As we continue to celebrate Black History Month, check out some Black pioneers in the technology field below!
Dr. Philip Emeagwali is a Nigerian computer scientist born in the 1950s. He later moved to the US to study Mathematics and marine engineering. Philip Emeagwali designed the program and formula for the fastest computer on Earth, the Connection Machine. He designed the system of parallel computers that are used by all search engines such as Yahoo or Google. Emeagwali explains his inspiration for his project came from watching bees working together in nature. Thus, he decided to build a computer system that can work and communicate similar to a beehive. In 1989 he was awarded the Gordon Bell Prize from the Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers.The technology that Philip designed is often used today in the system of computers and all search engines. Dr. Emeagwali also devised equations to explain how sperm swim, how polluted groundwater flows, and how the Earth's interior moves and causes volcanic eruptions. Next time you do a Google search, be sure to thank Dr. Emeagwali!
Born in Queens, New York, Marie Van Brittan Brown was a nurse who became the first person to develop a prototype for closed circuit television security, also known as CCTV. At the time, crime rates in NYC were very high and Brown looked for ways to increase her level of personal security. As a nurse, Brown wasn't often home, and her husband Albert Brown worked as an electronics technician. She wanted to create a security system that would allow her to know who was at her home when she was away, and to prompt authorities quickly if there was an intruder. Her invention became the basis for the modern CCTV system that is widely used today.
Mother to the Global Positioning System otherwise known as “GPS” is Dr. Gladys West. Dr. West, a Black woman from Virginia was instrumental in creating the GPS device/software we often use today. Growing up in the late 1930s, Dr. West's parents often worked in the fields, picking tobacco, corn and cotton, or in a nearby factory, beating tobacco leaves into pieces small enough for cigarettes and pipes. It was here where she wanted to change. “I realized I had to get an education to get out,” she said. Graduating as valedictorian and salutatorian from her high school, Dr. West was able to get a free ride into college. Such opportunities were really hard for those of the Black community. In 1956 Dr. West began to work at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division, where she was the second black woman ever to be employed.
For our gamers out there, be sure to thank Gerald A. Lawson. Lawson invented the first console that used interchangeable cartridges. Because of this, gamers are able to play a variety of games, and developers can earn more through selling individual games.
Mark Dean, a notable name in the technology industry, helped to design the IBM personal computer. He assisted in designing the hardware allowing computers to connect to printers, monitors, and more devices. Dean also became the first ever Black American to join IBM fellow, the highest honor recognized at the company.
Comments
Post a Comment