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.)
Shelby Wilson is an applied mathematician with most of her expertise ranging around mathematical biology. She’s very into science with interests leading her to create models of biological phenomena such as the growth of cancer and sleep dynamics. She’s passionate about trying to increase diversity in the mathematical sciences. A fact I found interesting is that her grandmother was among the first ten African American women to earn a Ph.D. in mathematics and she did this in 1969 which was at the height of the civil rights movement. Her grandma’s name was Etta Falconer. My personal question I would have for Shelby Wilson would be to ask if it was her grandmother that gave her the motivation or desire to pursue the path and career she has chosen for herself in the math department
Link where I got the information. Shelby Wilson https://shelby-wilson.com/
Tai-Danae Bradley is a research mathematician at SandboxAQ and a visiting research professor of mathematics at the Master’s University. Tai-Danae was initially indifferent to mathematics, but the subject became transformative during her second year of college, during the Calculus 3 course. The course emphasized understanding over memorization, and sparked a passion for mathematics. This experience led to an interest in mathematical physics and a desire to become a mathematician. In 2015, during her first semester of graduate school, she launched a math blog called Math3ma, which provided valuable resources for students worldwide. The blog, born out of personal study notes, became a significant career achievement, receiving widespread recognition for its helpful content.
Source used: https://mathematicallygiftedandblack.com/honorees/tai-danae-bradley/
The mathematician I chose is Toka Diagana. His journey through math started when he attended a top high school in his area and got a scholarship to study mathematical physics at “FacultĂ© des Sciences de Tunis”. it’s interesting to me since the math he studies has to do with me since I major in computer engineering and have to take many math and physics courses for my degree. After reading more about him I found out that his interest In mathematics started when he was in elementary school when a teacher had taught them mathematics that was not part of their curriculum yet an example provided was a system of equations. My question for him would be if he didn’t have those teachers who pushed him when he was younger would he still pursue mathematics or might he have found something else.
The mathimatician i chose is Noelle Sawyer, a Bahamian mathematician , came to the U.S. for college she was taken aback. During the first two years of her undergraduate program. Sawyer, whose research focuses on dynamics and geometry,. She earned her PhD in Math from Wesleyan University and her BA in Math and History from Vassar College. She is also strongly invested in spaces that are anti-racist, safe and equitable, especially for mathematicians. She is the cofounder of Black in Math Week and hopes to continue finding community and making connections.a Bahamian mathematician at Southwestern University.
Source used: https://mathematicallygiftedandblack.com/honorees/noelle-sawyer/
Talon Johnson is part of the NSF Mathematical and Physical Science Ascending Postdoctoral Research Fellows. He was born in Dallas, TX and raised by his grandmother. He wanted to become a lawyer when he is in high school, but he switched his major to math when he meets Dr. Duane Cooper. As one of the NSF Mathematical and Physical Science Ascending Postdoctoral Research Fellows, he is conducting his research in mathematical medical imaging and health science. He is also mentoring undergraduate and graduate students. He is one of the people who have successfully initiated and organized the Metapodium event at the University of Texas at Arlington for the past two years.
Rescores: https://mathematicallygiftedandblack.com/honorees/talon-johnson/
I recently discovered Dr. Noelle Sawyer, an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Southwestern University, who significantly contributes to the Black-in-math community. Dr. Sawyer was instrumental in organizing the inaugural #BlackinMathWeek in 2020, an event designed to celebrate Black mathematicians and create a supportive community within a field where they are often marginalized. Her commitment to education, research, and service in the mathematical sciences resonates with me, especially her efforts to promote representation and mentorship in STEM. This aligns with the missions of organizations like the National Association of Mathematicians (NAM), which aims to enhance the presence and success of underrepresented minorities in mathematics.
Resources: https://www.noellesawyer.com/post/black-in-math-week
https://www.mathvalues.org/masterblog/the-first-annual-blackinmathweek-twitter-event
One Black mathematician named Donald Martin was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. He currently holds a Ph.D. in mathematics which he received in 1990 from the University of Maryland. He is currently an associate professor in the department of statistics at North Carolina State university. In his childhood, his favorite subject was Math. Martin was one of four African Americans in the U.S to earn a Ph D in mathematics in 1990. He has also received three national science foundation research grants. Donald Martin is an excellent role model for all people and people of color. He shows how effort and commitment can lead to great success in the future. He makes people proud, and his dedication and achievement symbolizes the importance of mathematics in todays technological world.
https://magazine.amstat.org/blog/2021/02/01/donald-martin/
Marielle Myers is an Associate Professor and the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Kennesaw State University. She grew up in Durham, NC and Myers had grown to love math, but with her parents’ support, she could further expand into mathematics and take mathematics to the next level. Myers participated in networking in MSEN and this allowed her to broaden her mind to what mathematics can do for her. Although everything seemed right, she never felt comfortable in her classes due to the lack of diversity and this led her down a different career path along with mathematics. Myers worked with scholars to engage in a deeper understanding of social justice in mathematics. With this, Myers was able to secure grants to help her students and colleagues to create a safe space for her colleagues to broaden their minds as well to see what career path they can go down themselves.
Source used: https://mathematicallygiftedandblack.com/honorees/marrielle-myers/
Marielle Myers is an Associate Professor and the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Kennesaw State University. She grew up in Durham, NC and Myers had grown to love math, but with her parents’ support, she could further expand into mathematics and take mathematics to the next level. Myers participated in networking in MSEN and this allowed her to broaden her mind to what mathematics can do for her. Although everything seemed right, she never felt comfortable in her classes due to the lack of diversity and this led her down a different career path along with mathematics. Myers worked with scholars to engage in a deeper understanding of social justice in mathematics. With this, Myers was able to secure grants to help her students and colleagues to create a safe space for her colleagues to broaden their minds as well to see what career path they can go down themselves.
Source used: https://mathematicallygiftedandblack.com/honorees/marrielle-myers/
The mathematician I have chosen is Reginald Cyril Wallis Anderson. He is currently a Postdoctoral Scholar and Visiting Assistant Professor at Claremont McKenna College Mathematical Sciences Department. An impactful experience for him was his First Year Experience course, “The World of Numbers,” where he explored math and number theory. Under the guidance of Stefan Erickson, he wrote a paper generalizing the Pythagorean theorem. He taught 8th grade mathematics at the Rosebud Indian Reservation after undergrad which only further deepened his appreciation for mathematics.
Angela Tabiri is a mathematician from Ghana, she is a research associate and academic manager at African Institute for Mathematical Sciences in Ghana. Growing up she did not anticipate that her career would be in mathematics. However, various circumstances in her life led her to take math classes alongside her economics classes. She found the lectures to be tough and challenging which inspired her further. One of her biggest accomplishments was returning back to Ghana to teach future generations, and inspire them to pursue a career in mathematics. She also founded Femafricmaths, where she interviews women mathematicians to show highlight diversity in mathematics. What inspired me the most about Angela Tabiri was how dedicated she was when she first signed up for math classes as a double major, and did not give up on her journey no matter how hard it got.
source: https://mathematicallygiftedandblack.com/honorees/angela-tabiri/
Fern Hunt is an applied mathematician and mathematical biologist. Fern Hunt’s passion for mathematics started during her undergraduate years. In 1978, Hunt completed her Ph.D. in Mathematics at NYU. She then became a professor at Howard University. In 1981, Dr. Hunt also began working in the field of biomathematics. During this time, she worked at the National Institute of Health. Hunt is not only a mathematician and a biologist but also an advocate for STEM. She believes in empowering the next generation by fostering a supportive environment. I wonder has she ever faced moments of self-doubt? How does she maintain resilience and stay motivated?
https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/fern-hunt
Adrian Cartier, featured on “Mathematically Gifted & Black,” is a prominent figure in mathematics, originating from Jackson, Mississippi. He holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Mississippi, specializing in the intersection of topology, graph theory, and category theory. Cartier’s interest in mathematics was sparked in elementary school and further attended through advanced study in high school. His career is marked by significant achievements, including leading a collaborative research project with IBM TJ Watson Research, earning an induction into the Science Fellows program, and co-founding Freight Science, Inc. Additionally, Cartier takes pride in his contributions to the community, including providing financial support for STEM education and establishing scholarships.
Please visit for source: https://mathematicallygiftedandblack.com/honorees/adrian-cartier/
Gladys West, Was a African American Woman, Who helped create GPS,
She was born to a farm family, who engaged in sharecropping, in 1930, where she helped her family farm, she was also really smart in school so she became valedictorian, and got a collage scholarship because of that. She choose to go to Virginia State Collage, where she got a Bachelors in Mathematics. After teaching for a while, she returned to get her masters,
She began her government/military scientist career by working at Naval Proving Ground in Dahlgren, Virginia, where she worked as a mathematician.
She specifically worked as a programmer on large computers and project-managed data systems that analyzed satellite data.
She worked on the computer programs for the first sea monitoring satellites. on an IBM 7030.
One of the things it did was create extremely accurate geodetic Earth models,
this eventually evolved into what we call GPS.
We would not have GPS nor the required computer models, without her.
https://elective.collegeboard.org/gladys-west-computer-science-pioneer
Tai-Danae Bradley is a Research Mathematician at SandboxAQ and a visiting research professor of Mathematics at The Master’s University. Bradley was the creator of a blog names “Math3ma”. Math3ma covers a wide of variety of topics when it comes to mathematics. It also tries to do its best to help the reader gain a deeper understanding of the topics that are being discussed. Bradley was “a late bloomer to mathematics” and I feel this makes her more relatable for those who feel very overwhelmed when it comes to mathematics. I can definitely understand the feeling of sometimes not fully understanding a topic and having doubts. Bradley still works at SandboxAQ focusing on AI and Quantum Technologies.
Sources:
https://www.math3ma.com/
Fern Hunt, a mathematician born on January 14, 1948, in New York City, has made significant contributions to various mathematical fields including probability, stochastic modeling, and computational geometry. Raised in a family with Jamaican roots, Hunt’s interest in science was ignited by a chemistry set she received as a child. She excelled academically, attending the prestigious Bronx High School of Science and later Bryn Mawr College, where she earned her degree in mathematics. She completed her PhD at New York University’s Courant Institute of Mathematics. Throughout her career, Hunt has worked at institutions like Howard University and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and she has been actively involved in mentoring and promoting diversity in mathematics. Hunt’s achievements have been recognized by numerous awards, and she was named a fellow of the American Mathematical Society in 2019.
https://maa.org/fern-y-hunt
Dr. Genevieve Madeline Knight, a nationally recognized math educator, dedicated nearly four decades to teaching and mentoring students at historically Black colleges and universities. Born in Georgia and Florida, she initially aspired to become a commercial dietician but was drawn to mathematics during the “Space Race” era. After earning her master’s degree at Atlanta University, she became a National Science Foundation Fellow and later earned a doctorate in mathematics education at the University of Maryland, College Park. She spent 17 years teaching at Hampton Institute (now University) before moving to Coppin State College as a full professor. Throughout her career, Dr. Knight was a staunch advocate for equity for women and minorities in the mathematics and mathematics education communities, a commitment recognized by numerous awards, including the 1999 Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the 2018 inaugural Fellows award from the Association for Women in Mathematics. Her belief in the potential of all students and her encouragement for them to seize opportunities for broad learning and professional growth left an enduring legacy in mathematics education.