News Flash—George Washington Carver wasn’t the only noteworthy African-American scientist. When I was teaching, Carver was the only one who got any press. I think his accomplishments were remarkable. (I love peanut butter.) There are, however, many famous and interesting African-American scientists. One who I admire is Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City (see video below).
I found the following list of books and articles about other African-American scientists at Astronomy of Many Cultures:
- Ferris, Jeri. What Are You Figuring Now: A Story about Benjamin Banneker. 1988, Carolrhoda Books. Children’s book about 18th century black astronomer, mathematician, surveyor.
- Rall, Gloria “The Stars of Freedom” in Sky & Telescope, Feb. 1995, p. 36. On how slaves used songs with the Big Dipper to show them escape routes from the South.
- “Have Minorities Broken Astronomy’s Glass Ceiling”—a roundtable in Astronomy magazine, May 2003, pp. 55–58.
This list of biographical resources was submitted to ESPRIT, the Earth Science Teachers’ listserv, by Mary Ellsworth.
- African Americans in Astronomy and Space: http://space.about.com/od/astronomyspacehistory/tp/Black_History_Month.htm
- Dr. Randolph “Bill” Bomery and others: http://www2.sis.pitt.edu/resources/diversity/naa/geology.html
- Meet the Geoscientists: Aisha R. Ragas, Geologist (second person listed): http://www.utc.edu/Faculty/Tracy-Jones/Geoscientists-Earth.htm
All students need good role models. This may be especially true for minority students. Introducing students to people like them who are present-day scientists may be more meaningful than telling them about historical figures.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Neil deGrasse Tyson | ||||
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