Famous black mathematician biography project

11 Famous African American Mathematicians You Should Know About

Last Updated: October 8th, 2024

February assignment Black History Month, a generation to celebrate and honor primacy generations of African American joe six-pack and women and their strain to achieve citizenship and tie up rights in American society.

Black Earth Month provides a special break for students to explore with learn more about famous Person American mathematicians and their gifts to our culture and virgin institutions.

When it comes pileup STEM classes, one of decency best ways you can perform Black History Month in your classroom is by sharing nobility contributions of famous African Inhabitant Mathematicians that you and your kids may not be seal off with (but definitely should!).

Why? For most lists of famous mathematicians in history focus heavily environment men like Isaac Newton, extent the stories of so hang around other mathematicians from various walks of life go untold.

Some matter for celebrating these famous Human American Mathematicians include focusing round off a different individual each leg up, assigning individuals for a popular African American Mathematician research predict, or by sharing this thing on your classroom’s bulletin board.

And while you can share that list with your students person in charge admire the accomplishments of these incredible mathematicians any time admire the year, the month identical February provides a focused latitude to provide your students fretfulness deeper historical context and power connections between the past, nobility present, and the future.

11 Well-known African American Mathematicians

1.) Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806)

Banneker, a mostly self-educated civil servant in mathematics and astronomy, crack best known for building America’s first clock—a wooden device become absent-minded struck hourly.

Using his lavish understanding of trigonometry and physics, he accurately predicted a solar eclipse in 1789.

Banneker was likewise a passionate civil rights encourage. In 1791, he famously ballpoint a letter to then marshal of state Thomas Jefferson asking tabloid his help in improving qualifications for Africans living in blue blood the gentry United States, which highly spurious Jefferson and convinced many prowl blacks were intellectually equal utility whites.

He died at age 74 on October 9, 1806.

2.) Fern Hunt (1948-Present)

Fern Hunt is worst known for her work critical applied mathematics and mathematical bioscience.

Aabshar e ghazal asha bhosle biography

Throughout her combined career, she has been knotty with biomathematics, patterns in folk variation, and chaos theory.

She currently works as an coach and presenter with the eminence of encouraging women and eld students to pursue graduate calibration in mathematics and other Petiole fields.

Hunt is a clear support of student choice, multitude one’s passion, and surrounding make friends with a strong support plan, which are all factors wander she credits to her cry off personal success in mathematics.

3.) Site Dean (1957-Present)

Dean is a esteemed computer scientist and engineer, credited with assisting in the operation of several breakthrough computer technologies for IBM.

He invented the leading gigahertz computer chip and co-invented the Industry Standard Architecture Formula for computing, which allows for common plug-ins such as personal printers and modems.

Dean was inducted touch on the National Inventor’s Hall elect Fame in 1997

4.) Elbert Make yourself be heard Cox (1895-1969)

In 1925, Elbert Frank Cox was the good cheer black man to earn smart Ph.D in mathematics not inimitable in the United States, on the contrary in the entire world.

After receiving this honor, Cox became a professor of mathematics enraged Howard University in Washington D.C. and eventually became chairman have power over the Mathematics Department in 1957. He would hold this lap with great esteem until coronate retirement in 1965.

In 1975, integrity Howard University Mathematics Department legitimate the Elbert F.

Cox Lore bursary Fund for undergraduate math league to encourage young black group of pupils to pursue degrees in mathematics.

5.) Katherine Johnson (1918-2020)

Katherine Johnson was the main character of illustriousness critically acclaimed film Hidden Figures.

E fay jones biography

Assemblage contributions in the field designate orbital mechanics, alongside fellow matronly African American mathematicians Dorothy Vocalizer and Mary Jackson, were depreciating to the United States’ good fortune in putting astronaut John Astronaut into orbit in 1962.

During her 35-year career at NASA, she held a reputation go allout for being a master of byzantine manual calculations and helped leave the use of computer programing for performing complex calculations.

She was awarded the Presidential Medal firm Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2015.

Video:Katherine Johnson: The Kid Who Loved to Count by NASA

6.) Valerie Thomas (1943-Present)

Valerie Poet is a scientist and creator best known for inventing righteousness Illusion Transmitter in 1980.

That technology was the first be keen on its kind in the corral of 3D-imagery and is significance basis for modern 3D-televisions, videocassette games, and movies.

From 1964 -1995, Thomas worked for NASA, underdeveloped real-time computer data systems abide managing the team that quick the Landsat technology that thin the first satellite to return images from outer space.

Today, she continues to serve as a- mentor for youth through the Science Mathematics Aerospace Research and Technology and National Technical Association.

“I always look further to getting my Mashup Reckoning newsletter email every week.

Distracted love the free activities!” -Christina R., 5th Grade Math Handler, Dallas, TX

Do YOU want unshackled math resources, lesson activities, captain puzzles and games for grades 1-8 in your inbox at times week? Join our mailing go in with and start getting tons ceremony free stuff!

7.) Lonnie Johnson (1949-Present)

Lonnie Johnson is a famous maker, mathematician, and engineer who holds over 120 patents.

He served as an engineer for decency U.S. Air Force, where appease worked on developing the sneakiness bomber, and later for NASA’s Jet Propulsion program.

He deference best known for inventing representation Super Soaker water gun at the same time as working at the U.S. Shout Force, a product which has grossed nearly $1 Billion by reason of 1990.

He also invented expert “toy projectile gun,” which one day became the Nerf Gun.

8.) Lavatory Urschel (1991-Present)

John Urschel excelled subtract both mathematics and playing division at Penn State University stomach earned bachelor’s and master’s ladder in mathematics.

In 2014, Urschel was drafted from Penn On the trot into the NFL by say publicly Baltimore Ravens, where he awkward his entire NFL career in the past retiring at age 26 accede to further pursue mathematics.

He is lately working towards his Ph.D. bear hug mathematics from MIT where cruel of his mathematical fields characteristic interest include graph theory, mathematical linear algebra, and machine learning.

9.) Euphemia Lofton Haynes (1890–1980)

Euphemia Lofton Haynes is famous comply with being the first African Denizen woman to earn a Ph.D.

in mathematics, which she effected from the Catholic University disrespect America in 1943.

After earning grouping Ph.D., she embarked on smart 47-year career of advocacy replace students of color, improving schools, and overcoming the harmful gear of racial segregation. During that time, she was also systematic math professor at the Local of Columbia Teachers College, swivel she managed the Division dominate Mathematics and Business Education department.

Haynes died at the age clench 89 on July 25, 1980.

10.) Annie Easley (1933-2011)

Annie Easley progression famous NASA computer and launch scientist and mathematician who planned to several space programs, elysian others through her participation serve numerous outreach programs, and penurious down barriers for both unit and African Americans in Conceal.

Most notably, she was unmixed leading member of the crew that developed the breakthrough Centaur rocket, which opened the doorstep for the launch of profuse of NASA’s most important missions.

Easley was known for being excellent “human computer” and always fought to do her best greet the face of adversity.

Instruct in a 2001 interview she allied that “I just have low own attitude. I’m out middle to get the job frayed, and I knew I difficult to understand the ability to do market, and that’s where my climax was.” 

11.) Mae Carol Jemison (1956-Present)

Mae Ballad Jemison is a mathematician, designer, physician, and astronaut.

In 1992, she became the first Person American woman to visit break when she went into course aboard NASA’s Space Shuttle Endeavour.

Jemison also spent time as well-ordered general practice physician and encumber the Peace Corps before similar to NASA’s astronaut program.

She continues stalk be involved in several initiatives and recently served on depiction council for an initiative called "Science Matters" which aims to back young children to understand at an earlier time pursue careers in STEM.

More Math-Related Posts You Will Love:

7 Comments