Looking for ways to help the children you know celebrate Black History Month? Introduce them to these stellar role models!
Click the titles below to learn more about each scientist.
George Washington Carver, Botanist & Inventor
George Washington Carver was a world-renowned American botanist who devoted his life’s work to helping farmers successfully grow their crops. A lover of nature with a keen intellect and desire to help people better their lives, Carver used his knowledge to make American farms flourish, which helped the nation as a whole.
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Ed Dwight, Astronaut
Hear Ed Dwight’s firsthand account of his experience and the challenges he faced as the nation’s first black astronaut trainee in this video adapted from Chasing the Moon | American Experience. Urged by U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy to admit a Black man into its astronaut training program, NASA selected Dwight in 1962. However, the program’s leaders later undercut his historic achievement and kept him from becoming an astronaut. Many believe this was due to racial politics.
Mae Jemison, Astronaut
Meet astronaut Mae Jemison in this video profile from NOVA’s “The Secret Life of Scientists & Engineers.” As a child growing up in Chicago, Mae dreamed of traveling to outer space. Years later, while in medical school, she decided to follow that dream and applied to become a NASA astronaut. Mae eventually became the first African American woman to go into space. On her voyage, she brought a number of artifacts onboard that symbolized underrepresented figures in African American history.
Katherine Johnson, Mathematician
Examine the life and career of NASA computer Katherine Johnson, and engage students in a discussion of the qualities Johnson exhibited that helped her break racial and gender barriers.
Lonnie Johnson, Inventor, Aerospace Engineer
Ever since he was a teenager, engineer Lonnie Johnson has been winning awards for his creative inventions. His most popular invention is the Supersoaker, everyone's favorite squirt gun. He discusses the inspritation and development process of the ubiquitous summer toy.
Learn about the education of chemist Percy Julian. Julian's early educational years paralleled an educational movement that prepared African Americans for industrial jobs, the growing white supremacist movement, and the rise of the Ku Klux Klan. Julian would eventually move north, and finally to Europe to earn his Ph.D.
- First black chemist to publish a research paper as senior author and oversaw publication of 11 undergraduates' papers.
- Founded Julian Labortories which employed more black chemists than any other facility in America.
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Neil deGrasse Tyson, Astrophysicist
In this video profile from NOVA scienceNOW: "The Secret Life of Scientists & Engineers," meet astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, who was “called” to study the cosmos at the age of nine. Tyson describes the two events that influenced his decision to become an astrophysicist: first, a live planetarium show, and, two years later, receiving his first telescope. From then on, he was hooked.
More Resources for Black History Month
Black History Month Resources for Educators and Families
20 Ways to Celebrate Black History Month
New Collection - Great Migrations: A People on the Move
Black History Month | All About the Holidays
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