Shirley Ann Jackson (born August 5, 1946, Washington, D.C., U.S.) is an American scientist and educator and the first Black woman to receive a doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Jackson helped develop technologies that made communication faster and easier and was an advocate for minority representation in academia, particularly in STEM disciplines.

...In 1973 Jackson became the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. from MIT, which she received in particle physics.

Jackson began her physics career at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (later Fermilab) in Batavia, Illinois. She then served as a visiting scientist at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Switzerland. In 1976 she returned to the United States to work at Bell Laboratories, where she conducted research on two-dimensional condensed matter systems. While at Bell, she met her future husband, Morris A. Washington, another prominent physicist. Jackson remained at Bell until 1991; her research there contributed to the inventions of the touch-tone telephone, fiber-optic cables, caller ID, and call waiting. From 1991 to 1995 she taught at Rutgers University in New Jersey. She also began to work in public policy, offering Gov. Tom Kean her input on how to bolster university science and technology programs in the state of New Jersey.

Anonymous wrote:Asian here. Love this thread.

Dr. Wright’s leadership at ASCO, her contributions to the field of oncology, and her dedication and passion for finding a cure for cancer were evident throughout her life and career. She graduated with honors from New York Medical College in 1945, interned at Bellevue Hospital, and completed her residency at Harlem Hospital. Following her residency, she continued on as a visiting physician at Harlem Hospital and was also hired as a staff physician with the New York City Public Schools.

At a time when chemotherapy treatment was largely thought of as experimental, Dr. Wright pioneered the use of anticancer agents and developed new techniques for administering cancer chemotherapy. In 1949, she left the New York City Public School system to work with her father, who served as the Director of the Cancer Research Foundation at Harlem Hospital. Together, the two began testing a new agent on human leukemias and lymphomas, with some success. Several years later, Dr. Wright began her work at the New York University Medical Center as the Director of Cancer Chemotherapy Research.

In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed Dr. Wright to the President’s Commission on Heart Disease, Cancer, and Stroke. ...

Alice Augusta Ball (July 24, 1892 – December 31, 1916) was an American chemist who developed the "Ball Method" for making ethyl ester derivatives of chaulmoogra oil, which were used as a treatment for leprosy during the early 20th century. She was the first woman and first African American to receive a master's degree from the University of Hawaiʻi, and was also the university's first female and African American chemistry professor. She died at age 24 and her contributions to science were not recognized until many years after her death.

Dr. Mae Jemison, physician, engineer, educator and entrepreneur, was the first woman of color in the world to go into space aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour and was a NASA astronaut for six years. She is the Principal for the 100 Year Starship Project and her leadership and vision provides guidance and direction for the foundation and in fulfilling its goal of ensuring all the capabilities for a successful human journey to another star will exist by 2112.

Dr. Jemison started The Jemison Group, Inc., a technology consulting firm integrating critical socio-cultural issues into the design, development and implementation of engineering and science projects. As an Environmental Studies professor at Dartmouth College, she taught classes on and researched technology design and sustainable development with special emphasis on developing countries. She is a worldwide respected voice in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and is founder of the non-profit Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence.

[and it goes on and on]

Anonymous wrote:Love this thread. Alma Thomas, another DC local.

You can see her work here:
https://www.si.edu/exhibitions/composing-color-paintings-alma-thomas%3Aevent-exhib-6537