There are many women that have been pioneers in STEM, and some of them are unknown to most. One of these amazing women is Katherine Johnson. Katherine was born on August 26, 1918, in West Virginia. She had amazing grades throughout school and graduated from West Virginia State College with the highest honors. She became a teacher at West Virginia University but left to start a family with James Goble, her first husband. She had three daughters and started teaching again once they were older. In 1952, She learned of the all-black West Area Computing section at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics’ Langley laboratory. She got a temporary position which quickly became a permanent job with important projects, such as working with the Maneuver Loads Branch of the Flight Research Division, investigating plane crashes, and analyzing flight test data. She worked on the Sputnik project as well as America’s first human space launch. She also was the first woman credited to co-author a report. Astronaut John Glenn requested her to run equations in addition to the computer, refusing to go unless they were checked by her. After many remarkable contributions to NASA, she was presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama. She passed away on February 24, 2020.
Another important woman in science is Ada Lovelace. She was born in 1815. She was the only legitimate child of Lord Byron and Annabella Milbanke, the latter of whom had unusually received training in mathematics and insisted that Ada did the same. At seventeen, she was introduced to an engine by Babbage. While translating an article detailing analytical engines, she added her own thoughts and wrote about solutions to mathematical problems. She is often considered the first programmer and the prophet of the computer age. The programming language Ada was named for her. She was tragically paralyzed due to measles and died at the young age of 36. These women have changed STEM forever and deserve recognition.
About the Author
Kenzie is a senior at Northwood High School. She like dance, reading, and theatre and she love watching Star Wars and Marvel movies!
Sources:
Computer History Museum. “Ada Lovelace | Babbage Engine | Computer History Museum.” Computerhistory.org, 2019, www.computerhistory.org/babbage/adalovelace/. Accessed 18 Mar. 2022.
Shetterly, Margot. “Katherine Johnson Biography.” NASA, NASA, 24 Feb. 2020, www.nasa.gov/content/katherine-johnson-biography. Accessed 18 Mar. 2022.
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