by
Chinwe
With the movie Hidden Figures set for release on December 25, 2016, IBM and Vanity Fair have partnered up to profile eight diverse trailblazers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (S.T.E.M.). Four of these individuals are black women who have broken barriers in the field and become role models for those of us who have followed their footsteps.
“When I went into space, people asked me about ‘its importance for black girls?’ My answer: ‘It’s certainly a meaningful example for young black girls. And it is also an important example for older white males who are the main gatekeepers to science and engineering. My being an astronaut removes any excuses for them to disregard the potential of girls of color.” – Dr. Mae Jemison for Vanity Fair
1. Dr. Mae Jemison – Physician, Engineer, Designer, Entrepreneur, First Woman of Color to Enter Space
2. Dr. Jedidah Isler – Astrophysicist, Founder and Host of Vanguard: Conversations with Women of Color in S.T.E.M., First Black Woman to Graduate from Yale with a PhD in Astrophysics
3. Kimberly Bryant – Electrical Engineer, Founder of Black Girls CODE (an organization that encourages girls of color from underrepresented communities to enter STEM fields)
4. Dr. Ronke Olabisi – Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Director of the Olabisi Lab at Rutgers (where she and her team study tissue engineering for space travel)
We are so proud of these ladies for paving the way for other black women!
You can read their profiles on Vanity Fair.
5 Responses
Wow! impressed and inspired!
What an amazing group of women. I’m definitely inspired.
Nothing but applause for these Black women. So inspirational for young Black girls to know that we can excel in everything,
Thank you so much for providing this information about these beautiful and accomplished ladies!
Remarkable!