What would the world be like without GPS navigation, satellites, biochemical engineering, and telephone wires? All of these innovations, and countless others, stem from the brilliance of black scientists who dared to ask, “What if?”
In celebration of Black History Month, we’ve curated a list of 10 pioneering black scientists using the profiles, periodicals, and photos available on Gale In Context: Biography. These resources offer a deep dive into the lives and legacies of extraordinary individuals, encouraging students to explore their contributions to scientific progress.
George Washington Carver
“I am a dreamer who dreams, sees visions, and listens always to the still, small voice. I am the trail blazer.”
Best known for discovering 300 uses for peanuts, botanist and horticulturist George Washington Carver (1864–1943) revolutionized agriculture in the southern United States and helped uplift impoverished rural communities.
One of his most enduring legacies is the introduction of crop rotation to the American agricultural industry. After decades of cotton growth, this strategy restored nitrogen to the soil, but left farmers with a surplus of sweet potatoes, peanuts, and other legumes.
Carver’s solutions included hundreds of alternative uses for these excess crops, from creating peanut-based dyes to milling sweet potatoes into flour. He then brought these ideas back to farmers and introduced some of the earliest examples of biochemical engineering to these rural communities.
Henry Ford said of Carver’s work, “[He] has taken Thomas Edison’s place as the world’s greatest living scientist.”
Percy Lavon Julian
“I don’t think that you can possibly embrace the kind of joy which one who has worked with plants and plant structures such as I have over a period of nearly 40 years, how wonderful the plant laboratory seems.”
Percy Lavon Julian (1899–1975) was a visionary scientist who reshaped modern medicine through his work in synthetic chemistry.
Despite facing intense racial barriers, Julian’s scientific ingenuity secured him more than 130 chemical patents. Many of these pertained to plant-derived synthetic steroids and hormones, including testosterone, progesterone, and physostigmine—a drug used to treat glaucoma, a debilitating eye disease.
His work earned him a director position at Chicago’s Glidden Laboratories, where he secured his most celebrated achievement. This so-called “Compound S” was a synthetic steroid extracted from soybeans that made it possible to mass-produce cortisone for treating chronic pain conditions like arthritis.
Katherine Johnson
“I don’t have a feeling of inferiority. Never had. I’m as good as anybody, but no better.”
Katherine Johnson (1918–2020) joined NASA as one of the agency’s “human computers,” helping to secure victory in the Space Race by mapping out Alan Shepard’s Freedom 7 flight in 1961.
Over her three-decade career, Johnson continued to make safe space exploration possible. Her calculations were so precise that John Glenn trusted only Johnson to verify his 1962 orbital flight calculations. Skeptical of the new computer’s accuracy, Glenn famously said, “If she says they’re good, then I am ready to go.”
Her brilliance with numbers and love for the stars broke racial and gender barriers in aerospace exploration. In recognition of this, President Obama honored her with a Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015.
Dr. Edward Bouchet
“His name belongs among the pioneers of Afro-American science and education for the part he played as a role model and inspiration to hundreds of students who sat in his classroom or worked in his laboratory.” –Physicist Dr. Ronald E. Mickens on Dr. Edward Bouchet
Dr. Edward Bouchet (1852–1918) made history in 1876 as the first African American to earn a doctorate in the United States upon his graduation from the physics program at Yale University.
Although his research potential was vast, the racial climate of the time severely limited his access to university-level teaching positions or research institutions. Instead, Bouchet dedicated his life to educating future generations at historically black institutions, spending much of his career at the Institute for Colored Youth in Philadelphia.
Bouchet inspired countless students to pursue their own careers in science.
Dr. Marie M. Daly
“Courage is like—it’s a habitus, a habit, a virtue: you get it by courageous acts. It’s like you learn to swim by swimming. You learn courage by couraging.”
In 1947, Dr. Marie M. Daly (1921–2003) became the first African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry in the United States.
Her groundbreaking research at Columbia University focused on the relationship between cholesterol and heart disease, advancing our understanding of how diet influences cardiovascular health. Daly’s work also explored how high blood pressure impacts the arteries before heart attacks and strokes.
Beyond her research, Daly fiercely advocated for diversity in the sciences and established scholarship programs to support minority students pursuing medical and graduate degrees.
Gladys West
“I carried that load round, thinking that I had to be the best that I could be . . . to set an example for other people who were coming behind me, especially women.”
Gladys West (b. 1930) is celebrated for her groundbreaking work that made the Global Positioning System (GPS) possible.
Hired as a mathematician at the Naval Proving Ground (now the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division), West helped develop the mathematical models and algorithms that allowed satellites to deliver highly accurate geographic data. Her efforts refined the technology that powers GPS, now the worldwide standard for navigation and mapping systems.
Though her achievements went largely unrecognized for years, West has since earned acclaim, including her induction into the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Pioneers Hall of Fame in 2018.
Annie Easley
“But my thing is, if I can’t work with you, I will work around you. I was not about to be [so] discouraged that I’d walk away. That may be a solution for some people, but it’s not mine.”
Behind NASA’s earliest software was a computer scientist and mathematician who shaped modern space technology, Annie Easley (1933–2011).
Easley worked on complex computer programs that analyzed rocket propulsion and energy conversion systems. These analytics informed the development of the Centaur rocket and, later, satellite and space exploration launches.
Following the successful Centaur launch in 1958, Easley worked in the flight software department of the Lewis Research Center, where she continued progressing on energy-focused programs.
Walter Lincoln Hawkins
“If you fight hard, know who you are, and are proud of who you are, you’ve got a good chance of winning.”
Chemist and engineer Walter Lincoln Hawkins (1911–92) propelled telecommunications into the future by developing a durable, lightweight plastic coating for telephone wires.
This sheathing allowed wires to withstand harsh outdoor conditions, dramatically extending their lifespan over the more expensive and less reliable lead-based coatings previously used. Hawkin’s invention fueled the accessibility and affordability of telephone services worldwide.
In addition to using his knowledge of polymer chemistry to create plastics, he championed sustainability by creating a method to recycle the material. His leadership and ingenuity earned Hawkins the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 1992.
Alexa Canady
“The greatest challenge I faced in becoming a neurosurgeon was believing it was possible.”
Dr. Alexa Canady (b. 1950) broke barriers in 1976 when she became the first black woman to enter the field of neurosurgery.
Her specialization in pediatrics drove her to advance treatment methods for hydrocephalus, a condition that causes excessive fluid in the brain. She improved the design and functionality of the shunt, a medical device that drains this fluid to relieve pressure, reducing infections and malfunctions, and leading to a higher chance of successful procedures in young patients.
In 1984, Dr. Canady continued to trailblaze as the first black woman to become a board-certified neurosurgeon, and again in 1989, when she was inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame.
Mae Carol Jemison
“I felt like I had a right to be anywhere in this universe, that I belonged here as much as any speck of stardust, any comet, any planet.”
In 1992, Mae Carol Jemison (b. 1956) made history aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour as the first black woman to travel into space.
Before joining NASA, Jemison earned a chemical engineering degree from Stanford and a medical degree from Cornell University, making her particularly well-suited for space flight. Her eight-day mission involved experimentation on weightlessness and motion sickness.
Following her historic flight, Jemison has dedicated her time to encouraging more women and minorities to enter STEM through her “the three Es”—experience, expectation, and exposure.
Inspire the Next Generation with Gale
The legacies of these scientists demonstrate how diversity in science acts as a catalyst for discovery. Each of these brilliant minds brought with them different perspectives, disciplines, experiences, and insights that led to paradigm-shifting advancements in their fields that might never have been realized without their contributions.
Gale In Context: Biography provides educators with in-depth profiles and multimedia resources to connect students with new perspectives and inspire them to see new possibilities for their futures.
To see what Gale can do to spark curiosity in your learners, please contact a sales representative to request a trial.