African American Innovators

Teaching Pre K-8, Feb 2007 by Cowens, John

Introduce your students to some of the countless contributions African American men and women have made to science

One rainy Sunday, I was listening to the CD titled Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder. One particular song, "Black Man." is a history lesson that cites contributions people of all races have made to lienefit humankind. The chorus offers a wonderful reminder:

"We pledge allegiance

Allottr lives

To the magic colors

Red, blue and white

But we all must he given

The liberty that we defend

For with justice not for all men

History will repeat again

It's time we learned

This world was made for all men."

The greatest odds

Most black slaves were not allowed to receive a formal education, and even free blacks were limited to mainstream education and vocational training. Basically, blacks were denied professional positions and restricted to industrial work such as domestic services, agriculture and manual trades. Despite these restrictions, many extraordinary, talented African American men and women were still able to obtain an education and make great contributions for humankind.

Here is a sampling of African Americans who made, and continue to make, great contributions in science. (For a more comprehensive list, go to www.TeachingK8.com and click on "Online Extras.") Following are also some activities with which to introduce your students to these remarkable individuals.

AGRICULTURE

George Washington Carver (1864 or '65-1943) was burn into slavery in Missouri. Carver developed hundreds of applications for farm products important to the economy of the south, including peanuts, sweet potatoes, soybeans and pecans.

ASTRONOMY

Dr. Neil deC.rasse Tyson ( 1958- ) is the youngest Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York City.

Dr. Arthur Bertram Cuthbert Walker II ( 1936-2001 ) was a solar physicist and X-ray astronomer who chaired the presidential commission that investigated the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.

BIOLOGY

Dale Emeagwali ( 195-1- ) has advanced the understanding of what causes cancer in the blood. She received the 1996 National Technical Association's Scientist of the Year Award in the field of cancer research.

Roger Arliner Young ( 1889-1964) was the first black woman to conduct and publish research in the field of zoology, and the first African American woman to receive a doctorate degree.

CHEMISTRY

Ida Stephen Owens ( 192!)- ) performed research at the National Institutes of I lealth and shed light on how the human body defends itself against poison.

Bertram O. Fraser-Reid ( 1934- ) is a member of the team that developed a strategy for making oligosaccharides (links of simple sugar). Hopefully, his research might contribute to medical breakthroughs in the treatment of AIDS.

COMPUTER SCIENCE

Clarence EIIIs (1943- ) was the first African American to receive a degree in computer science.

John P. Moon ( 1938- ) helped create the devices that store and retrieve data generated by computers. He is Apple Computer's v.p. for peripherals engineering.

INVENTIONS

Bessie Blount ( 1914-) is a forensic scientist and physical therapist. She invented a device called the portable receptacle support, which allows amputees to feed themselves by biting a tube that delivered one mouthful of food at a time.

Michael Croslin (1933-1989) received more than 40 patents for inventions including a computerized blood pressure machine and an intravenous pump used to dispense exact dosages of medication.

Lonnie G. Johnson ( 1949- ) held over 20 patents and created the Super Soaker® water gun, which has grossed over a million dollars in retail sales.

MEDICINE

Cesar, an 18th-century slave, was granted his freedom and a pension by the South Carolina General Assembly for his discovery of a cure for rattlesnake bites.

Benjamin Carson ( 1951- ) is a pediatric neurosurgeon renowned for successfully performing the intricate surgery that separated twins conjoined at the head.

Justina Ford (1871-1952) was Colorado's only black physician, delivering nearly 7,000 babies, and making all of her house calls by streetcar or taxicab.

NASA ASTRONAUTS AND SCIENTISTS

Colonel Gulon "Guy" BIu ford (1942- ) was the first African American in space, traveling aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger as a mission specialist on its third flight (its first with a night launch and night landing) in August 1983.

Ronald E. McNair ( 1950-1986) was one of 35 candidates chosen from a pool of 10,000 for astronaut training. He died during launch on the Space Shuttle Challenger on January 28. 1986.

Mae C. Jemlson ( 1956- ) holds a doctorate in medicine and was the first African American woman in space.

"Ozzie" Williams ( 1921- ) developed small rocket engines that would steer the lunar landing modules on Project Apollo missions.

PHYSICS

Edward Alexander Bouchet (1852-1918) became the first African American and the sixth American of any race to earn a Ph.D. in Physics.

Lawnie Taylor ( 192(1-) plans and directs programs for the Department of Energy that promote/support commercialization of newly developed solar techniques.