Black and STEMbruary, days 20-22
Feb. 22nd, 2025 06:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
justphoenixThe last couple days I've been exhausted when I got home:
20. Gladys M. West, PhD
Dr. West was a mathematician and computer programmer who worked for the Naval Surface Warfare Center. Her work largely involved analyzing satellite data and developing a precise model of the Earth's shape, work that paved the way for GPS. Although she had a MS in mathematics, she didn't complete her PhD until after she retired at 70. And she's still alive at 94!
21. Joan M. Owens, PhD
Dr. Owens started out in education, teaching and developing curricula. But she'd always dreamed of the ocean, even though she coudldn't make deep sea dives for medical reasons. In her 30s, she made a career change to marine biology, and completed her PhD at George Washington University. She specialized in button corals, discovering, a new genus of button corals and two new species, one of which she named for her husband.
22. Mae C. Jemison, MD
Undoubtedly the biggest name this month! Dr. Jemison is the first black woman in space, having served on Space Shuttle Endeavor in 1992. She was also the first astronaut to appear on Star Trek.
Here are some other fun facts:
In college, she choreographed a musical.
She was a member of the Peace Corps.
She helped the CDC with vaccine research
20. Gladys M. West, PhD
Dr. West was a mathematician and computer programmer who worked for the Naval Surface Warfare Center. Her work largely involved analyzing satellite data and developing a precise model of the Earth's shape, work that paved the way for GPS. Although she had a MS in mathematics, she didn't complete her PhD until after she retired at 70. And she's still alive at 94!
21. Joan M. Owens, PhD
Dr. Owens started out in education, teaching and developing curricula. But she'd always dreamed of the ocean, even though she coudldn't make deep sea dives for medical reasons. In her 30s, she made a career change to marine biology, and completed her PhD at George Washington University. She specialized in button corals, discovering, a new genus of button corals and two new species, one of which she named for her husband.
22. Mae C. Jemison, MD
Undoubtedly the biggest name this month! Dr. Jemison is the first black woman in space, having served on Space Shuttle Endeavor in 1992. She was also the first astronaut to appear on Star Trek.
Here are some other fun facts:
In college, she choreographed a musical.
She was a member of the Peace Corps.
She helped the CDC with vaccine research
