![]() Towards the end of her life, these contributions began to receive the recognition they deserve. She also contributed to the beginning of the Space Shuttle program and worked on plans for a mission to Mars. The highlights? Calculations for astronauts Alan Shepard, the first American in space, and John Glenn, the first American in orbit - not to mention rendezvous paths for the Apollo Lunar Module and command module on flights to the moon. There, she calculated trajectories, launch windows, and emergency return paths for Project Mercury spaceflights. “You lose your curiosity when you stop learning.”īy 1958, she had moved into the Spacecraft Controls Branch. The space agency refers to her historical role as “one of the first African American women to work as a NASA scientist.” A Rocketing Careerĭuring her 33-year career at NASA (and its predecessor NACA), she earned herself a reputation for acing complex manual calculations and pioneering the use of computers. Johnson accepted a job offer from the agency in June 1953 and was initially assigned to Dorothy Vaughan’s group. At a family gathering in 1952, a relative mentioned that the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) was hiring mathematicians - including African Americans. She began working as a teacher, but her life would soon change dramatically. By 1937, she graduated from West Virginia State with degrees in mathematics and French at the age of just 18. Although Greenbrier County did not offer public schooling for African American students past the eighth grade, her parents were determined to support her talent and enrolled her at a high school in Institute, West Virginia when she was 10 - splitting their time between there and their home in White Sulphur Springs. spaceflights into orbit.įrom an early age, Johnson revealed amazing mathematical abilities. Novosanis markets its products worldwide and has a global customer base.Ģ022 © Novosanis, a subsidiary of OraSure Technologies, Inc., all rights reserved.Creola Katherine Johnson (1918–2020) was a talented African American mathematician and NASA employee whose calculations helped set the first crewed U.S. The Colli-Pee® device enables immediate mixing of the first-void urine sample with a preservative, improving stability of the urine specimen. First-void urine has shown to improve detection of infectious diseases, including sexually transmitted infections as well as for some cancers applications. ![]() Urine collection through the Colli-Pee® device is easy, comfortable, and more accurate than a regular urine cup. The platform consists of variants capturing a range of urine volumes for different application purposes. ![]() The Colli-Pee® family, the heart of the company, allows volumetric and standardized collection of first-void urine. (NASDAQ: OSUR), and an innovative developer and producer of medical devices improving the quality of diagnostic tests for infectious diseases and oncology. Novosanis is a wholly owned subsidiary of OraSure Technologies, Inc. Thanks to Art & Classics, Belgium ( ) for a beautiful location for our shoot! To recognize her work, the women at Novosanis took our own versions of photos inspired by “ Hidden Figures’’, a 2016 movie based on Johnson’s work. Further, she was one of the few black women in her group, breaking stereotypes and actively promoting racial equality in the workspace ( 3, 4). Among other projects, her mathematical calculations helped Apollo 11 land on the moon in 1969 as well as safely return to Earth. Johnson’s work at NASA greatly contributed to space research. In this regard, Katherine Johnson’s work stands out and is an inspiration for women in science. Additionally, less than a third of female students choose higher education courses in subjects like mathematics and engineering ( 2). However, even today, women are underrepresented in the field of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).Īccording to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), less than 30% of the world’s researchers are women ( 1). Over the years, women have gained positions and been recognized in various industries, businesses and activities. In particular, we want to take this opportunity to recognize Katherine Johnson - the NASA mathematician, who recently passed away at age 101. ![]() On the occasion of International Women’s Day (March 8, 2020), Novosanis celebrates all women in science and health.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |