African Americans contributions in STEM

By Runako Gulstone and Contributing Editor Cora Atkinson 

 

STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. It is an umbrella under which some of the most prominent academic and professional disciplines fall under. STEM includes professions such as law, medicine and technology and together they represent industries that thrive on innovation. They are also industries that people of color have been contributing to for generations upon generations. 

Although STEM as an acronym may be fairly new, the history of African American leaders in STEM is not. Consider pioneers like Garrett Morgan, inventor of the traffic light and gas mask.  Agricultural scientist George Washington Carver, who in addition to being credited for creating the tasty snack, peanut butter contributed numerous recipes for improvements of products we use today ranging from axle grease to soap. It is important that this generation of young people continue this legacy.

STEM is in our lives every day.  For instance, take your personal life line the Smartphone.  Its ability to check your e-mail, access multiple social media accounts and have an app for almost anything you can think of required someone working in the STEM field to produce this technology.  These professional were trained in designing and maintaining layers and layers of data and code to make it all work. How about the equipment you use when participating in sports?  In order to make sports equipment better and safer, people who are knowledgeable about physics are often consulted. Also the weather person who gives us the latest info in the morning before we begin our day at school is often trained in atmospheric sciences which are used to predict and distinguish a rainy afternoon from a hurricane or other natural disaster.

STEM professionals do all of these things and much more. Their skills are being put to use in a host of innovative ways. Why shouldn’t you be one of them?  Not convinced?  Here are more members of the STEM community you should know.

Benjamin Banneker – Designed the layout for Washington D.C. 

Lewis Latimer - Invented an important component to make the light bulb work; worked with Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell 

Benjamin Carson – World renowned surgeon, known for being the 1^st surgeon to successfully separate conjoined twins

Janet Emerson Bashen - The first African American female to hold a patent for a software invention.

Marie Brown - The first video home security system was patented

Jan Ernst Matzeliger -  invented a key piece of shoe making technology that helped increase shoe production by 90%

Madam C.J. Walker - invented many hair products for African American women; known as the 1st African American female millionaire

Dr. Patricia E. Bath - invented a surgical technique that has helped many blind people see