went on to attend Cornell medical school. She joined the Peace Corps while practicing general medicine. She is fluent in four languages and served as a medical officer in Africa for two years. After her time in the Peace Corps, Dr. Jemison opened her own private practice, however, after seeing Sally Ride becoming the first American woman to travel to space she decided to apply to NASA’s astronaut program. She was selected for the NASA Astronaut Group 12 and worked on many missions including traveling in the space shuttle Endeavor in 1992. Dr. Jemison worked for NASA as an astronaut for six years until 1993 and is still heavily involved in the STEM field.
- Valerie Thomas
Dr. Valerie Thomas is an American scientist and inventor who is best known for inventing and patenting the illusion transmitter in 1980. Dr. Thomas has been fascinated with technology from a young age, however, was not able to express that interest until college. She graduated from Morgan State University with a BA in Physics. Her mathematical skill earned her a job as a mathematical data analyst at NASA. During her time at NASA, Dr. Thomas set up an experiment involving parabolic (curved) mirrors and studied how they can produce 3D images. She ultimately created the illusion transmitter which is still used to this day in surgery, TV screens, and video screens; as well as still being used by NASA.
- Shirley Ann Jackson
Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson is an American physicist and former head of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commision (NRC). She is one of the first two African American women to receive a doctorate in physics in the US and the first African American to receive a doctorate in physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Jackson was also the first Black American woman to serve as the head of the NRC and stressed the agency’s commitment to public health and safety. Dr. Jackson dedicated her life to social justice and was quoted as “perhaps the ultimate role model for women in science” by Time Magazine.
- Patricia E. Bath
Dr. Patricia Bath was an American ophthalmologist and laser scientist known for her invention of the laserphaco––a device and technique for cataract eye surgery. She dedicated herself to a life in medicine from a young age after being inspired by Dr. Albert Schweitzer’s humanitarian work. Dr. Bath earned her medical degree from the Howard College of Medicine and went on to convince professors at Columbia University to operate on visually impaired patients for free, volunteering herself as an assistant surgeon. Dr. Bath also served as an assistant professor at UCLA and Charles R. Drew University; she also became the first woman chair of ophthalmology in the United States. Dr. Bath’s innovation has left a lasting impact on restoring sight and continues to do so after her passing in May 2019.