Due Sunday, February 11
It’s Black history month! For this assignment, you will write a short profile or biography of a Black mathematician or math educator (or someone else in the Black-in-math community). You will submit your profile as a comment on this post. You have lots of choices for where to find this information and you can use whatever resources you like. Here are two suggestions:
Suggestion 1:
A few years ago, the @BlackInMath account on Twitter hosted #BlackInMathWeek to celebrate living Black mathematicians. It was a really fun week with different Twitter events planned for different days, but it kicked off with a roll call where people in the Black-in-math community introduced themselves. Later in the week, people tweeted about their own Black-in-math journeys. You do not need to have a Twitter account to see these introductions. In particular, check out the hashtags:
Suggestion 2: The awesome website Mathematically Gifted & Black is honoring a new person every day this month. You can check out this year’s honorees or previous years’ on the Circle of Excellence tab at the top of their page. (You can also check out their Instagram page.)
Instructions
Pick one Black mathematician or math educator to learn about. Aside from their MG&B profile or their Twitter introduction, what else can you learn about them? (How has their life changed since their Twitter introduction?) Write a short biography (5 or 6 sentences….or more!) of this person. Include their name and where they are on their math journey (are they a graduate student? a professor? where? do they do research in math? are they involved in the Black math community in some other way?). Include a photo of them if you like. Include the field of math that they study and anything else you can tell us about them! What makes this person so awesome and interesting to you? What questions do you have for them? Include links to the pages where you found information about them.
Submit your profile as a comment on this post below for participation credit
Fun fact
Most of you might be too young to know who the rapper MC Hammer is, but he was a childhood hero of mine. He’s an activist too and in modern times he’s used his Twitter platform to promote different #BlackInSTEM initiatives, including #BlackInMath.
During Black in math week, MC Hammer retweeted and followed my friend Marissa AND IT WAS SO EXCITING!!! (PS, Someone should totally profile Marissa for this assignment because she is a BOSS! BTW she’s no longer a postdoc at Georgia Tech; she’s now a professor at University of Wisconsin–Madison.)
#BlackInMathWeek – Christina Willis
Christina Willis born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana now residing in Fairfax, Virginia is an African American mathematician that works under Boeing as the Maritime Undersea Senior Software Manager. They graduated from Michigan State University with a masters of science for industrial mathematics and from Dillard State University with a bachelors in mathematics. From Michigan state, she went on to serve Boeing for 20 years and is still currently employed under them. They were recently recognized in the Black Math community as an Honoree where they provided insight into their personal life, values, and more. What intrigued me about this person is their occupation at Boeing. As someone who is studying to be a mechanical engineer I found a sense of familiarity as one of the career paths could be in relation to aerospace design/technician. Mrs. Willis continues to serve as an inspiration for people across the world whilst helping to advance technology in her respective field.
Information was gathered from the following links:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/christina-willis-820a9b89
#BLACKINMATHWEEK Marjorie Lee Browne
Marjorie Lee Browne was a mathematics educator who has graduated from Michigan University in 1939. After she received her bachelors degree she taught high school and college math in New Orleans. She became one of the early Black American Woman to earn her PhD in mathematics. Then she went to NCCU where she taught math for 30 years. She received the first W.W. Rankin Memorial award for excellence in mathematics in 1975. She passed away four years later after receiving the award due to a heart attack.
#BlackInMathWeek – Fern Hunt
Mathematician Fern Y. Hunt was born on January 14, 1948 in New York City. She is well-known for her work in applied mathematics and mathematical biology. Throughout her distinguished career, she has worked on biomathematics, patterns in genetic variation, and chaos theory. She is currently employed as an educator and presenter, with the goal of encouraging women and minority students to seek graduate degrees in mathematics and other STEM disciplines. Hunt is a great supporter of student choice, following one’s passion, and surrounded by a solid support system, all of which she attributes to her own personal success in mathematics. A quote that was quite memorable that she had said is, “When You Lose The Battle, Try To Win The Lesson.”
#BlackInMathWeek – Creola Katherine Johnson
Creola Katherine Johnson, came into the world on August 26, 1918, in White Sulphur Springs in West Virginia state. She is a mathematician from America who got much recognition for her important contributions to space travel and exploration. After she finished her studies at West Virginia State College back in the year 1937, she started working with an organization that was before NASA; it was called National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics or NACA short form where her job involved doing calculations by hand like what we now call a human computer. Her exact calculations for the paths of spacecraft were very important in making the Mercury and Apollo space missions successful. Even though she experienced unfair treatment, Johnson’s strong determination helped to open opportunities for women and African Americans in science and technology fields. She got many awards, like the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015. Katherine Johnson’s intelligence and determination despite difficulties have created a lasting impact, motivating so many people around the globe interested in STEM areas.
Biography of Adrian Cartier,
Adrian Cartier (Cofounder & CDO of Freight Science inc.) was raised in Jackson, Mississippi and obtained his Bachelors and PhD in Mathematics from the University of Mississippi. His passion for mathematics started from when he was in the 1st grade as he completed most of 2nd grade Math while still being in the 1st grade. His passion for Math dived deeper once he got accepted into a specialized High School and delved deeper into advanced mathematical concepts. As far as accomplishments regarding his career in mathematical sciences, he was awarded a CIO 100 award during the time of when he worked for IBM TJ Watson Research where he served as the Principal Investigator for a multi-year collaborative research project. Another accomplishment is his time with Freight Science and the tangible value him and his organization provides for their customers is one of the most fulfilling experiences in his career.
Mathematically Gifted and Black – Alvina J. Atkinson
Alvina J. Atkinson was born in New Orleans.She’s been getting a lot of degrees in math.Her first degree was a Bachelor of Science degree in math from Dillard University in New Orleans.Then, she moved to Iowa and completed her Master of Arts degree in math at the University of Northern Iowa.The last degree she recieved was a Ph.D. in pure math from Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama.Then, she became a full-time teacher at Fort Valley State University in Fort Valley, Georgia.Later, she transferred to Georgia Gwinnett College and became a professor.
David Blackwell, a man recognized for being the first African American member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. He entered college at University of Illinois at the age of 16 and worked his way up to a doctorate degree. After working as an instructor and many colleges, he settled at the University of California where he became the institutions first African American tenured professor and the chairman for the statistics department. While working as a consultant at RAND Corporation, he applied game theory to military simulation/situations and proposed the Blackwell Renewal Theorem and the Rao-Blackwell Theorem which are used in engineering and statistics. His idea of using game theory on military situations is what caught my interest. I do wonder how he came up with the idea to apply that theory.
#BlackInMathWeek- Tai-Danae Bradley
Tai-Danae Bradley is a research mathematician at SandboxAQ and visiting research professor of mathematics at the masters university sandboxAQ and the masters university. Born and raised in Richmond, VA, Tai-Danae did not like math growing it. It wasn’t until her second year of college where she experienced learning math in a way she never saw before. She created a blog in 2015 called Math3ma where she wrote expositions to herself. As time went on she began receiving messages from other people telling her how helpful her articles were to them. Though she did not grow up loving math, Tai-Danae is proof that if you strive for something hard enough, anything is possible.
#BlackMathWeek- Kaitlyn Tademy
Is a wonderful woman who is a Ph.D. Student in the University of Nebraska- Lincoln in the Mathematics department. Growing up she had really always enjoyed math in school but it wasn’t until high school came around that she really had fun doing in in calculus and see a future with it. When she had joined the Emerging Scholars program at St. Mary’s College and had begun to learn about knot theory he passion and love for math had become much more and she was just happy to be in that space and community. She has also been tutoring for about 2 years and had also enjoyed doing that and helping out the kids. I think she has a great story and it is very inspirational. She enjoys just learning and teaching and that is really brilliant.
#BlackInMathWeek- Marjorie Lee Browne
Marjorie Lee Browne was a pioneering African-American mathematician and educator who made significant contributions to mathematics education. Her leadership in establishing the National Science Foundation Institute for secondary teachers of mathematics at North Carolina Central University was groundbreaking, marking an important step forward for educational opportunities for Black students and teachers. Browne’s dedication to supporting gifted mathematics students and her influential work in advancing mathematical education continue to inspire and resonate today, underscoring her enduring importance in the field of mathematics and education.
#BlackInMathWeek – Dr. Talitha Washington
Dr. Talitha Washington is the Director of the Atlanta University Center (AUC) Data Science Initiative; a tenured professor of mathematics at Clark Atlanta University; and an affiliate faculty member at Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Spelman College. She is the lead principal investigator of the National Data Science Alliance (NDSA). Dr. Washington is also the President of the Association for Women in Mathematics. Dr. Washington completed her undergraduate studies in mathematics at Spelman College and studied abroad at the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara in Mexico. She earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in mathematics from the University of Connecticut.
She has a strong focus on mathematical modeling, particularly in the areas of environmental and biomedical applications. Dr. Washington’s commitment to mentorship and promoting diversity in mathematics is inspiring. Since her Twitter introduction, she has engaged actively in discussions on the intersection of mathematics and societal challenges. “The solutions to today’s complex global challenges will be discovered through collaboration among a diverse community of mathematicians, scientists, and thought leaders from all areas of enterprise, service, and study.” This quote inspired me a lot, as in the time we live in, people from all backgrounds and communities have to come together to challenge the problems.
Thank you
Good evening, everyone. I’m Ramses Suarez Valerio, and I have the pleasure of presenting my paper on my middle school teacher Mr. Addo. Initially crafted in Docs and available in PDF format, I’ve embraced the opportunity to enhance accessibility by developing a dedicated website for this projects and many more to come. This platform allows you to view my paper on Mr. Addo’s contributions in the black community.
link
https://sites.google.com/view/ramsesstar-project/home
#BLACKINMATHWEEK
Talon Johnson, raised by his grandmother in Dallas TX, along with his siblings discovered his interest in Mathematics late in his academic career. During his attendance at Morehouse College, he met Dr. Duane Cooper, who insisted that he switch to a math major. From this encouragement, Talon took a leap of faith with the support of the faculty. He accomplished many things during his experience in the math field, he was the first cohort of the NSF Mathematical and Physical Science Ascending Postdoctoral Research Fellows, in which he’s conducting research in Mathematical Medical Imaging and Health Science. He also launched the Mathposium event at the University of Texas at Arlington with the assistance of his peers, with the main goal being to display the research done by students in the UTA and other campuses. Talon Johnson stands out as he an inspiration to youths, showing them that regardless of the situation, they are capable of achieving whatever they put their mind to.
Source: https://mathematicallygiftedandblack.com/honorees/talon-johnson/
#BlackInMathWeek- David Blackwell
David Blackwell was born in Centralia, Illinois, on April 24th, 1919, and at the age of sixteen, he attended the University of Illinois. He was also one of the first African Americans to get his Ph. D. in mathematics at the University of Illinois in Urbana Champaign. He was a teacher at Harvard for ten years where people viewed him as an excellent teacher and a great leader. David Blackwell was known for the development of dynamic programming along with a few theorems that are used in engineering, statistics, and different areas of science. unfortunately, he is no longer with us as he passed in 2010 at the age of 91, but he will forever be remembered for his achievements.
Source(s):
https://www.britannica.com/biography/David-Blackwell
https://maa.org/programs-and-communities/outreach-initiatives/summa/summa-archival-record/david-harold-blackwell#:~:text=Born%20in%20April%201919%20in,in%201939%20and%20his%20Ph.
https://stat.illinois.edu/news/2020-07-17t141901/david-h-blackwell-profile-inspiration-and-perseverance
Marjorie Lee Browne was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on September 9th 1914. She earned her Ph.D from the University of Michigan and became a teaching fellow there in 1947. Marjories strong dedication and passion for mathematics led her to become one of the first African American women to receive a Ph.D. Later in her life, she used her own money to support gifted mathematician students to help them pursue their education further.
I find her passion for mathematics incredibly inspiring. Even though she was educated in a society that was prejudicial against all African-Americans, her dedication and passion for mathematics led her to achieve her goals and earn a Ph.D in math, as well as inspiring many people along the way.
#BlackInMathWeek- Scott W. Williams
Scott W. Williams is a respected mathematician renowned for his contributions to number theory and combinatorics. With a Ph.D. from Stanford University earned in 1982, Williams has held esteemed positions at institutions like the University of California, Berkeley, and Carleton College. His research spans diverse areas, from modular forms to combinatorial games, characterized by elegance and depth. Alongside his research, Williams is celebrated for his engaging teaching style and mentorship. He has authored influential textbooks and monographs, striving to make complex mathematical concepts accessible. An advocate for popularizing mathematics, he shares his passion through contributions to magazines and websites. Williams’ legacy lies not only in his groundbreaking research but also in his dedication to inspiring future generations of mathematicians.