By: Grace Blackshaw
Scrolling through a list of famous scientists, it’s pretty obvious science has a diversity problem. Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton, Michael Faraday, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, Neils Bohr, Stephen Hawking – notice a pattern?
It’s important to remember that not all scientists are white men – others just don’t make it into our textbooks nearly as often as they should. Here are 10 black female scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and healthcare professionals everyone should know about.
Marie Maynard Daly
Marie Maynard Daly was an influential biochemist and the first black woman to earn a Ph.D., in chemistry in the US. Born in 1921, Daly completed her undergraduate degree at Queens College, her master’s at New York University, and her Ph.D. at Columbia University. She then worked with Quentin Deming on arterial metabolism, exploring the links between high cholesterol, clogged arteries and increased risk of heart attacks. She also worked on protein synthesis and the chemistry of histones.
Patricia Bath
Patricia Bath is an inventor and ophthalmologist. Born in 1942, Bath grew up in Harlem, New York, studied Chemistry at Hunter College, and completed her medical training at Howard University. She then worked at the Harlem Hospital Center, focusing on finding treatments for blindness and other visual impairments. In 1988, Bath patented a probe that used a laser to quickly and painlessly remove cataracts. Bath also wrote about higher rates of blindness among African Americans and co-founded the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness.
Shirley Ann Jackson
Shirley Ann Jackson is an influential American physicist. In 1964, Jackson started studying physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); and in 1973, she completed her Ph.D., in nuclear physics, becoming the first black woman to earn a Ph.D., from MIT. As a postdoctoral researcher, she continued her work on subatomic particles, first at Fermilab in Illinois, and then at the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Switzerland. She also served as chair of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and has always been a passionate advocate for women and minorities in the sciences.
Alexa Canady
Alexa Canady was the first black female neurosurgeon in the US. She completed her bachelor’s degree in zoology at the University of Michigan and stayed on to study medicine. In 1981, she completed her residency at the University of Minnesota and began specializing in pediatric neurosurgery. During her career, she saved and improved the lives of countless young people. She also carried out research on treating children with traumatic brain injuries and prenatal brain conditions.
Mae Carol Jemison
Best known as the first black woman to travel to space, Mae Carol Jemison is an American engineer, physician and astronaut. Born in 1956, Jemison graduated from Stanford University with a degree in chemical engineering and went on to study medicine at Cornell University. She then spent 2 years as a Peace Corps medical officer in Sierra Leone and Liberia. Upon her return to the US, Jemison changed career and, in 1987, was admitted to the NASA astronaut training program. On September 12, 1992, Jemison became the first black woman to travel to space, where she spent just under 8 days orbiting the earth.
Finally, while it’s important to celebrate the incredible achievements of black female scientists such as these, it’s also important to remember that the lack of diversity in science is a result of much more than just underreporting. White male scientists dominate more than just our textbooks. Globally, women account for less than 30 percent of all employees working in scientific research and development. In the US, black women make up 6.4 percent of the population but less than 2.5 percent of science and engineering employees.
We need to do more than just recognize the contributions of women and underrepresented minorities to the scientific community. We need to make it easier for others to follow in their footsteps.
Source: https://www.varsity.co.uk/science/19693
