NSC 290 1DL - AFR AMER PERSPECTIVES IN SCIENCE Midterm Exam Terms

Hamilton Naki

A former gardener who was so skilled in complicated surgery that he helped in the world's first human heart transplant -- but had to keep this secret in apartheid South Africa -- died May 29 at his home near Cape Town. He had heart- and asthma-related problems. He was in his seventies

Percy A. Pierre

First African American to earn a Ph.D. (1967) in Electrical Engineering (The Johns Hopkins University).

Arlene Bennett

First African American to graduate (1964) from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine

Charlie L. Yates

First African American to graduate from Virginia Tech (B.S. 1958 in Mechanical Engineering)

Dr. Charles R. Drew

October 1, 1940 - This African American was named supervisor of the "Plasma for Great Britain" project

Isaac R. Johnson

October 10, 1899 - This African American patents bicycle frame.

O.B. Clare

October 9, 1888 - This African American patents Trestle.

Dr. Benjamin J. Lambert, III

They Key African American was born in Richmond, Virginia on January 29, 1937. They attended racially-segregated public schools in Henrico County, Virginia. Received their undergraduate degree from Virginia Union University and a graduate degree from the New England College of Optometry. He began practicing optometry in Richmond in 1962. In 1977, Lambert was elected a Member of the House of Delegates from the Richmond-based 33rd district. In 1985, he was elected to the Virginia Senate representing the 9th Senate District, which included all of Charles City County, and parts of Henrico County and the City of Richmond. He was the first African-American in the 20th Century to serve on the Virginia Senate Finance Committee.

Dr. Clarence Green, Sr.

This African American was the first and trained at MNI from 1947 - 1949. He received his MD from the Howard University College of Medicine. He was certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery in 1953. Since its inception in 1934 by the legendary Dr. Wilder Penfield, the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) has provided world-renowned instruction in neurosurgery and related neurosciences, training many of the most prominent figures in the history of neurosurgery. Less well known is the role of the MNI in training the first African-American board-certified neurosurgeons. From 1947-1965, the MNI trained the first African-American board-certified neurosurgeon, and three of the first four.

Dr. Jesse Barber, Jr.

This African American was the second and trained at MNI from 1958 - 1961. He received his MD from the Howard University College of Medicine, was on the general surgery faculty at Howard before training at MNI under Penfield and returned to Howard following his training. He was certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery in 1963.

Dr. Lloyd Dayes

This African American was the third and matriculated at MNI in 1960 after receiving his MD from the Loma Linda University School of Medicine and trained from 1961 - 1965 under Dr. Theodore Rasmussen, after which he returned to Loma Linda. He was certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery in 1967.

James B. Drew

This Key African American in STEM & Invention is a 1943 Graduate of Virginia Union University. He received a Master of Science Degree from Howard University in 1947. And a Master of Science Degree from Rutgers University (New Brunswick, New Jersey) in 1954. This made him the first African American to earn an advanced degree from Rutgers University.

Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson

This Key African American in STEM & Invention is known for her innovative work in theoretical physics and semiconductor theory. In 1995 President Bill Clinton appointed the physicist chairwoman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, making her the first woman and the first African American to hold the position. In 2002 Discover Magazine named her one of the 50 Most Important Women in Science. She is currently the 18th president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She received her Ph.D. in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1973, becoming the first African American woman to earn a doctorate from MIT

Dr. James C. Letton

This Key African American in STEM & Invention made a name for himself at Procter & Gamble by earning several patents for biodegradable soap elements and enzyme stabilizers for laundry detergent in the late 1970s. The scientist, who earned a Ph.D. in organic chemistry, has also been granted several patents while working as part of the team exploring uses for fat substitute Olestra.

Dr. Ernest Everett Just

This Key African American in STEM & Invention was born in Charleston, South Carolina on August 14, 1883. He prepared for college at Kimball Hall Academy, New Hampshire, where he completed the four-year course of study in only three years. In the graduating Dartmouth College class of 1907, He was the only person to be graduated magna cum laude. He won special honors in botany and history, with honors in botany and sociology. In his freshman year at Dartmouth he received the highest marks in the entire freshmen class in Greek. In 1916, he received the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy magna cum laude from the University of Chicago in experimental embryology, with a thesis on the mechanics of fertilization. This made him the first African American Ph.D. in physiology and second African American Ph.D. in zoology. Provided basic and initial descriptions of the structure-function-property relationship of the plasma membrane of biological cells. He was one of the Founders of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated.

Joseph W. Robinson

This Key African American in STEM & Invention was born in Georgetown, South Carolina. He attended public schools there and graduated from Howard High School in Georgetown. He chose to attend Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Architecture. He was the first to teach descriptive geometry in the Atlanta public school system. He inspired students to become architects, engineers, doctors, lawyers and other professionals. In 1995 he became the first African-American in Georgia to be elevated to Fellowship in the American Institute of Architects.

Dr. Frederick S. Humphries

This Key African American in STEM & Invention was born on December 26, 1935 in Apalachicola, Florida. They are the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh. Served as President of Tennessee State University and Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and NAFEO. They are a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated.

Dr. David R. Hedgley, Jr.

This Key African American in STEM graduated from VUU with a bachelor's degree in Mathematics in 1958. Earned a Master's degree from Michigan State University and also earned a Ph.D. He was a man that changed the face of computers and computer graphics forever. When computers became a booming field in the 70s and late 80s, all kinds of incredible innovations were being created to accomplish tasks faster and more efficient with the aid of computers. We did all types of complex mathematical equations and automated services. There was one stumbling block that all programmers couldn't leap over. The transition from boring flat 2-D graphical display to 3-D graphics. though many programmers attempted to solve this issue and was able to accomplish the task. In 1985 this person created a mathematical algorithm that would tell the computer which lines to display and which lines to make invisible hence creating 3-D graphics.

Donna Richardson Joyner

This Key African American in Science & Fitness was born on May 13, 1957. She has the #1 inspirational Fitness Video in America, "Sweating in the Spirit" followed by "Body Gospel", which released in April 2010. She has starred in more than 25 award winning videos including the best selling "Buns of Steel", ESPN, and Nike. She was recently appointed to the Presidential Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition under President Obama. This is her second term serving under this capacity. She served her first term under President George Bush in 2006. She also was recently appointed to the National Advisory Board of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center to Prevent Childhood Obesity. She will serve as a spokesperson to champion the cause to Reverse Childhood Obesity Epidemic by 2015. She broke the Guinness Book of World Records for the world's largest line dance with over 50,000 participants.

Dr. James R. Gavin, III

This Key African American in Science & Medicine attended Livingstone College and became a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. He graduated from Livingstone College in Salisbury, North Carolina, in 1966 with a degree in chemistry and graduated magna cum laude. He earned his PhD in biochemistry from Emory University (Atlanta, GA) in 1970 and his MD from Duke University School of Medicine in 1975. After earning his M.D., he worked as a pathologist at Duke University Hospital. His impressive career in the healthcare industry began in 1971, when he went to work as a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Public Health Service, a position he held until 1973. He is a former president of the Morehouse School of Medicine, beginning that position in 2002. He formerly served as senior scientific officer at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) and director of the HHMI - National Institutes of Health Research Scholars Program. Currently the CEO and Chief Medical Officer of Healing Our Village, Inc.7

Dr. Hattie Carwell

This Key African American in Science & Technology graduated with a B.S. in Biology/Chemistry from Bennett College. She also has a MA in Health Physics from Rutgers and an honorary doctorate from Bennett. She worked for five years at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna as a nuclear safeguards inspector and group leader. She is a noted research scientist and expert in the study of radiation

Roy L. Clay

This Key African American in Science & Technology helped launch Hewlett-Packard's computer division in the late 1960s and is known to some as the godfather of Black Silicon Valley for helping break down barriers for African Americans in technology. His recruitment and development has helped usher in the next generation of black technology innovators

James E. West

This Key African American in Science & Technology was born on April 10, 1931. He received a BS in Physics from Temple University in 1957. Along with Gerhard Sessler, he developed the foil electret microphone in 1962. Nearly 90 percent of the more than two billion microphones produced annually are based on the principles/original concept of the foil-electret and are used in everyday items such as telephones, tape recorders, camcorders, and other audio recording devices among others. He holds over 250 foreign and U.S. patents for the production and design of microphones and techniques for creating polymer foil electrets. Without this person, rappers wouldn't be able to "rock the mic".

Otis Boykin

This Key African American in Science attended Fisk University and graduated in 1938 and was responsible for inventing electrical devices used in all guided missiles and IBM computers, plus 26 other electronic devices including a control unit for an artificial heart stimulator (pacemaker). Ironically he died of a heart attack in Chicago in 1982.

Granville T. Woods

This Key African American in Science born free in Columbus, Ohio, patented his first electric device, an improved telephone transmitter on December 2, 1884. Often called the "Black Edison" this person had received twenty-two patents, most dealing with electricity used in railway telegraphy systems and electric railways.

Lewis Howard Latimer

This Key African American in Science born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, patented the first cost-efficient method for producing carbon filaments for electric lights on June 17, 1882. Worked in the laboratory of Thomas Edison.

Bessie Blount (Married Name Bessie Blount Griffin)

This Key African American in Science born in Hickory, Virginia on November 24, 1914 is known for being a physical therapist. She studied at Union Junior College in Roselle, NJ. In March 1948 she applied for a patent for her "Portable Receptacle Support" and on April 24, 1951 she received her first U.S. patent (No. 2,550,554). This device helped disabled persons to eat. In 1969, Blount went into law enforcement as a forensic scientist, at the Vineland police Department and the Norfolk Police Department. In the mid-1970s, she became the chief document examiner at the Portsmouth Police Department. In 1977, she trained and worked at Scotland Yard in England. She was the first African-American woman to work there. She ran her own business as a forensic science consultant in the 1990s, until age 83, studying slave papers and Civil War documents as well as verifying the authenticity of documents containing Native American-U.S. treaties. In 1953, Blount appeared on the WCAU Philadelphia television show "The Big Idea", becoming the first African-American and the first woman to be given such an amazing recognition, especially for an African -American of that time. On the program, she stated, "A Black woman can invent something for the benefit of human kind".

Dr. Daniel Hale Williams

This Key African American in Science born in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania performed the first open heart surgery by removing a knife from the heart of a stabbing victim. He sutured a wound to the pericardium (the fluid sac surrounding the myocardium), from which the patient recovered and lived for several years afterward.

Norbert Rillieux

This Key African American in Science born in New Orleans, Louisiana is known as a revolutionary in the sugar industry by inventing a refining process that reduced the time, cost, and safety risk involved in producing sugar from cane and beets. He was the son of a French planter/inventor and a slave mother. His device was patented in 1846 and was widely used on sugar plantations in Louisiana, Mexico, and the West Indies.

Garrett A. Morgan

This Key African American in Science born on a farm near Paris, Kentucky and one of eleven children born to a part-Indian slave mother, was the first African American to receive a patent for a safety hood and smoke protector. He demonstrated its worth in 1916 by rescuing workers trapped in a smoke-filled tunnel of the Cleveland, Ohio, waterworks. In 1923, he received a patent for his new concept which was a traffic signal to regulate vehicle movement in city areas. Known as an astute businessman and inventor.

Emmett W. Chappelle

This Key African American in Science graduated earned a B.A. in Biochemistry from the University of California at Berkley. Then a M.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Washington in Seattle and post-graduate work was performed at Stanford University. He started working with NASA in 1966 in support of their manned space flight initiatives. He developed techniques that are still widely used for the detection of bacteria in urine, blood, spinal fluids, drinking water and foods.

Dr. Louis W. Sullivan

This Key African American in Science graduated from Morehouse College (magna cum laude) in 1954. He graduated from Boston University Medical School in 1958. In 1978 he was appointed Dean and founding director of Morehouse School of Medicine. He served as the 17th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under President George H. W. Bush.

Dr. George Edward Alcorn

This Key African American in Science graduated from Occidental College, Los Angeles, California with a Bachelor of Science in Physics. He received his degree with honors while earning eight letters in basketball and football. He earned a Master of Science in Nuclear Physics in 1963 from Howard University, after nine months of study. During the summers of 1962 and 1963 he worked as a research engineer for the Space Division of North American Rockwell. In 1967 he earned a Ph.D. in Atomic and Molecular Physics from Howard University. He invented a method of fabricating an imaging X-ray spectrometer, which allowed scientists to examine materials that couldn't be broken down into smaller parts for study. The physicist received the NASA Inventor of the Year Award in 1984 for his device.

Dr. Frank Royal, Sr.

This Key African American in Science graduated from Virginia Union University in 1961. Served as president of the National Medical association and is the immediate past Chair of the VUU Board of Trustees. He also served as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Meharry Medical College.

Dr. Yvonne Maddox

This Key African American in Science graduated from Virginia Union University in 1965. Was named Deputy Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in 1995; and five years later, Acting Deputy Director for the National Institute of Health.

Dr. Jean Louis Harris

This Key African American in Science graduated from Virginia Union University with a B.A. in 1951. They became the first African-American to graduate from the Medical College of Virginia in 1955; later served as the Virginia Secretary of Human Resources from 1978-1982; and Mayor of Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

Dr. Paulette McRae

This Key African American in Science graduated from Yale University on March 13, 2007 earning a Ph.D. in Neurobiology. This made her the first African American to earn a doctorate in Neurobiology at Yale.

Dr. Cora Bagley Marrett

This Key African American in Science graduated in BA 1963 from Virginia Union University, MA 1965 University of Wisconsin, Ph.D. 1968 University of Wisconsin 1997 - 2001 Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at University of Massachusetts-Amherst; 2001 - 2006 Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at the University of Wisconsin System; February 1, 2007 - Jan. 17, 2009 she was the Assistant Director of Education and Human Resources Directorate (National Science Foundation); January 18, 2009 - May 2011 she was the Acting Deputy Director and Chief Operations Officer (National Science Foundation) and on May 26, 2011 she was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as the Deputy Director of NSF.

Phil Wilson

This Key African American in Science in May 1999 founded the Black AIDS Institute. He currently serves as the Executive Director of the Black AIDS Institute. This is the only national HIV/AIDS think tank focused exclusively on African American People. The Institute is a training and mobilization center focused exclusively on Black people. The Institute's mission is to stop the AIDS pandemic in Black communities by engaging and mobilizing Black institutions and individuals in efforts to confront HIV. The Institute interprets public and private sector HIV policies, conducts trainings, offers technical assistance, disseminates information and provides advocacy from a uniquely and unapologetically Black point of view.

Kevin Woolfolk

This Key African American in Science invented the "Hamster Workout Wheel", a small animal exercise wheel that records your pet's mileage or wheel revolutions. He thought of this invention one evening after riding his stationary exercise bike. As he began writing down his mileage from exercising on the bike, he happened to notice that his hamster, Burt, running on his wheel

Dr. Welton I. Taylor

This Key African American in Science is a direct descent of President Zachary Taylor. He graduated with a B.A., M.A., & Ph.D. in Bacteriology from University of Illinois. He served in WWI and the G.I. Bill enabled him to return to his alma mater for his M.A. and Ph.D. He invented a procedure for detecting the bacteria that causes food poisoning. This became the standard required procedure for all foods by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In 1985 the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) named a bacterium, Enterobacter taylorae, in Honor of him and a British colleague.

Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins

This Key African American in Science is an American sustainability advocate and the CEO of the anti-poverty organization Green For All. After graduating from California State University, Northridge in 1998, Ellis-Lamkins became a union organizer with SEIU Local 715 in San Jose. From 2003 to 2009, Ellis-Lamkins was the Executive Officer of the South Bay AFL-CIO Labor Council, an organized labor federation representing more than 100 unions and more than 110,000 members in California's Santa Clara and San Benito counties. She was also Executive Director of Working Partnerships USA, a coalition of community groups, labor and faith organizations working to address economic disparities in California's Silicon Valley.

Dr. Roland E. Moore

This Key African American in Science is an educator entered Virginia Union University in 1965. It was there that he became a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. He graduated from Virginia Union University in 1969 with a bachelor's of science degree in Mathematics Education. He graduated from Virginia State University in 1974 with a master's degree in Mathematics Education. He earned a certificate in advanced graduate studies in education from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1982. Dr. Moore earned a doctorate in education (Ed.D.) in Community College Education from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University on December 19, 1986. . In 1996 this person became the Dean of the Mathematics and Science Division at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College. During his deanship the college reorganized and moved from campus-based operations to college-wide. The new division under his leadership became Mathematics and Science. Significant growth in science, mathematics and teacher education took place. The division always met or exceeded enrollment and efficiency expectations even in the face of budgetary shortfalls. External relationships became the catalyst for growing mathematics and science offerings while increasing student enrollments. He retired in 2011 and became a member of the VUU Board of Trustees.

Charles W. Pierce

This Key African American in Science is the nations first known African American degree holding Chemical Engineer in the United States. He earned his degree from IIT in 1901. He is the first graduate of that university's chemical engineering program. He moved to Alabama to teach at Tuskegee Normal College (now Tuskegee University) where his colleagues were Booker T. Washington and George W. Carver.

Mae Jemison

This Key African American in Science logged 190 hours, 30 minutes, 23 seconds in space, making her the first African-American woman in space.

Mariam Benjamin

This Key African American in Science noticed that many hotels and restaurants seemed overstaffed for the number of customers needing service at any moment. She was a Washington, DC school teacher and she received a patent for an invention she called a Gong and Signal chair for hotels. This made her the second African American woman to receive a patent.

Dr. Renita W. Randolph

This Key African American in Science practices general dentistry including cosmetic and restorative procedures. Built a successful private practice in Roanoake, VA and sold her practice and returned to Richmond, VA in 2004. Graduated from Virginia Union University in 1982 with a Bachelor Degree in Biology. Graduated from the Medical College of Virginia School of Dentistry in 1991. She is a member of the Virginia Union University Board of Trustees.

Dr. Lisa Masterson

This Key African American in Science practices obstetrics & gynecology in Santa Monica, California. On staff at Los Angeles'Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and UCLA, She recently founded the first OB/GYN residency program in all of sub-Saharan Africa in Eritrea, and has started birthing clinics in Kenya and India. She maintains a private office in Santa Monica and is also the founder and medical director of the Ocean Oasis Medical Spa. She is familiar to daytime television audiences due to "The Doctors," but has also appeared on "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson," "Today," "Good Morning America," "Dr. Phil" and "The Oprah Winfrey Show," as well as on CNN, Discovery Health Channel's and Lifetime

Dr. Edward M. A. Chandler

This Key African American in Science received his BS in 1920 from Howard University. In 1917 he received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Illinois. This made him the second African American to earn a Ph.D. in Chemistry

Howard S. Jones, Jr. (1921 - 2005)

This Key African American in Science received his Bachelor of Science from Virginia Union University in Mathematics & Physics, his Master's degree in electrical engineering from Bucknell University. He serves as a consultant and advisor for the National Science Foundation and the National Research Council. He obtained thirty-one U.S. patents (as inventor or co-inventor) and is the author of more than forty publications.

Dr. Charles W. Buggs

This Key African American in Science was an educator renowned microbiologist. He conducted special research on why some bacteria (germs) do not react to certain medicines. In several articles, he presented his ideas on penicillin and skin grafting, and the value of chemicals in treating bone fractures. First African American awarded a doctorate degree in biological sciences, from the University of Minnesota in 1934. November 1, 1943 he was appointed to the Wayne University (Detroit) College of Medicine and became the first African American full-time college faculty member in the state. In 1944, he contributed some of the results of his research to the world through 12 studies he helped to write. Three years later he wrote an important article on how to use germ-killing chemicals (antibiotics) to prevent and cure certain diseases.

Dr. Dorothy Lavinia Brown

This Key African American in Science was born January 7, 1919 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was placed in an orphanage in Troy, New York at 5 months old by her mother. Although her mother tried to persuade her to live with her, she kept running away from home, only to return to the Troy orphanage. She finally found foster parents at age fifteen. She graduated Bennett College in 1941. She also earned her M.D. degree from Meharry Medical College in 1948. She was the first African American woman general surgeon in the south and to serve on the Tennessee State Legislature

Thomas L. Jennings

This Key African American in Science was born in 1791 and died in 1856. He was an African American tradesman and abolitionist. He was a free black who operated a dry-cleaning business in New York City, New York and was the first African American to be granted a patent. His skills along with a patent granted by the state of New York on March 3, 1821 for a dry cleaning process called "dry scouring" enabled him to build his business. He spent his early earnings on legal fees to purchase his family out of slavery, and supporting the abolitionist movement. This patent resulted in a considerable amount of controversy. The U.S. patent laws of 1793 stated that "the master is the owner of the fruits of the labor of the slave both manual and intellectual," thus slaves could not patent their own inventions, the efforts would be the property of their master. This person was able to gain exclusive rights to his invention because of his status of being a free man. In 1861 patent rights were finally extended to slaves. "Fashionistas everwhere" have this person to thank for inventing a way to clean clothes using a dry-scouring process, what we call dry cleaning today

Dr. Alfred Oscar Coffin

This Key African American in Science was born in 1861. He received a Bachelor of Arts from Fisk University in 1885. He earned a Ph.D. in Zoology from Illinois Wesleyan University in 1889 and his Dissertation Title was "The Mound Builders." This made him the first African American to obtain a Biological Science Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.).

Richard Spikes

This Key African American in Science was born in 1884 San Francisco, California. Best known for a patent he received pertaining to automobile directional signals, which he installed on a Pierce-Arrow car in 1913. However, contrary to many sources, he was not the original inventor of this pivotal device, as Percy Douglas-Hamilton was awarded U.S. Patent 912,831 in 1907 for his creation of the first directional signals, six years before this key person developed his version of the device. In 1932 he is was responsible for the invention of the shifter that makes it possible to smoothly change speeds automatically (automatic gear shift), creating a simpler driving experience for all future generations of drivers. He received the patent for this innovation in 1932

Dr. Ruth Ella Moore

This Key African American in Science was born in 1903. She received a B.S. from Ohio State University in 1926 and a M.A. in 1927. She received a Ph.D. in Bacteriology from Ohio State University in 1933, becoming the first African-American female to earn a Ph.D. in Bacteriology. Her area of research focused on blood grouping.

Dr. M. Deborrah Hyde

This Key African American in Science was born in 1949 in Laurel, Mississippi. She received her B.S. from Tougaloo College in 1969, her M.S. in Biology from Cleveland State University and her M.D. in 1977 from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine earning election into the Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. The next year she began neurosurgery residency at Case Western under Dr. Robert A. Ratcheson and Dr. Robert F. Spetzler, finishing in 1982 as the program's first female graduate. In 1985 she became the second African American woman certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery and in 1991 she established the Beacon of Hope Scholarship foundation. She is the second African American female neurosurgeon

Dr. Rick Antonius Kittles

This Key African American in Science was born in 1976 in Sylvania, Georgia. He grew up in Central Islip, New York. In 1989 he earned his B.S. degree from Rochester Institute of Technology. In 1998 he earned his Ph.D. in Biology (Genetics Emphasis) from George Washington University. From 1995 to 1999, he was a researcher for the New York African Burial Ground Project (NYABGP). This was a federally funded project in which Howard University researchers excavated the remains of 408 African Americans from an 18th century graveyard. Today he is currently the Scientific Director of the Washington D.C. based African Ancestry, Inc., which is a great testing service for determining individuals' African ancestry.

Dr. David Satcher

This Key African American in Science was born in Anniston, Alabama on March 2, 1941. At the age of two, he contracted whooping cough and was not expected to live. As he grew up he heard that story several times which inspired him to become a doctor. He graduated from Morehouse College in 1963 and was elected into membership to Phi Beta Kappa honor society. He earned his M.D. and Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University in 1970 and was elected into Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society. He served as the 16th Surgeon General of the United States. He was sworn in on February 13, 1998. He also served simultaneously in the positions of Surgeon General and Assistant Secretary for Health from February 1998 through January 2001. He also previously served as president of Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN from 1982 to 1993.

Dr. Velma P. Scantlebury

This Key African American in Science was born in Barbados, West Indies. In the late 1960s, when Scantlebury was in her late teens, her parents moved the family to New York City because they wanted better opportunities for their children. In 1989 she became the first Black woman in the field of transplantation surgery.

Dr. James Hildreth(12 President & CEO of Meharry Medical College)

This Key African American in Science was born in Camden, Arkansas. He was valedictorian of his high school class of 1975. He began his education at Harvard University in the fall of 1975. He graduated in 1978 magna cum laude from Harvard University. In the fall of 1979 he enrolled at Oxford University in England. He graduated in 1982 with his Ph.D. in Immunology. He returned back to the U.S. and joined John Hopkins Medical School in Baltimore, MD. He took a one year leave of absence to do a post-doctoral fellowship in pharmacology from 1983 to 1984. He received his M.D. degree from John Hopkins in 1987 and joined the John Hopkins faculty. In 2002 he became the first African American in the 125 year history at John Hopkins School of Medicine to earn full professorship and tenure in the basic science field. His research focus is on the transmission of HIV and AIDS and how this disease enters cells via "lipid rafts." He also worked on a chemical based condom to help prevent the transmission of HIV to women.

Dr. Charles Henry Turner

This Key African American in Science was born in Cincinnati, OH on February 3, 1867. He received a B.S. from the University of Cincinnati in 1891 and a M.S. in 1892. He was a Zoologist and Entomologist. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1907, making him the first African American to earn a doctoral degree in Zoology. He is credited with being the first researcher to demonstrate that insects can hear and can also distinguish pitch.

Dr. Marie Maynard Daly

This Key African American in Science was born in Corona Queens, New York City on April 16 1921. She earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Columbia University in 1947, making her the first African American female to earn a Ph.D. in Chemistry.

Andrew Jackson Beard

This Key African American in Science was born in Eastlake, Alabama. On November 27, 1897 he received a patent for a device he called the Jenny Coupler. The Jenny Coupler automatically joined cars by simply allowing them to bump into each other, or as he described it the "horizontal jaws engage each other to connect the cars." He sold the rights to his invention for $50,000 and the railroad industry was revolutionized. Other patents were for a steam driven rotary engine and a double plow.

Louis W. Roberts

This Key African American in Science was born in Jamestown, NY on September 1, 1913. He was educated at Fisk University where he received a Bachelor of Arts in 1935, and a Master of Science from the University of Michigan in 1937. He holds eleven patents for electronic devices and is the author of papers on electromagnetism, optics, and microwaves. He was the director of Energy and Environment at the Transportation System Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This center develops energy conservation practices for the transportation industries. Transportation accounts for over half of the U.S.'s consumption of petroleum.

Samuel Proctor Massie, Jr.

This Key African American in Science was born in Little Rock, Arkansas on July 3, 1919. He earned a Bachelor of Science from the Arkansas Agricultural Mechanical and Normal College in 1938 and a Master of Arts from Fisk University in 1940. He earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Iowa University in 1946. He was instructor in Chemistry at Fisk University 1946-1947. In 1966 he served as Professor of Chemistry and starting in 1977 as Chairman at the U.S. Naval Academy. He was the first black faculty member appointed at the U.S. Naval Academy.

Samuel Proctor Massie, Jr.

This Key African American in Science was born in Little Rock, Arkansas on July 3, 1919. He earned a Bachelor of Science from the Arkansas Agricultural Mechanical and Normal College in 1938 and a Master of Arts from Fisk University in 1940. He earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Iowa University in 1946. He was instructor in Chemistry at Fisk University 1946-1947. In 1966 he served as Professor of Chemistry and starting in 1977 as Chairman at the U.S. Naval Academy. He was the first black faculty member appointed at the U.S. Naval Academy. Blast from the Past

Dr. St. Elmo Brady

This Key African American in Science was born in Louisville, Kentucky on December 22, 1884. He received his Bachelor of Science from Fisk University 1908 and a Master of Science in Chemistry in 1914 the University of Illinois. He earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Illinois in 1916, making him the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in Chemistry.

Dr. A. Oveta Fuller

This Key African American in Science was born in Melbane, North Carolina on August 31, 1955. He was educated at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill were she received a Bachelor of Science in 1977, and a Ph.D. from the same school. She did postdoctoral study at the University of Chicago. She is a professor at the University of Michigan and is known for her study with herpes and other infectious diseases. She studies how they attach to the host cell and enter through the cell wall.

Dr. Elmer Samuel Imes

This Key African American in Science was born in Memphis, Tennessee on October 12, 1883. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Fisk University in 1903 and a Master of Arts in 1910 from the University of Michigan, and earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Physics from the University of Michigan in 1918, becoming the second African American to earn a Ph.D. in Physics

Dr. Regina Marcia Benjamin

This Key African American in Science was born in Mobile, Alabama on October 26, 1956. She graduated from Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans where she was initiated into the Gamma Alpha Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She is also a member of the second graduating class of Morehouse School of Medicine. She received her M.D. degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and completed her residency in family practice at the Medical Center of Central Georgia. After receiving an MBA from the Freeman School of Business at Tulane University, she converted her office to a rural health clinic. On November 3, 2009 she was appointed by President Barack Obama as the 18th Surgeon General of the United States.

Dr. Edward Alexander Bouchet

This Key African American in Science was born in New Haven, Connecticut on September 15, 1852. He entered Yale College in 1870 and was the first African American to graduate Yale College in 1874. He continued the study of graduate physics at Yale, where he was awarded a Ph.D. in Physics in 1876. He was the first African American to earn a doctorate degree from an American university.

Vivian Theodore Thomas

This Key African American in Science was born in New Iberia, Louisiana on August 29, 1910. The grandson of a slave, he attended Pearl High School in Nashville, TN in the 1920s. He hoped to attend college and become a doctor, but the Great Depression derailed his plans. He worked at Fisk University in the summer of 1929 doing carpentry but was laid off in the fall. Through a friend, in February 1930 secured a job as a surgical research technician with Dr. Alfred Blalock at Vanderbilt University. He developed the procedures used to treat blue baby syndrome in the 1940s. Later he and Dr. Blalock moved to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. Without any education past high school, this person rose above poverty and racism to become a cardiac surgery pioneer and a teacher of operative techniques to many of the country's most prominent surgeons. He was the first African American without a doctorate degree to perform open heart surgery on a white patient in the United States.

Jesse Eugene Russell

This Key African American in Science was born on April 26, 1948. He had eight brothers and sisters. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering at Tennessee State University in 1972. He ten went to work for AT & T Bell Laboratory being the first African American to be hired directly from a Historically Black College & University. He earned a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University in Palo Alto, California in 1973. He was the first African American to be selected the Eta Kappa Nu Outstanding Young Electrical Engineer of the Year in 1980. He patented the first cellular digital cellular base station and the first fiber optic microcells using high power linear amplifier technology and digital modulation techniques. In 1995 he was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering for "Pioneering work in digital cellular communications technology." He was honored by the Clinton Administration for his work in cell phone and wireless communication. He has over 100 patents in digital cell technology, digital mode digital cell phone and digital software radio.

Augustus Nathaniel Lushington

This Key African American in Science was born on August 1, 1869 in the South Caribbean on the island of Trinidad. As a young child his paternal grandfather from DR Congo, was brought to Trinidad as a slave to work at the sugar plantation on the island, and his father, William, worked as a butcher, who raised produce for sale at market and did farm work. His college education started when he married his wife Elizabeth Hubert from Antigua. Her west Indian friends helped him enroll in Cornell University to study Agriculture. He graduated with a degree in Agriculture in 1894. Since there was no work for him at the time he left the West Indies and left for another education. He started another education at the University of Pennsylvania veterinary school. Finished the program in three years. When he graduated he was the only African American to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania. This made him the first African American to earn a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.) at the University of Pennsylvania in 1897.

Dr. Marguerite T. Williams

This Key African American in Science was born on December 24, 1895 in Washington, DC. In 1923 she received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Howard University and then continued her studies to receive her Master's degree in 1930 from Columbia University. In 1942 she became the first African American (male or female) to receive a Ph.D. in geology in the United States from Catholic University.

Dr. Marguerite Thomas Williams

This Key African American in Science was born on December 24, 1895 in Washington, DC. In 1923 she received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Howard University. In 1930 she received her Masters degree from Columbia University. There is not much that is known about her childhood. In 1942 she became the first African American (male or female) to earn a Ph.D. in geology in the United States. She received her degree from Catholic University of America. Blast from past

Janet E. Bashen

This Key African American in Science was born on February 12, 1957. She received a patent in 2006 for Link-Line which is a web-based application for EEO claims intake and tracking, claims management, document management and numerous reports. She is the first African American female to hold a patent for a software invention.

Governor L. Douglas Wilder

This Key African American in Science was born on January 17, 1931 in Richmond, VA. His parents were children of slaves. He graduated from Virginia Union University in 1951 with a degree in Chemistry. He served in the Korean War and won the Bronze Star for being a hero in combat. Shortly after the war he retuned to Richmond to work as a chemist in the state medical examiner's office. The G.I. Bill helped fund he law degree studies and in 1959 he graduated from Howard University. After passing the state bar he opened up his law firm. He became a politician. 1969 he became America's first African American Senator in Virginia since the Reconstruction Era. In 1985 he was elected Lieutenant Governor and on January 13, 1990 he became Virginia's 66th governor and also the first African American elected to the position of governor in the U.S.

Dr. Levi Watkins

This Key African American in Science was born on June 13, 1944 in Parsons, Kansas, the third of six children. His father was a college professor who became president of Alabama State College in Montgomery, Alabama. After graduating as valedictorian from Alabama State High School, he entered Tennessee State University, majoring in Biology and further developing his interests in political science and civil rights. After graduating with honors from TSU in 1966, he became the first African American to be admitted and graduate from Vanderbilt University's School of Medicine. After graduating from Vanderbilt, he stated a general surgery residency at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in 1971, where he was the first African American Chief Resident of Cardiac Surgery. He continued his professional career by conducting cardiac research at Harvard Medical School of Physiology from 1973-1975. He returned to Johns Hopkins and in 1980 he performed the world's first human implantation of the automatic implantable defibrillator. In 1991 he was promoted to full professor of cardiac surgery and Dean for Postdoctoral Programs and Faculty Development.

Dr. Susan McKinney Steward

This Key African American in Science was born on March 1847 in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. She played the organ at Siloam Presbyterian Church and the Bridge Street African Methodist Episcopal Church. She taught school in Washington, D.C., and New York City then attended medical school at the New York Medical College for Women starting in 1867 and graduated as valedictorian in 1869. Was an American physician and author. She was the third African-American woman to earn a medical degree, and the first in New York State. She died on March 7, 1918 at Wilberforce University. She was interred at Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York.

Hazel Reid O'Leary , J.D.

This Key African American in Science was born on May 17, 1937 in Newport News, Virginia. She graduated from Fisk University in 1959. She earned a Law Degree (J.D.) from Rutgers University in 1966. On January 22, 1993 she was appointed by President Bill Clinton as the 7th United States Secretary of Energy. Since 2004 she has served as president of Fisk University in Nashville, TN and retired in December 2012.

Dr. Willie Hobbs Moore

This Key African American in Science was born on May 23, 1934 and died in March of 1994. She earned her B.S. in 1958 and her M.S. in 1961 in Electrical Engineering. In 1972 she earned her Ph.D. in Physics becoming the first African American Female to do so

Dr. Alexa I. Canady-Davis

This Key African American in Science was born on November 7, 1950 in Lansing, Michigan. She received her B.S. from University of Michigan in 1971 and her M.D. in 1975 from the College of Medicine at the University of Michigan. In 1993 she was named Woman of the Year by the American Women's Medical Association. She is the first African American female neurosurgeon.

Dr. Ronald E. McNair

This Key African American in Science was born on October 21, 1950 in Lake City, South Carolina. He died January 28, 1986 during the Challenger Explosion. He earned a B.S. in Physics from North Carolina A & T State University in 1971 and a Ph.D. in Physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1976. Becoming an astronaut with NASA in 1978, he completed a 1 year training and evaluation period in August 1979. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. There is a scholarship named in his honor for African American students who want to complete a Ph.D. in a science field.

Lonnie George Johnson

This Key African American in Science was born on October 6, 1949. Figures it would take a rocket scientist to invent one of the greatest water guns of all time, the Super Soaker. One day in 1982 an aerospace engineer who loved to tinker at home, was working on creating a heat pump that used water to cool down instead of Freon. That device led to one of the most popular toys ever made. The Super Soaker generated $200 million in retail sales and turned him into a millionaire. He's now using his fortune to develop energy technology. The Super Soaker was a top seller in the U.S. in 1991 and 1992

Dr. Keith Black

This Key African American in Science was born on September 13, 1957 in Tuskegee, Alabama. His mother was a teacher and his father was a principal. The family relocated (for better educational opportunities) to Shaker Heights, Ohio. Interested in medicine in high school, he was admitted into an Apprenticeship program for minority students at Case Western Reserve University. He became a teen aged laboratory assistant for Frederick Cross and Richard Jones (who are the inventors of the Cross-Jones artificial heart valve) at St. Luke's Hospital in Cleveland. He is an American Neurosurgeon specializing in the treatment of Brain Tumors

Dr. Harold Amos

This Key African American in Science was born on September 7, 1918 in Pennsauken, New Jersey. He graduated from Springfield College with a baccalaureate. Her served in World War II. He then graduated with a Ph.D. from Harvard Medical School in 1952. After completing a Fullbright Scholarship in 1964, he joined the medical school faculty. He was the presidential advisor to Richard Nixon at the Institute of Medicine and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He was the first African American to hold the position as Department Chairman at Harvard Medical School. For a long time he was the only African American at Harvard. He died on February 26, 2003 in Boston.

Edmond Berger

This Key African American in Science was reported to have invented an early spark plug on February 2, 1839 although he did not patent his invention

Dr. Patricia Bath

This Key African American in Science was the first African American female doctor to patent a medical invention. The prove patented in 1988, was designed to use the power of a laser to quickly and painlessly vaporize cataracts from patients' eyes, replacing the more common method of using a grinding, drill-like device to remove afflictions. With another invention she was able to restore sight to people who had been blind for over 30 years. She holds patents for her invention in Japan, Canada, and Europe.

Charles B. Purvis

This Key African American in Science was the first African American physician trained in a college setting. He worked as a Union surgeon during the American Civil War, then taught medicine for several decades at Howard University and was unpaid (due to financial shortcomings) from 1873 to 1907. He was at the scene when President James Garfield was shot twice by Charles Guiteau and despite the strict segregation of his era, he was "allowed" to offer medical services until white doctors arrived at the scene, becoming the first African American to provide medical care for a American President.

Henry Blair

This Key African American in Science was the second Black inventor issued a patent by the United States Patent Office. His first invention was a seed planter which enabled farmers to plant more corn utilizing less labor in a smaller period of time. Two years later, in 1836, he received a second patent for a corn harvester. It is noteworthy that in both of his patents he was listed as a "colored man", the only example of an inventor's race being listed or acknowledged on an issued patent.

Florence Neal Cooper Smith

This Virginia Union University graduate, in 1969, organized Richmond's first city wide survey with the help of local civic, social and community organizations to determine the extent of sickle cell awareness in surrounding localities. She completed graduate studies in Pathology at the Medical College of Virginia Campus of Virginia Commonwealth (MCV/VCU). This Sickle Cell Initiative is the first such initiative to be named for an African American woman in the United States.

James E. Wright, Jr.

This key African American in STEM assigned a research project to his students almost 40 years ago, he had no idea that it would lead to a life-long passion. He enrolled into Virginia Union University in 1965. He became a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. He graduated from VUU with a bachelor's degree in Biology and a minor in Chemistry in 1969. Earned a Master's Degree in Biology/Science Education from West Virginia State University in 1973. He started the African American Perspectives in Science course at Virginia Union University (NSC 290) to address the need for a science humanities course. He also started the course because he has an interest in the contributions of African American Scientists and Inventors and wanted to change the attitudes of young minority students to STEM as a career option. In 2001, this Professor was instrumental in getting the General Assembly to pass a proclamation declaring Feb. 25 African-American Scientist and Inventor Day in Virginia.

Roy Innis

This key African American in STEM was born in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. He moved from the U.S. Virgin Islands to New York City with his mother in 1946 where he attended Stuyvesant High School. At age 16, Innis joined the U.S. Army and at age 18 he received an honorable discharge. He entered a four-year program in Chemistry at City College of New York where he became a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. He subsequently held positions as a research chemist at Vick Chemical Company and Montefiore Hospital. joined CORE's Harlem chapter in 1963. In 1964, he was elected Chairman of the chapter's education committee and became a forceful advocate of community-controlled education and black empowerment. He led CORE's fight for an independent Police Review Board to address cases of police brutality. In 1965, he was elected Chairman of Harlem CORE, after which he mounted a vigorous campaign for establishment of an independent Board of Education for Harlem. A proposition to this end was presented to the 1967 New York State Constitutional Convention. In 1967, was appointed the first resident fellow at the Metropolitan Applied Research Center (MARC), headed by Dr. Kenneth Clark.

Dr. Evelyn Boyd Granville

This key African American in STEM was born in Washington, D.C. on May 1, 1924, the second child of her parents. She loved school. The stated that the "colored" school system of Washington was in no way an inferior school system. Her mother's sister, who was determined that she attend a northern college, offered to pay half her fees for the first year. A scholarship from Phi Delta Kappa, a national sorority of Black teachers, provided additional financial aid. In the fall of 1941 she entered Smith College. She was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and to associate membership in Sigma Xi in her senior year and graduated summa cum laude from Smith in 1945 with honors in mathematics. In her doctoral dissertation she discussed properties of Laguerre series in the complex domain. She was awarded the Ph.D. degree in mathematics in 1949. Many years later she learned that Dr. Marjorie Lee Browne, who received the Ph.D. degree in mathematics in 1949 from the University of Michigan, and she.. were some of the first two Black women in the United States to receive doctorates in mathematics.

Dr. Freeman A. Hrabowski, III

This key African American in STEM was born on August 13, 1950 in Birmingham, Alabama. Was a fat, nerdy, African-American kid with a weird name. He had skipped ahead to the ninth grade by the time he was 12. And when he saw his friends readying for the "Children's Crusade" march for civil rights in 1963, he said "I just had to join in." He joined Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and he graduated at 19 from Hampton Institute with highest honors in mathematics. At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, he received his M.A. in mathematics and four years later his Ph.D. (higher education administration/statistics) at age 24. He is co-author of the books, Beating the Odds: Raising Academically Successful African American Males, published in 1998, and Overcoming the Odds: Raising Academically Successful African American Young Women, published in 2001. He serves as a consultant to the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and universities and school systems nationally. He has served as president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County since May 1992.

Dr. Thomas Winston Cole, Jr.

This key African American in STEM was born on January 11, 1941 in Vernon, Texas. The family moved to Marshall, Texas where his father was appointed President of Wiley College from 1958 to 1971. He graduated from high school in 1958 and attended Wiley College where he was active in the Kappa Chi and Alpha Kappa Mu Honor societies. He became a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Graduating summa cum laude from Wiley College in 1961. He received his B.S. degree and the Southern Regional Fellowship. He attended the University of Chicago and earned his Ph.D. in organic chemistry in 1966. It was here that he studied with P.E. Eaton and they became the first chemists to synthesize the Cubane Carbon Skeleton System. From 1982 to 1986, he was president of West Virginia State College. Following his presidency, he was appointed Chancellor of the West Virginia Board of Regents, one of four African Americans to head a state system of public higher education. He returned to Atlanta as the president of Clark College in 1988 and led the oversight and planning for the consolidation of Clark College and Atlanta University. He served simultaneously as president of both institutions during the 1988-1989 academic years until his appointment as President of Clark Atlanta University in 1989.

Kelly Miller

This key African American in STEM was born on July 23, 1863 in Winnsboro, South Carolina. He graduated from Howard University in 1886. Was an African American mathematician, sociologist, essayist, newspaper columnist, author, member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and an important figure in the intellectual life of black America for close to half a century. He was the first African-American admitted to Johns Hopkins University when he began his graduate studies in mathematics, physics, and astronomy. Appointed professor of mathematics at Howard in 1890, he introduced sociology into the curriculum in 1895, serving as professor of sociology from 1895 to 1934. As dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, he modernized the classical curriculum, strengthening the natural and social sciences. He graduated from Howard University School of Law in 1903.

Dr. Carolyn Winstead Meyers

When this Key African American in STEM and Invention decided to become a mechanical engineer, her high school guidance counselor tried to discourage her. "My counselor said "You don't know of any black engineers." she earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Howard University. She earned a master's degree in mechanical engineering from the George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta in 1979, and a doctorate in chemical engineering from Georgia Tech in 1984. She completed post doctoral work at Harvard University. On February 3, 2006 she was named President of Norfolk State University and on November 22, 2010 she was named and is currently the President of Jackson State University. She is referred to as "The Diva of Education".