The Most Outstanding African Americans in Science

February marks Black History Month, and while it’s the perfect time to pay tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, they’re far from the only figures who made a difference in this community.

For example, in the field of science, tributes to Albert Einstein and Marie Curie are often seen, but African Americans who also made groundbreaking discoveries are often left out. That’s why here we highlight some of the most influential and inspiring members of this scientific community.

George Washington Carver

George Washington Carver, born into slavery, became a famous botanist, inventor and teacher. He developed more than 300 uses for peanuts and various methods to reverse the damage caused by years of soil depletion on cotton fields.

Carver was appointed a Fellow of Britain’s Royal Society of Arts, a rare honor for an American, and advised such prominent leaders as Mahatma Gandhi and President Teddy Roosevelt on issues of agriculture and nutrition. Today, Carver stands out as the “Father of Chemistry” in the USDA Hall of Heroes.

Edward Boucher

Physicist and educator Edward Boucher was the first African American to receive a doctorate from any American university. In addition, he was one of the first twenty Americans of any race to receive a doctorate in physics.

Unfortunately, due to discrimination, he had problems finding a job as a teacher after graduation. However, he did so at the Institute for Colored Youth in Philadelphia, where he taught physics and chemistry for 26 years. Today, the American Physical Society’s Edward A. Boucher Award recognizes “outstanding minority physicists” for significant contributions to the field.

Marie M. Daley

Marie Maynard Daley was the first African American woman to receive a doctorate in chemistry in the United States. She then served as a professor at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University and later at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva University. He also established the Queens College Scholarship, which provides funds to minorities studying chemistry or physics.

Daly played a vital role in research into several key health issues, including creatine absorption, protein synthesis, and the interaction of cholesterol and hypertension. It also offered new insights into how food and diet can affect heart and circulatory health.

Annie Easley

Easley was a computer scientist, mathematician and astronaut who worked for NASA as a “human computer”, performing complex mathematical calculations. His work began with the National Aeronautics Advisory Committee at the Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory. It later became NASA’s Lewis Research Center and is now known as the John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field.

Easley then grew with technology, becoming an expert programmer and helping develop and implement code for numerous projects over an impressive career spanning more than three decades. His work was instrumental in the development of renewable energy projects and Project Centaur, which paved the way for the launch of many spacecraft and satellites.

Neil deGrasse Tyson

Neil deGrasse Tyson may be a household name, but many people only know him because of his humorous performances in films such as Zoolander 2. He has a wonderful sense of humor, but that’s just the beginning.

Tyson also made his mark as director of the Hayden Planetarium, advisor to President George W. Bush and host of several television programs. He has a way of breaking down complex scientific concepts in a way that ordinary people can understand. For this reason, he has received many awards over the years, including the National Geographic Society’s Hubbard Medal and the National Academy of Sciences’ Public Welfare Medal.

Alexa Canada

Alexa Canady, the first African American neurosurgeon in the United States, was also the first African American woman certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery. She specialized in pediatric neurosurgery and became chief of the neurosurgery department at Children’s Hospital. Under his leadership, the department soon became one of the best in the country.

Gladys West

Gladys West was born and raised in Virginia. She used her knowledge of mathematics and programming to invent an accurate model of the Earth, which formed the basis for the creation of the Global Positioning System (GPS). She was the second black woman to serve in the Naval Surface Warfare Center’s Dahlgren Division and was inducted into the U.S. Air Force Hall of Fame, one of the highest honors bestowed by the Air Force.

Percy Julian

Percy Julian was a research chemist and pioneer in the chemical synthesis of drugs from plants such as cortisone, steroids and birth control pills. For his work, he was inducted into the National Academy of Sciences, the National Inventors Hall of Fame, and the American Chemical Society.

Mae Carol Jamison

Mae Carol Jemison, an American engineer, physician and NASA astronaut, became the first African American woman in space when she entered orbit aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor on September 12, 1992.