Famous African American Scientists

3. discovered new species of coral
5. went to the International Space Station in 2020 as a pilot
8. mathematician and aerospace engineer at NASA
9. developed the Super Soaker water gun and worked on stealth technology for the U.S. Air Force
12. performed the first open-heart surgery on a human in 1893
13. first female African American chemist to work at Dow Chemical Company working on latex and polymers
14. invented the first electrical resistor
17. invented a folding bed, one of the first African American women to receive a patent
19. first African American doctor in the U.S.
21. chemist who developed an injectable leprosy treatment
23. worked on processing and analysis of satellite data leading to the development of GPS
27. first African American in space on Challenger 8
28. calculated the flight path for Alan Shepard (first American in space)
29. co-discovered the alpha helix protein structure
30. laser physicist and mission specialist for NASA on Challenger mission that exploded
32. synthesized steroids and hormones from soybeans
34. proved that insects can hear
35. pioneered research on sickle cell anemia
37. first African American woman in space on the Endeavour
38. first African American woman to earn a doctorate in Physics

1. developed the ultraviolet camera/spectograph used on Apollo 16
2. NASA's first female African American engineer
4. known for her extensive research on termites
6. engineer in the U.S. Navy and first person to design a naval ship using design tools
7. explored melanin, skin pigmentation, and skin cancer as well as chemotherapy drugs
10. nuclear scientist who worked on the Manhattan Project and codiscovered the Wilkins Effect
11. received more than 50 patents for his inventions
15. researched tuberculosis, blood types and race, and bacteria and cavities, and antibiotics
16. developed ways to use and preserve blood plasma during WWII, father of the blood bank
18. worked at ATT&T's Bell Laboratories and developed the cable sheath
20. used bioluminescence to quantify bacteria in water and researched a way to detect life on other planets
22. part of the Dayton Project that dealt with atomic weapons in WWII
24. developed laser technology to treat cataracts
25. used paper chromatography to detect steroids and used infrared spectrometry to disprove Krebiozen as a cancer cure
26. astronomer who predicted the 1789 solar eclipse and wrote the almanac
31. computer scientist that taught herself FORTRAN and worked on the Scout Launch Vehicle Program
33. do-developed the first personal computer, also worked on color monitors and the first gigahertz chip
36. studied the relationship between cholesterol and heart health