George Washington Carver was an agricultural scientist who promoted the use of peanut and potato crops instead of cotton. His practice of using these crops prevented soil depletion, which in turn, yielded a better crop.
Garret Augustus Morgan, Sr. was a businessman and inventor. Notable inventions are the smoke hood, predecessor to the gas mask, the traffic signal, and hair straightener products.
Benjamin Banneker was a free African American almanac author, surveyor, landowner, and farmer who had knowledge of mathematics and natural history.
Marie Maynard Daly was an American biochemist. She made important contributions in four areas of research: the chemistry of histones, protein synthesis, the relationships between cholesterol and hypertension, and creatine’s uptake by muscle cells.
Andrew Jackson Beard was an American inventor, who introduced two improvements to the automatic railroad car coupler in 1897 and 1899. Beard’s improvement of revolutionized the railroad industry. The previous model a pin had to be manually placed in the coupler that led to countless injuries. The new model automatically coupled upon contact that is still used today.
Patricia Era Bath was an American ophthalmologist, inventor, humanitarian, and academic. Bath developed the Lasophaco Probe, that she also coined, that improved the use of lasers to remove cataracts. With this accomplishment Bath became the first African American to receive a medical patent, along with her four other patents. Lasophaco Probe is a game changer it allowed Bath and other ophthalmologist to regain site in patient who could not see for decades.
Percy Lavon Julian regarded as one of the most influential chemists in history Julian’s research as a chemist and a pioneer in the chemical synthesis of medicinal drugs from plants.
Alexander Miles was an inventor patenting automatic opening and closing of elevator doors. He was awarded U.S. Patent 371,207 on October 11, 1887. Prior to his invention the doors had to be closed manually, unfortunately leading to people falling down the elevator shaft.
Marie Van Brittan Brown was the inventor of the home security system still in use today by millions of residences and businesses. Inspired by crime in her neighborhood decided to develop it eventually getting the patent in 1969.
Granville Tailer Woods was self-taught, inventor who held more than 60 patents in the U.S. Becoming first African American mechanical and electrical engineer after the Civil War. His notable invention was a telegraph system so trains can communicate between trains and the stations which created safer railways.
Gladys Mae West is one the women who should have been portrayed in the Hollywood movie “Hidden Figures.” Like the other ladies in the film she was a mathematician and her calculations and work are beyond amazing. “Her contributions to the mathematical modeling of the shape of the Earth, and her work on the development of the satellite geodesy models that were eventually incorporated into the Global Positioning System (GPS).”
Creola Katherine Johnson portrayed in “Hidden Figures” Katherine Johnson was a mathematician for NASA calculating trajectories to orbit the earth. “Johnson’s work included calculating trajectories, launch windows, and emergency return paths for Project Mercury spaceflights, including those for astronauts Alan Shepard, the first American in space, and John Glenn, the first American in orbit.”
Emmett W. Chappelle was an American scientist who made valuable contributions in the fields of medicine, philanthropy, food science, and astrochemistry.
Herman Kojo Chinery-Hesse is a Ghanaian technology is the founder of The Soft Tribe a technology company in Ghana. He is also pioneer of government payroll systems, ERP systems, nationwide utility billing systems, point of sale systems, and electronic payment systems.
Kimberly Bryant is an electrical engineer who worked in biotechnology and is the creator of Black Girls Code.
Ayinde (Kunle) Olukotun his research focus is on computer architecture, parallel programming environments and scalable parallel systems, domain specific languages, and high-level compilers.
- Dr. Hadiyah-Nicole Green
- Mark E. Dean
- Vivien Thomas
- Dr. Daniel Hale Williams
- Ernest Everett Just
- James West
- Philip Emeagwali
- Dorothy Johnson Vaughan
- Mae C. Jemison
- Charles Richard Drew
- Lonnie G. Johnson
- J. Ernest Wilkins Jr.
- George Carruthers
- Herman Branson
- Alice Ball
- Elijah McCoy
- Mary Jackson
- Christine Darden
- Valerie Thomas
- Dr. Betty Wright Harris
- Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson
- Dr. Leonidas Harry Berry
- George Edward Alcorn Jr.
- Annie Easley
- Arthur B. C. Walker Jr.
