![]() ![]() It is truly an exciting time-there is momentum building where a number of organizations seek to harness the power of media and storytelling to incite change, specifically in the STEM inclusion domain. In addition, a feature film is in the works to share Katherine Johnson’s story, along with the other three black women that were crucial to the success of the NASA space missions of the 50s and 60s. That’s why the Obama Administration is deeply committed to illuminating the great work and “untold history” of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), as well as also shining a light on the great potential of all of America’s children to lead the world as the next generation of discoverers, inventors, and high-tech entrepreneurs. ![]() The contributions and leadership of countless scientific and technical women and people of color who have been tremendous innovators have been left out of American history books, unfortunately. Johnson’s recognition by President Obama marks a proud moment in American history because until recently, Johnson’s critical technical contributions to the space race were largely unknown to the world. On November 24th, President Obama bestowed the Medal of Freedom, the Nation’s highest civilian honor, to Katherine Johnson-a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) mathematician who exhibited exceptional technical leadership, calculating and verifying trajectories that took the first Americans to space and to the moon. ![]() Very few, however, may know the role that women, particularly women of color, have played as innovators and leaders in the domains of science and technology. In his speech to the Congressional Black Caucus in September 2015, President Obama noted, “Black women have been a part of every great movement in American history-even if they weren’t always given a voice.” Most will think of this in the context of the civil rights movement, where black women helped plan the March on Washington, but were largely absent from the program, or perhaps even in the fight for women’s rights, from suffrage to the feminist movement. 24, 2015, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls) *NASA Technical Note D-5105: Effect of Gravitational-Model Selection on Accuracy of Lunar Orbit Determination from Short Data Arcs.President Barack Obama presents former NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, as professional baseball player Willie Mays, right, looks on, Tuesday, Nov. Katherine was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2015 for her outstanding contribution. As well, two NASA facilities have been named in her honour.Katherine Johnson died at the age of 101 in 2020. Her story was brought to light in the book Hidden Figures(2016) by author, Margot Shetterly, and the movie of the same name. In reading about her life, one can’t help sensing that she was deeply engaged in all three facets of her life.īackground: Katherine Johnson’s contributions to the NASA Space Program were particularly remarkable given the barriers she faced at that time, both as a woman and a woman of colour. This piece links Katherine Johnson’s professional life as a mathematician with her domestic life as a homemaker and active community member. The design I chose for this dress, a combination of two McCall’s patterns, is one that I thought she might have made for herself had she been invited to an imagined NASA event celebrating that first moonwalk in 1969. She was proficient with a sewing machine and made clothing for her daughters, herself and other members of her community who might have been in need of a garment for a special occasion. Historical photos of Katherine Johnson reflect her modestly elegant style of dress. The emblem on the collar of the dress is a variation on the official NASA symbol from that era. The symbols and diagrams embroidered on the dress and printed on the backdrop are sourced from a paper about lunar orbits that she co-authored with NASA engineer Harold Hamer, published in March 1969*. This work is a tribute to Katherine Johnson, the brilliant mathematician whose complex calculations of orbital mechanics were crucial to the success of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s first space missions leading up to and including the Apollo 11 flight to the moon (July 1969) and the subsequent Space Shuttle program. ![]()
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