List of African-American women in STEM fields

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The following is a list of notable African-American women who have made contributions to the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Contents

An excerpt from a 1998 issue of Black Issues in Higher Education by Juliane Malveaux reads: "There are other reasons to be concerned about the paucity of African American women in science, especially as scientific occupations are among the most pivotal and highly compensated in the occupational spectrum. Yet, both leaks in the pipeline and gender stereotyping contribute to the under-representation of African American women in the sciences.

Organizations like Dr. Shirley McBay's Quality Education for Minorities (QEM) have done significant work in creating a climate that encourages success in math, science, and engineering for minority students. Yet, efforts like this struggle for funding in an atmosphere that is hostile to affirmative action and to targeted educational opportunities. The evidence to support targeting, though, is in the gaps revealed by the data. Too many gaps reflect the relative absence of sisters in science.

Yet, women like Jemison, Jackson, and McBay offer stellar and motivational examples of what can be done in science careers. These sisters in science are true pioneers, women who make it possible for so many others to see work in science as an option for African American women [1] ."

A

ImageNameField(s)DatesNotesRef.
Dr. Rediet Abebe (crop).png Rediet Abebe computer scientist1991-First female computer scientist to be appointed to the Harvard Society of Fellows
Lilia Ann Abron chemical engineering, environmental engineering1945-First African-American woman to earn a PhD in chemical engineering
Claudia Alexander.jpg Claudia Alexander geophysics, planetary science1959-2015Project manager for NASA's Galileo mission and Rosetta mission
Gloria Long Anderson chemistry1938-Pioneer of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, known for work with fluorine-19 and solid rocket propellants
Treena Livingston Arinzeh biomedical engineering1970-Researcher of adult stem-cell therapy
Estella Atekwana.jpg Estella Atekwana Biogeophysics; tectonphysics1961-Dean of the College of Earth, Ocean and Environment at the University of Delaware
Balanda Atis cosmetic scienceCosmetic chemist at L'Oréal USA who expanded range of cosmetics available for people of color
Donna Auguste businesswoman, computer scientist1958-Senior engineering manager for the Newton personal digital assistant (PDA)
DrWandaMAustin.jpg Wanda Austin aerospace engineering1954-Former president and CEO of The Aerospace Corporation

B

ImageNameField(s)DatesNotesRef.
June Bacon-Bercey.png June Bacon-Bercey meteorology1932-Believed to be the first African-American woman to gain a degree in meteorology and known to be the first African-American woman to be a televised meteorologist.
Erica Baker.jpg Erica Baker software engineer2006-Engineer and engineering manager in the San Francisco Bay Area, known for her outspoken support of diversity and inclusion.
Alicia Augusta Ball.jpg Alice Augusta Ball chemistry1892-1916First woman and African-American to receive a master's degree from the University of Hawaii
Patriciabath.jpg Patricia Bath ophthalmologist, inventor1942-2019Pioneered laser surgery to remove cataracts
Regina Benjamin official portrait.jpg Regina Benjamin physician1956-18th Surgeon General of the United States
Angela Benton internet entrepreneur1981-Founder of NewME, Streamlytics, and Black Web 2.0
Matilene Berryman.jpg Matilene Berryman oceanographer, lawyer1920-2003Professor of marine science at the University of the District of Columbia and textbook author
Sarah Boone inventor1832-1904Second African-American woman to attain a U.S. patent
Sylvia D. Trimble Bozeman mathematician1947-Researcher of functional analysis and image processing, member of Obama's Presidential Committee on the National Medal of Science, founder of Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education
Khalia Braswell computer scientist2014-presentan American computer scientist, educator, and technologist. INTech Camp for Girls
Carolyn Brooks microbiologist1947-Researcher in immunology, nutrition, and crop productivity
Dorothy Lavinia Brown.jpg Dorothy Lavinia Brown surgeon1919-2004First African American female appointed to a general surgery residency in the racially segregated South. [2]
Marjorie Lee Brown mathematician1914-1979Third African-American woman to receive a PhD in mathematics
Kimberly Bryant, Black Girls Code @ SXSW 2016.jpg Kimberly Bryant electrical engineer1967-Founder of Black Girls Code
Joy Buolamwini - Wikimania 2018 01.jpg Joy Buolamwini computer scientist1989-Founder of Algorithmic Justice League; Rhodes Scholar, Fulbright fellow, Stamps Scholar, Astronaut Scholar and Anita Borg Institute scholar
Ursula-Burns.jpg Ursula Burns engineer, CEO1958-CEO of Xerox; first black woman to be a CEO of a Fortune 500 company and the first woman to succeed another as head of a Fortune 500 company

C

ImageNameField(s)DatesNotesRef.
Alexa-Canady.jpg Alexa Canady neuroscience1950-First black woman to become a neurosurgeon
Carolyn Cannon-Alfred pharmacologist1934-1987Professor and co-author of Medical Handbook for the Layman
Majora-Carter-headshot.png Majora Carter developer, activist1966-Founder of Sustainable South Bronx
Gloria Chisum experimental psychologist1930-Developed eye protection for pilots; first African-American woman to join the University of Pennsylvania Board of Trustees
Mamie Clark 1958.jpg Mamie Phipps Clark social psychologist1917-1983Researched self-esteem and self-concept in African-American children, which was used in 1954 civil rights case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Kansas [3]
May Edward Chinn 1917.jpg May Edward Chinn physician1896-1980First African-American woman to graduate from NYU School of Medicine, first African-American woman to intern at Harlem Hospital
YvonneYoungClark.jpg Yvonne Clark engineer1929-2019first woman to get a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering at Howard University, the first woman to earn a master's degree in Engineering Management from Vanderbilt University, and the first woman to serve as a faculty member in the College of Engineering and Technology at Tennessee State University
Jewel Plummer Cobb biologist, profesor1924-2017Researched melanoma
Dr. Johnnetta Cole, Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art.jpg Johnnetta Cole anthropologist, educator and museum director1936-Spelman College's seventh president and the first Black woman to lead the institution [1]
Rebecca J Cole.jpeg Rebecca Cole physician1846-1922Second African-American woman physician
Bessie Coleman, First African American Pilot - GPN-2004-00027.jpg Bessie Coleman aviator1896–1926First African American and Native American woman to hold a pilot license [3]
Cynthia Oliver Colemanchemical engineer????--????First African American female chemical engineer.
Betty Collette veterinary pathologist1930-2017Sole African-American pathology researcher at Georgetown University School of Medicine in the 1950s
Margaret S. Collins zoologist1922-1996First African American female entomologist and the third African American female zoologist
Carol Blanche Cotton psychologist1904-1971Researched cognitive ability in children diagnosed with spastic paralysis
Patricia S Cowings NASA Publications Photo.jpg Patricia S. Cowings aerospace psychophysiologist 1948-First African American woman scientist to be trained as an astronaut by NASA
Rebecca Lee Crumpler physician1831–1895First African-American woman to become a physician in the United States

D

ImageNameField(s)DatesNotesRef.
Shaundra Daily electrical engineering and computer science2010-presentAmerican professor and author known for her work in the field of human-centered computing and broadening participation in STEM. She is a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science at Duke University.
Marie Maynard Daly.jpg Marie Maynard Daly biochemist1921–2003First African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry
Theda Daniels-Race nanoengineering, electronic engineeringMichael B. Voorhies Distinguished Professor in the Division of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Louisiana State University, 19th African American woman to obtain a PhD in a physics-related field in the US [4]
Christine Darden.jpg Christine Darden aerospace engineer1942-Researcher at NASA who pioneered the design of supersonic aircraft [3]
Geraldine Claudette Darden mathematician1936-????14th African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in mathematics
Mary Deconge mathematician1933-????15th African-American woman to earn her Ph.D. in mathematics
Giovonnae Dennis electrical engineerOne of the first African-American women to earn a Ph.D. in electrical engineering, and one of the few at a primarily white institution rather than a historically black institution (HBCU); Founded Software Tailoring
Elaine Denniston Keypunch operator, lawyer1939-Supported the Apollo program as a keypunch operator [5]
Helen O. Dickens.jpg
Helen Octavia Dickens physician1909–2001First African-American woman to be admitted to the American College of Surgeons
Georgia Mae Dunston Human Geneticist1944-Professor at Howard University and founder of the National Human Genome Center

E

ImageNameField(s)DatesNotesRef.
Annie Easley.jpg Annie Easley mathematician and rocket scientist1933–2011Leading member of the software development team for the Centaur rocket stage, and one of the first African-Americans to work at NASA
Cecile H. Edwards nutritionist1926–2005Researcher focused on improving nutrition and well-being of disadvantaged people
Joycelyn Elders official photo portrait.jpg Joycelyn Elders pediatrician1933-Second woman, second person of color, and first African American to serve as Surgeon General
Lola Eniola-Adefeso in Findings Magazine 01.png Lola Eniola-Adefeso chemical engineerCo-founder and chief scientific officer of Asalyxa Bio, researcher of biocompatible functional particles for targeted drug delivery
Anna Epps microbiologist1930-first female dean of the School of Medicine at Meharry Medical College, possibly the first African-American woman with a PhD to lead a medical school
Jeanette J. Epps.jpg Jeanette J. Epps astronaut and aerospace engineer1970-Second woman and first African-American woman to have participated in CAVES
Aprille J. Ericsson, Assistant Secretary of Defense.jpg Aprille Ericsson-Jackson aerospace engineer1963-First African-American woman to receive a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Howard University and the first African-American woman to receive a Ph.D. in Engineering at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center
Brittney Exline software engineerYoungest African-American female to be accepted into an Ivy League school, at 15; United States' youngest African-American engineer [6]
Cassandra Extavour (38815546055).png Cassandra Extavour evolutionary biologistDirector of EDEN, a national research collaborative encouraging use of non- Drosophila model organisms [7]

F

ImageNameField(s)DatesNotesRef.
Etta Zuber Falconer mathematician1933-2002One of the earlier African-American women to receive a Ph.D. in mathematics
Angella D. Ferguson pediatrician1925-????Pioneer researcher of sickle cell disease, created the blood test which is still used as the standard for sickle cell detection at birth
Evefields.jpg Evelyn J. Fields oceanographer1949-????Fields was the first woman, and first African American to head the NOAA Corps, first woman and first African American to command a NOAA ship, and the first woman to command a ship in the United States uniformed services for an extended assignment
Dr. Njema Frazier at Department of Energy.jpg Njema Frazier nuclear physicist1974-????Nuclear physicist as National Nuclear Security Administration, former staff member for the Committee on Science at the U.S. House of Representatives
A. Oveta Fuller virologist1955-2022Researcher who significantly advanced knowledge of Herpes simplex virus

G

ImageNameField(s)DatesNotesRef.
TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco 2018 - day 3 (30671211838).jpg Timnit Gebru computer scientist1983-Founder of the Distributed Artificial Intelligence Research Institute (DAIR), researcher of algorithmic bias and data mining
Gloria Ford Gilmer mathematician1928-2021First African American woman to publish a non-PhD thesis
Sarah E. Goode inventor1855–1905One of the first known African American women to receive a United States patent
Evelyn Boyd Granville mathematician, computer science1924-2023Performed pioneering work in the field of computing
Bettye Washington Greene at work.tif Bettye Washington Greene chemist1935-1995First African American female Ph.D. chemist to work in a professional position at the Dow Chemical Company, considered an early African American pioneer in science
Eliza Ann Grier.jpg Eliza Ann Grier physician1864–1902First African American woman licensed to practice medicine in the U.S. state of Georgia
Margaret Grigsby physician1923-2009First African American woman to become a fellow of the American College of Physicians and the first woman to preside over a major medical division at Howard University Hospital
Bessie Blount Griffin physical therapist, inventor1914–2009Holder of multiple patents for assistive devices for amputees, including the first electric device for self-feeding

H

ImageNameField(s)DatesNotesRef.
Sossina M. Haile materials scientist1966-Developed the first solid acid fuel cells
Betty Harris chemist1940-Patented a spot test for detecting TATB in the field, still used by the Federal Department of Homeland Security to screen for nitroaromatic explosives
Paula Hammond, PCAST Member (cropped).jpg Paula T. Hammond Chemical Engineer1963-Koch Professor of Engineering, Department Head of Chemical Engineering, Koch Institute of Integrative Cancer Research, MIT
Mary Styles Harris geneticist1949-one of the first African Americans to enroll at Miami Jackson High School; one of the first women to enroll at Lincoln University; founder of BioTechnical Communications
Alma Levant Hayden (cropped).jpg Alma Levant Hayden chemist1927-1967one of the first African-American women to gain a scientist position at a science agency (The NIH) in Washington, D.C.; may have been the first African-American scientist at the FDA; led the team that exposed the common substance in Krebiozen
Haynes euphemia.jpg Euphemia Lofton Haynes mathematician1890-1980First African-American woman to earn a PhD in Mathematics
Ruby Hearn 2011.png Ruby Puryear Hearn biophysicist1940-Researcher and advocate for maternal, infant, and child health; AIDS; substance abuse; and minority medical education
Gloria Conyers Hewitt mathematician1935-4th African-American woman to receive a Ph.D. in mathematics; first African American woman to chair a math department in the United States
Mary Elliott Hill chemist1907-1969Believed to be one of the first African-American women to be awarded with a master's degree in chemistry
Stephanie Hill engineerVice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin's Information Systems & Global Solutions [8]
Jane Hinton.jpg Jane Hinton veterinarian1919-2003pioneer in the study of bacterial antibiotic resistance and one of the first two African-American women to gain the degree of Doctor of Veterinary Medicine; co-developed the Mueller–Hinton agar
Esther A. H. Hopkins chemist, lawyer1926-2021Best known for her career as a biophysicist and research chemist at American Cyanamid along with research in the Polaroid Corp Emulsion Coating and Analysis Laboratory [9]
RuthWinifredHoward1920.png Ruth Winifred Howard psychologist1900-1997One of the first African American women to earn a Ph.D. in Psychology
Fern Hunt.jpg Fern Hunt mathematician1948-Leader in applied mathematics and mathematical biology research
Yasmin Hurd.jpg Yasmin Hurd neuroscientistResearcher of neurological effects of cannabis and heroin

I

ImageNameField(s)DatesNotesRef.
Jedidah Isler astrophysicistFirst African-American woman to complete her PhD in astrophysics at Yale; member of Joe Biden's presidential transition Agency Review Team; founder of Vanguard: Conversations with Women of Color in STEM (VanguardSTEM)
Nia Imara astrophysicist and artistFirst African-American woman to earn a PhD in astrophysics at the University of California, Berkeley

J

ImageNameField(s)DatesNotesRef.
Deborah J. Jackson aeronautical engineerFirst African American woman to receive a Ph.D. in physics from Stanford University
Fatimah Jackson biological anthropologistResearcher of human-plant co-evolution and anthropological genetics; first African-American to receive the Charles R. Darwin Lifetime Achievement Award
Shirley Ann Jackson World Economic Forum 2010.jpg Shirley Ann Jackson physicist1946-President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; first African-American woman to have earned a doctorate at MIT; second African-American woman in the United States to earn a doctorate in physics
Chavonda Jacobs-Young - USDA Agricultural Research Service Administrator.jpg Chavonda Jacobs-Young paper scientist1967-First African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. in paper science
Mae Carol Jemison.jpg Mae Jemison astronaut and physician1956-First African American woman to travel in space [10]
Allene Johnson chemist1933–Educational advisor for the New Jersey American Chemical Society [11]
Ashanti Johnson.jpg Ashanti Johnson geochemist and oceanographerFirst African American to earn a doctoral degree in oceanography from Texas A&M University
Katherine Johnson in 2008.jpg Katherine Johnson mathematician1918-2020calculated the trajectories for many NASA missions, including Apollo 11; one of the first African-American women to work as a NASA scientist
Tracy L. Johnson molecular and cell biologistResearcher of gene regulation, chromatin modification, RNA splicing
Anna R Johnson.jpg Anna Johnson Julian sociologist1903-1994First African-American woman awarded a PhD in sociology by the University of Pennsylvania
Lynda Marie Jordan biochemist1956–Third Black woman to receive a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology [12]
Angie Jones computer scientist, software engineer and automation architectSoftware engineer with 26 patents in the United States and China

K

ImageNameField(s)DatesNotesRef.
Sinah Estelle Kelley chemist1916-1982Worked on mass production of penicillin [13]
Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner inventor1912-2006Holder of five patents, including the adjustable sanitary belt [14]
Angie Turner King chemist and mathematician1905–2004Professor of chemistry and mathematics at West Virginia State College [15]
Reatha King 2009.jpg Reatha King chemistry1938-Former vice president of the General Mills Corporation; the former president, executive director, and chairman of the board of trustees of the General Mills Foundation
Ruth King - Tai Chi.jpg Ruth G. King Educational psychologist1933-First woman president of the Association of Black Psychologists [16]

L

ImageNameField(s)DatesNotesRef.
Margaret-Morgan-Lawrence.jpg Margaret Morgan Lawrence pediatric psychiatrist1914–2019Researched negative psychological effects of segregation on Black children [17]
Katheryn Emanuel Lawson radiochemist1926–2008One of the first few female African American chemists who worked in Sandia National Laboratories [18]
LillianLewis1925.png Lillian Burwell Lewis zoolologist1904-1987First African-American woman to receive a doctorate degree from the University of Chicago
Chekesha Liddell material science and engineeringResearcher of colloidal materials, and the relationship between micron and submicron length scales
Ruth Smith Lloyd anatomist1917-1995First African-American to earn a PhD in anatomy
Flubin.tif Farah Lubin NeuroscientistProminent researcher of epigenetic mechanisms underlying cognition
Irene-D-Long-NASA.png Irene Long aerospace medicine1951-2020First female chief medical officer at the Kennedy Space Center
Beebe Steven Lynk.jpg Beebe Steven Lynk chemist1872–1948Professor of medical Latin botany and materia medica at the University of West Tennessee [19]

M

ImageNameField(s)DatesNotesRef.
Shirley Malcom.jpg Shirley M. Malcom science administrator1946-head of education and human resources programs at AAAS [20]
Harriet Marble pharmacist1885-1966Early African-American woman pharmacist and the first in Kentucky
Cora Bagley Marrett.jpg Cora Bagley Marrett sociologist, science administrator1942-Deputy director of the National Science Foundation [21]
Dr. McCauley-Bell Headshot 1.jpg Pamela McCauley-Bush EngineerFirst African-American woman granted an engineering Ph.D. in the state of Oklahoma; U.S. Fulbright Scholar [22] [23]
Dorothy McClendon microbiologist1924-2013Developed methods to protect stored goods, notably fuel, from degradation due to biological agents [24]
Linda C. Meade-Tollin biochemist1944–First female chairperson of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers; may have been first Black woman to graduate from CUNY with a biochem PhD. [25]
Juanita Lynn Merchant.jpg Juanita Merchant physiologistContributed to understanding of gastric response to chronic inflammation; chief of the University of Arizona Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology; inaugural member of the NIH Council of Councils
Shireen Mitchell entrepreneur, author, technology analyst and diversity strategistFounder of Digital Sisters/Sistas, Inc and Stop Online Violence Against Women
Victorine Louistall Monroe Professor Emerita of Library Science 1912–2006first Black faculty member at West Virginia University
Ruth Ella Moore.jpg Ruth Ella Moore bacteriology1903–1994first African-American woman with PhD in a natural science, department head at Howard University
Tanya Moore mathematicianFounder of Infinite Possibilities Conference; [26]
Willie Hobbs Moore engineering, physics1934–1994first African American woman to receive a PhD in physics [27]

N

ImageNameField(s)DatesNotesRef.
Dr. Shelia Nash-Stevenson.png Shelia Nash-Stevenson Physicist, integration engineerintegration engineer for the Planetary Programs Missions Office at Marshall Space Flight Center
Ann T. Nelms nuclear physicist1929-Studied persistence of nuclear radioactivity which was cited in reports on nuclear fallout and human health
Lyda D. Newman Inventor1885-Patented novel durable hairbrush with synthetic bristles which is still used today

O

ImageNameField(s)DatesNotesRef.
Joan Murrell Owens marine biologist1933-2011Described a new genus and three new species of button corals [28]
Melanie Harrison Okoro environmental scientist2009-presentOkoro is known for her efforts in promoting diversity in STEM fields, and she has held multiple positions in several organizations related to diversity and inclusion. Okoro has served on the council of the American Geophysical Union as an early career scientist and was the Diversity & Inclusion task-force chair.

P

ImageNameField(s)DatesNotesRef.
Carolyn Beatrice Parker.jpg Carolyn Parker mathematician, physicist1917–1966worked on the Dayton Project, the plutonium research and development arm of the Manhattan Project

first African-American woman known to have gained a postgraduate degree in physics

Jennie Patrick chemical engineering1949–one of the first African American women in the United States to earn a doctorate in traditional chemical engineering; pioneer in supercritical fluid extraction [29]
Hattie Scott Peterson civil engineer1913–1993believed to be the first African-American woman to gain a bachelor's degree in civil engineering
April2017ClaricePhelps (cropped).jpg Clarice Phelps nuclear chemistfirst African-American woman to help discover a chemical element (tennessine) [30]
Vivian-Pinn-2010.jpg Vivian W. Pinn pathologist1941-Director of the Office of Research on Women's Health at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) [31]
Chanda Prescod-Weinstein, Becoming Interplanetary.jpg Chanda Prescod-Weinstein theoretical physicist, astrophysicist, cosmologist, writer1982 -possibly first African-American woman to hold a faculty position in theoretical cosmology
Duck-Research-Laboratory.jpg Jessie Isabelle Price veterinary microbiologist 1930-2015isolated and reproduced the cause of the most common life-threatening disease in duck farming in the 1950s [32]
Talking About the Colony (5196965089).jpg Sian Proctor African American explorer, scientist, STEM communicator, and aspiring astronaut geology, sustainability and planetary science professor
Johnnie Hines Watts Prothro chemist1922–2009One of the first African American nutritionists and food scientists [33]

Q

ImageNameField(s)DatesNotesRef.
LynnaeQuick.jpg Lynnae Quick planetary scientist, planetary geophysicist1984 - Ocean worlds Planetary Scientist at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; fifth African-American woman to receive a Ph.D. in planetary science; first African American staff scientist in the history of the Smithsonian Institution's Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, where she worked from 2017 to 2019; Asteroid 2001 SV 291 was renamed Asteroid 37349 Lynnaequick in honor of her work modeling cryovolcanic eruptions and faculae formation on Ceres. First African American to receive the American Astronomical Society's Harold C. Urey Prize which is the highest honor for young planetary scientists and recognizes outstanding achievement in the field of planetary science by an early career researcher.

R

ImageNameField(s)DatesNotesRef.
Mary Logan Reddick neuroembryologist, biologist1914 - 1966possibly the first African-American woman scientist to receive a fellowship to study abroad, and the first female biology instructor at Morehouse College
Eslanda Goode Robeson.jpg Eslanda Goode Robeson chemist1896–1965first black head histological chemist of Surgical Pathology at New York-Presbyterian Hospital [34]
THE A&T COLLEGE REGISTER 1961 Gladys Royal, W. E. Reed, R. L. Satoera, George Royal.jpg Gladys W. Royal chemist1926–2002One of the early African-American biochemists; part of one of the few African-American husband-and-wife teams in science [35]

S

ImageNameField(s)DatesNotesRef.
Antoinette Rodez Schiesler chemist1934 - 1996director of research at Villanova University
Lyndsey Scott in flowers (cropped).jpg Lyndsey Scott computer programmer1984-lead iOS software engineer at NGO fundraiser Rallybound; first African American to sign an exclusive runway contract with Calvin Klein
Alberta Jones Seaton embryologist, biologist1924-2014One of the first African-American women awarded a doctorate in zoology, in Belgium in 1949.
Nashlie Sephus Artificial intelligence engineerAI engineer, CTO of startup Partpic (acquired by Amazon) PhD from Georgia Institute of Technology, 2019 Ada Lovelace Award
Cheryl-Shavers.jpg Cheryl L. Shavers semiconductor engineering and management1953-first African-American Undersecretary of Commerce for Science and Technology [36]
Mabel Keaton Staupers Nursing administrator1890 - 1989Instrumental in implementing the desegregation of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps during WWII [37]
Susan McKinney Steward full.jpg Susan McKinney Steward pediatrician, homeopath1847-1918the third African-American woman to earn a medical degree, and the first in New York state.
Moogega Cooper.jpg Moogega Cooper Stricker Planetary protection engineer1985-20?? NASA engineer working on Mars 2020 rover.
Thyrsa Frazier Svager.jpg Thyrsa Frazier Svager mathematician1930-1999one of the first African-American women to receive a PhD in mathematics
Latanya Sweeney at a Knight News Challenge event in New York City, November 2017.jpg Latanya Sweeney computer scientistcomputer scientist best known for work on k-anonymity

T

ImageNameField(s)DatesNotesRef.
NASA photo of data scientist Valerie L. Thomas.gif Valerie Thomas physicist and inventor1943-Inventor of the Illusion Transmitter
Overseer of NASA's Landsat program, international expert in Landsat data products
Lisette Titre-Montgomery.jpg Lisette Titre-Montgomery Game Developer1998-Art Director and Game Developer . Lisette has contributed to some of the industry's highest profile games, including Tiger Woods Golf, The Simpsons, Dante's Inferno, Dance Central 3, SIMS 4, South Park, and Transformers Age Of Extinction for Android and iOS. Her most recent project is Psychonauts 2 with Double Fine Productions. [26]
Margaret E. M. Tolbert chemist and science administrator1943-the first African American and the first woman in charge of a Department of Energy lab [38]
Rubye Prigmore Torrey chemist1926–2017Known for developing a mechanism to decompose hydrogen sulfide, which earned her a place in Sigma Xi [39]

V

ImageNameField(s)DatesNotesRef.
Powtawche Valerino October 2017 (cropped).jpg Powtawche Valerino mechanical engineerFirst Native American to earn a PhD in engineering at Rice University

W

ImageNameField(s)DatesNotesRef.
Chelsea Walton MFO 2014.jpg Chelsea Walton mathematician1983 –associate professor at Rice University and a Sloan Research Fellow
Dawn Ward synthetic chemist1973 –Chemist creating molecules active against Hepatitis C virus [40]
Dr Gladys West Hall of Fame.jpg Gladys West mathematician1930 –work on satellite geodesy models used in GPS
Jessica profile picture.jpg Jessica Ware evolutionary biologist, entomologist.work on phylogenomics of insect evolution
Marguerite Williams geologist1895 – 1991the first African American to earn a doctorate in geology in the United States
Geraldine Pittman Woods science administrator1921–1999known for her lifelong dedication to community service and for establishing programs that promote minorities in STEM fields, scientific research, and basic research [41]
Biophoto2.jpg Dawn Wright oceanographer, geographer1961-expert in seafloor mapping, marine geographic information systems [42] [43]
Jane Cooke Wright.jpg Jane C. Wright cancer researcher, surgeon1919-2013pioneering cancer researcher and surgeon noted for her contributions to chemotherapy


Y

ImageNameField(s)DatesNotesRef.
Josephine Silone Yates, c1902 (cropped).jpg Josephine Silone Yates chemist1859-1912one of the first black professors hired at Lincoln University; first black woman to head a college science department; may have been the first black woman to hold a full professorship at any U.S. college or university [44]
Roger Arliner Young zoology1889-1964first Black woman to earn a Ph.D. in Zoology

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Mary Elliott Hill was one of the earliest African-American women to become a chemist. She was known as both an organic and analytical chemist. Hill worked on the properties of ultraviolet light, developing analytic methodology, and, in collaboration with her husband Carl McClellan Hill, developing ketene synthesis which supported the development of plastics. She is believed to be one of the first African-American women to be awarded with a master's degree in chemistry. Hill was an analytical chemist, designing spectroscopic methods and developing ways to track the progress of the reactions based on solubility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnnie Hines Watts Prothro</span> American nutritionist

Johnnie Hines Watts Prothro was an American nutritionist in the Southern United States whose career spanned the eras of racial segregation, Jim Crow laws, and the passing of the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act. She was one of the first African American nutritionists and food scientists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of women in science</span> Historical timeline of women involved in natural, social and formal sciences

This is a timeline of women in science, spanning from ancient history up to the 21st century. While the timeline primarily focuses on women involved with natural sciences such as astronomy, biology, chemistry and physics, it also includes women from the social sciences and the formal sciences, as well as notable science educators and medical scientists. The chronological events listed in the timeline relate to both scientific achievements and gender equality within the sciences.

The Cambridge movement was an American social movement in Dorchester County, Maryland, led by Gloria Richardson and the Cambridge Nonviolent Action Committee. Protests continued from late 1961 to the summer of 1964. The movement led to the desegregation of all schools, recreational areas, and hospitals in Maryland and the longest period of martial law within the United States since 1877. Many cite it as the birth of the Black Power movement.

Kathryn Lee Emanuel Lawson was one of the first few female African American chemists who worked in Sandia National Laboratories. She studied properties of irradiated materials in Crystal Physics research division. She earned her PhD from the University of New Mexico in radiochemistry in 1957.

Allene Johnson is a retired chemical educator who taught in the Summit, New Jersey school system for over 40 years.

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