Mr. Gregory Oliver Hines

February 13, 2018 mele2b@yahoo.com Leave a comment

Mr. Gregory Oliver Hines was born on February 14, 1946, in New York City to Alma Iola (Lawless) and Maurice Robert Hines. As a child, Hines began to tap dance and studied under a number of veteran tap dancers, so it was no surprise that he would later launch a successful Broadway, television and film career. Alongside his brother, he began making nightclub appearances as “The Hines Kids”, later known as “The Hines Brothers”, going on to incorporate their father as a drummer becoming, “Hines, Hines, and Dad”.

Hines then went on to become the lead vocalist o Severance, a rock band, where he received an opportunity to reach number one on the Billboard R&B charts singing a duet with Luther Vandross. In the film world, Hines has been seen on the big screen in a number of films and television series, even starring in his own, “The Gregory Hines Show” on CBS. He then went on to debut on Broadway, earning a number of Tony Award Nominations and going on to win two others. Mr. Hine went on to create and host his own show “Gregory Hines’ Tap Dance in America”, hosting tap dance professionals and led to an opportunity to co-host the Tony Awards ceremony twice.

During his career, Hones advocated for tap dance as an art form in America, going as far to create National Tap Dance Day. He served on the board of directors for and as a member of a number of tap dance organizations. He has taught and influenced dance artists, as he has credited dance to be the main influencer of his life leading to the list of awards and nominations he has accumulated throughout his professional career. On August 9, 2003, Hines passed in Los Angeles California., but his legacy as a Black STEAMer lives on in his art.

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Black History

Dr. Martha Euphemia Lofton Haynes

February 12, 2018 mele2b@yahoo.com Leave a comment

Dr. Martha Euphemia Lofton Haynes was born as Martha Euphemia Lofton on September 11, 1890, to Dr. William Lofton and Mrs. Lavina Day Lofton in Washington, D.C. Haynes earned her Bachelor’s of Arts in Mathematics from Smith College. She then went on to earn her Master’s of Education and further graduate study in mathematics from the University of Chicago. At the time, she founded the math department at Miner Teachers College, which is now known as the University of the District of Columbia. Haynes later became a professor at the college and headed the math department as she worked to earn her Ph.D., degree from the Catholic University of America in mathematics, making herself the first African American woman with that title.

After Dr. Lofton completed her doctorate, she began influencing the academics in the D.C. areas, teaching math at a number of high schools, being a professor at the District of Columbia Teacher College, and chairing the Division of Mathematics and Business Education. Within her distinguished career positions and even through retirement, Haynes advocated for poor students and better school systems, playing an instrumental role in changing the face of the education system namely desegregation of public school and opposition to the tack system. As a result of her service to the Catholic Church and community, she earned a Papal medal, “Pro Ecclesia and Pontifex”, in 1959.

Dr. Haynes later joined the District of Columbia Board of Education and became the president as she continued the fight against racial segregation. On July 25, 1980, at the age of 89, Haynes passed. As her legacy would suggest, she gifted the Catholic University of America with $700,000 from her estate, which endowed a chair and student loan fund in the department of education. Through her excellence as a mathematician and her activism within the educational community, Dr. Haynes embodied what it means to be a Black STEAMer.

If you or someone you know is eligible, apply for the Ron Brown Scholar Program for African American Students! http://www.scholarshipsonline.org/2012/04/ron-brown-scholar-program.html

Sources:

https://www.biography.com/people/euphemia-lofton-haynes-21465777
http://www.blackpast.org/aah/haynes-martha-euphemia-lofton-1890-1980
http://www.math.buffalo.edu/mad/PEEPS/haynes.euphemia.lofton.html

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Black History

Dr. Emmett W. Chappelle

February 9, 2018 mele2b@yahoo.com Leave a comment

Dr. Emmett W. Chappelle was born on October 25, 1925, to Viola White and Isom Chappelle in Phoenix, Arizona. Immediately after his Phoenix Union Colored High School graduation, Chappelle was drafted into the U.S. Army, where he was assigned to the Army Specialized Training Program. During the program, he took engineering courses until he was reassigned to the all-Black 92nd Infantry Division in Italy. When he returned to the U.S., Chappelle earned his associate’s degree from Phoenix College and Bachelor’s of Science from the University of California at Berkeley, which allowed him to teach Biochemistry, remarkably without graduate training, and conduct his own research that was recognized by the scientific community. He then accepted the opportunity to earn his Master’s of Science in Biology with a focus on Biochemistry from the University of Washington and went on to begin his Ph.D. at Stanford.

Instead of finishing his degree, Chappelle entered the workforce and joined the Research Institute for Advanced Studies in Baltimore, where he helped create safe oxygen supplies for astronauts and ultimately received his first U.S. patent. He then worked for Hazleton Laboratories, before starting with NASA. At NASA, he was an Exobiologist and Astrochemist who pioneered the development of the ingredients that make the cellular material, the techniques still used to detect bacteria, and laser-induced fluorescence to sensitively detect plant stress. He then worked for Goddard Space Flight Center as a scientific analyst who monitored remote sensing devices.

In 2001, Chappelle retired from NASA, with a credit of 14 U.S. patents, over 35 peer-reviewed scientific or technical publications, nearly 50 conference papers, and co-authorship or editorship of a number of publications. He has been recognized for his achievements, notably earning the Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal from NASA, a member of five scientific societies, and in 2007 was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of fame. Throughout his career as a scientist who made valuable contributions in the Medical, Philanthropic, Food Science and Astrochemical fields, Chappelle has mentored minority high school and college students. Now he has retired alongside his wife, after passing down the torch to future generations of Black STEAMers.

If you or someone you know is eligible, apply for the NASA Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Bridge Scholarship! http://vsgc.odu.edu/sf/Bridge/

Sources

Black History

Kimberly Bryant

February 8, 2018 mele2b@yahoo.com Leave a comment

Kimberly Bryant was born on January 14, 1967, in Memphis Tennessee. She grew up as a self-proclaimed “girly-girl” with aspirations to become a lawyer that was later geared towards engineering due to her strong academic performance in both math and science. She earned her Bachelor’s of Engineering in Electrical Engineering from Vanderbilt University. At Vanderbilt, she studied high voltage electronics but felt culturally isolated as she pursued her studies. Her grit and resilience granted her the opportunity to enter the workforce and land jobs as an Engineering Manager at Westinghouse Electric and later DuPont. She made the switch from electrical companies to biotechnical companies working in the corporate ecosphere of Silicon Valley. She then moved on to Fortune 100 pharmaceutical companies of which, Pfizer, Merck, and Genentech.

After experiencing the underrepresentation of women in the technological industry, Bryant went on to leave Corporate America and found, Black Girls Code, her own company. Black Girls Code is a non-profit organization charged with teaching computer programming to school-age girls in after-school and summer programs. The program is based in San Francisco with a goal to teach one million black girls how to code by 2040, inspired by her daughter’s interest in the computer programming. The program has already made strides towards its goal of one million and has trained 3,000 girls and is looking to expand in other cities across the globe.

Kimberly Bryant has been recognized as a the CNN 10: Visionary Women, a White House Champion of Change for Tech Inclusion, one of the 25 Most Influential African Americans in Technology and a Pahara-Aspen Education Fellow among a number of other honors. She serves on the Champions Board of the National Girls Collaborative Project and the board of the National Center for Women & Information Technology’s K-12 Alliance. She has already made great strides as a Black STEAMer and continues to be on the rise.

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Black History

Dr. Aprille Joy Ericsson-Jackson

February 7, 2018 mele2b@yahoo.com Leave a comment

Dr. Aprille Joy Ericsson-Jackson was born in Brooklyn, New York on April 1, 1963, to Corrinne Elaine Breedy and Henry Anthon Ericsson. She excelled in her early academics and extracurricular activities, which gave her the opportunity at the age of 15 to attend the Cambridge School of Weston on a full scholarship. Her academic and extracurricular (including Girl Scouts, marching band, and basketball) success continued and she was accepted into the UNITE, now MITE, Minority Introduction to Engineering, Entrepreneurship and Science program. Afterward, she went on to earn her Bachelor’s of Science in Aeronautical/ Astronautical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she was involved in important research projects. After encouragement from a friend and Howard alum, she earned both her Masters of Engineering and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace from Howard University in Washington D.C., making herself the first woman to receive a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Howard. During her graduate studies, Ericsson-Jackson interned with the Goddard Space Flight Center and was offered a full-time job as an Aerospace Engineer. She also became the first female African-American to receive a Ph.D. in Engineering at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

Throughout her journey, Dr. Ericsson-Jackson has won a number of awards and recognition, one of which was the 2016 Prestigious Washington Award in recognition of her accomplishments as an engineer that have promoted the happiness, comfort, and well-being of humanity. In addition to her work, Ericsson has taught Mechanical Engineering and mathematics at Howard and Bowie State Universities and Aerospace theory at HU Public Charter Middle School of Math & Science. She also serves as a motivational speaker and on NASA’s speaker’s bureau. She supports strong STEM education in schools with a specific emphasis on women and minorities in related fields even going as far as to create an email pipeline to announce federal grants and jobs to under-represented groups in technology. Dr. Ericsson-Jackson has made a number of noteworthy contributions in the field of Aerospace Engineering, serving as project manager or engineer for a number of science instruments.

She currently serves as the New Business Lead Instrument Systems and Technology Division for NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, which is a federal program that enables small business to support NASA- and collaborate with universities in competition for opportunities to provide technology that solves problems. She hopes to continue her work and become a full-time professor, develop a university satellite research center, create and chair an Aerospace department at Howard, become a mission specialist for the astronaut program, and become an advisor or liaison to the White House for Science, Technology, and Education policies. With her continued success in pursuing Aerospace Engineering after being placed on medical review when applying for NASA’s astronaut program, Dr. Ericsson-Jackson in not only a pioneering role model in Engineering but also a Black STEAMer, still on the rise.

If you or someone you know is eligible, apply for the NASA Virginia Space Grant Consortium 2018-19 STEM Bridge Scholarship Program! http://vsgc.odu.edu/sf/Bridge/

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Links to Pictures:

Picture 1- https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a010900/a010911/G2012-012_Aprille_Ericsson_ipod_lg.00252_print.jpg

Picture 2- http://geekgirlcon.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/aprille-at-work-300×300.jpg

Picture 3- https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2016/nasa-goddard-s-aprille-ericsson-wins-prestigious-washington-award

Picture 4- https://techbridgegirls.org/ericsson-aprille.jpg

Black History, Uncategorized

Oscar Micheaux

February 6, 2018 mele2b@yahoo.com Leave a comment

Mr. Oscar Micheaux’s early personal history is somewhat unknown. He was reported to be born in or near Metropolis, Illinois, on January 2, 1884, to Belle and Calvin Michaux (the original spelling of Micheaux’s last name). At the age of 17, Micheaux moved to Chicago where he worked as a Pullman porter before moving to South Dakota, where he purchased land to farm and write. He used his life experiences during the time as the material to write and self-publish his first book, The Conquest: The Story of a Negro Pioneer.

After financial hardship, Micheaux moved to Sioux City Iowa and established his own publishing entity, the Western Book Supply Company where he released a sequel to The Conquest, called The Homesteader and his third novel, The Forged Note. He sold these books as a door-to-door salesman in small towns and to white business owners and community members. The Homesteader became the first full-length feature produced by an African American filmmaker. To do so he converted his publishing organization to the Micheaux Film and Book Company, selling stock to raise money for the production.

He continued to make films for the next three decades, as he is thought to have written, produced and directed more than 40 films. Micheaux provided a platform form black actors as a reaction to a both segregated Hollywood industry and society. These movies served as both a challenge to racial segregation and an alternative outlet for black moviegoers of the time. During a promotional tour, on March 25, 1951, Mr. Micheaux passed in Charlotte, North Carolina. He was laid to rest at the Great Bend Cemetery in Kansas with a headstone inscription that reads, “A Man Ahead of His Time.” Mr. Micheaux posthumously received the Golden Jubilee Special Director’s Award and a star on Hollywood Boulevard’s Walk of Fame. He has truly paved the way for the number of Black STEAMers to follow.

If you or someone you know is eligible, apply for the Walt Disney UNCF Corporate Scholars Program!

https://scholarships.uncf.org/Program/Details/ec61cf31-2a85-41a7-9872-2cd05c4b0b55

Black History

Dr. Dudley W. Woodward

February 5, 2018 mele2b@yahoo.com Leave a comment

Dr. Dudley W. Woodward was born in Galveston, Texas on October 3, 1881, to a supportive family, in the midst of racial discrimination throughout his educational journey. He earned his Bachelor’s of Arts and Bachelors of Science in Mathematics from Wilberforce University in Ohio. Then his Masters of Science in Mathematics from the University of Chicago. Next, he worked towards his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, becoming the second person of African American to earn a Ph.D. in Mathematics, second to his mentor, Elbert Frank Cox. His numerous degrees and notoriety as a scholar, allowed him to be among the gifted mathematicians in the nation.

During his career, he published three papers, the second of which is believed to be the first paper published in an international accredited mathematics journal by an African American. He was a collegiate level professor of mathematics at prestigious schools including Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, the University of Chicago, and Howard University eventually becoming the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Woodard’s career flourished at Howard, where he devoted his professional life to the promotion of excellence in mathematics by serving as a respected mathematician, professor, and mentor to his students. He established a mathematics graduate program, gathered the support for a mathematics library, sponsored both visiting professorships and seminars.

In his personal life, Dr. Woodward was known as a man of high intelligence and dignity, often using the phrase, “Black is beautiful”, resisting segregated barriers of restrooms, theatres, restaurants, and housing. He retired in 1947 after holding the title of chairman of the department, steadily advancing Howard’s mathematics program. Dr. Woodward passed on July 1, 1965, but against all odds he became an African American pioneer in the field of mathematics, leaving behind his mark as a Black STEAMer.

Sources:

http://www.math.buffalo.edu/mad/PEEPS/woodard_dudleyw.html
http://www.archives.upenn.edu/histy/features/aframer/math.html

Dudley Weldon Woodard: Respected Mathematician, Professor, Mentor at Howard University

http://www.myblackhistory.net/Dudley_Woodard.htm

If you or someone you know is eligible, apply for the Bison STEM Scholars Program for high-achieving high school students! https://www2.howard.edu/scholarships/bison-stem-scholars

* Joi Hyper link

*Dad list with sources

Picture 1: http://www.myblackhistory.net/dudleywoodard.jpg

Black History

Dr. Marie Maynard Daly

February 2, 2018 mele2b@yahoo.com Leave a comment

Dr. Marie Maynard Daly

Dr. Marie Maynard Daly was born in Corona, Queens, New York City on April 16, 1921, to Ivan C. Daly and Helen H. Page. With an early and encouraged interest in science, she earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Chemistry from Queens College in New York graduating among the top 2.5% of students in her class. She then went on to earn both master’s and Ph.D. degrees from New York University and Columbia University, working as a laboratory assistant and chemistry tutor respectively. With her thesis advisor, she discovered how chemicals produced in the body contribute to food digestion. She then went on to conduct research and work as a physical science instructor at Howard University and was awarded an American Cancer Society grant in support of her postdoctoral research on the composition and metabolism of components in the cell nucleus.

Daly began to research the effects of aging, hypertension, and atherosclerosis on the metabolism of the arterial wall in the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University. She received a number of fellowships, awards, and destinations as she continued her work moving on to become an assistant, then associate professor of Biochemistry and Medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University. In addition to working in the lab, Daly dedicated herself to increasing the number of minority students in medical school. After her retirement, she established a scholarship for African American Chemistry and Physics majors at Queens College in memory of her father, who was unable to complete his education due to lack of financial resources.

As a scientist, Daly has been a pioneer in research projects surrounding the human body, in particular, the effects of hypertension (high blood pressure) and blockage in arteries leading to a better understanding of how heart attacks are caused. In addition to her scientific work, her legacy has continued, especially after February 26, 2016, when a new elementary school P.S.360Q was named “Dr. Marie M. Daly Academy of Excellence”. Dr. Daly passed on October 28, 2003, but remains a prime example of how early exposure and support in STEM can lead to a fulfilling life as a Black STEAMer.

If you or someone you know is eligible, apply for the Ivan C. and Helen H. Daly Scholarship Endowment! https://qc-cuny.academicworks.com/opportunities/1356

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Black History

Black History Month Campaign

February 1, 2018 mele2b@yahoo.com Leave a comment

Dr. Frank S. Greene, Jr., was born in Washington D.C. on October 19, 1938, to Frank S, Greene, Sr. and Irma Oliva Swygert. He earned his Bachelor’s of Science in Electrical Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis where he was among the first black students. He then went on to earn a Master’s of Science in Electrical Engineering at Purdue University. Afterwards, he served four years in the U.S. Air Force as an Electronics Officer developing high-performance computers for the National Security Agency and later became an air force captain. He then worked for Fairchild Semiconductor in research and development of a patented memory chip design. He also went on to further his education in the 1970s as he obtained his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at Santa Clara University.

Outside of the classroom, he pursued his business interest in the fields of computers and technology, as he became the founding Chief Executive Officer of Technology Development Corporation, which grew to become a successful computer software and technology services company. Additionally, he founded Zero One Systems, Incorporated an offshoot of his previous business. He later co-founded a venture capital firm that specialized in funding women and minority-owned businesses called New Vista Capital and subsequent New Vista Capital Funds. In addition to his work in the industry, he has shared his expertise in academia through teaching Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the university level.

As a result of his achievements and life of helping others he has been recognized with a number of prestigious awards and has even became the namesake of a program administered by the California Alliance of African-American educators called the Dr. Frank S. Greene, Jr., Scholars Program, a science, technology, and math initiative for African-American students. He has also founded the Go-Positive Foundation aimed to spread VRE: Vision, Relationship, Execution, a training tool he has developed. He was apart of a number of community organizations, as he created a history of service to others. Dr. Frank Greene Jr. died on December 26, 2009, but his legacy as a scientist, educator, parent, mentor, venture capitalist, entrepreneur, role model and now Black STEAMer still remains.

If you or someone you know is eligible, apply for the Dr. Frank S. Greene Scholars Program! www.greenescholars.org

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