Find ready-made slides for these profiles – and more! – in the Math in Action slide.
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Benjamin Banneker was an experienced mathematician, urban planner and writer in the eighteenth century. He initially gained fame by hand-building an exceptional clock, then by publishing an almanac of weather forecasts, agricultural guides and political writings. The success of this almanac led to Banneker’s correspondence with President Jefferson, in which he advocated the abolition of slavery, and to his role as a city planner in designing Washington DC.
Dr. Sylvia Bozeman
Dr. Bozeman is a retired math professor who taught at Spelman College and co-founded the EDGE program to increase equity in math. She received her PhD from Emory University in 1980.
Dr. Ron Buckmire
Dr. Buckmire is a mathematics professor and Associate Dean at Occidental College who has focused his work on numerical analysis and applied mathematics. He also served as a program officer at the National Science Foundation and helped found a group of LGBTQ+ mathematicians that later became Spectra. He has been recognized as Out to Innovate’s 2011 Educator of the Year and 2018 Mathematical Gifted & Black’s Honoree.
Dr. Christine Darden
Christine Darden is a mathematician and engineer who spent 40 years at NASA, specializing in sonic boom research and designing quieter supersonic aircraft. She was the first African-American woman promoted to the top management rank of Senior Executive Service at NASA. In 2019, she received the Congressional Gold Medal, the nation’s highest civilian honor, for her work at NASA.
Dr. Euphemia Lofton Haynes
Dr. Haynes was a prominent educator, leader and advocate for black students. She was the first black woman to earn a doctorate in mathematics in 1943.
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Dr. Fern Hunt
Dr. Fern Hunt is a mathematician who works at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). She won the Arthur S. Flemming Award in 2000 for her contributions to “probability and stochastic modeling, mathematical biology, computational geometry, nonlinear dynamics, computer graphics, and parallel computing”. She has also been recognized for her leadership and mentorship in mathematics.
Katherine Johnson
You may know her as the inspiration for the hit film Hidden figures -Katherine Johnson was an astonishing mathematician whose accomplishments in her 33-year tenure at NASA included calculating the trajectories for the Apollo 11 mission.
Dr. Torina Lewis
Dr. Lewis is an Associate Executive Director at the American Mathematical Society. She received her PhD in mathematics, focusing on combinatorics, from the University of Mississippi in 2010.
Dr. Marissa The loving loving
Dr. Loving is an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is “the first Native Hawaiian woman to earn a PhD in mathematics… not the first Native Hawaiian woman to develop mathematical tools to solve problems or engage deeply in analytical exploration.” (by her website)
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Dr. Reginald ‘RB’ McGee
Reginald “RB” McGee is an assistant professor at the College of the Holy Cross studying computational immunobiology. He began studying Actuarial Science before changing his major to Mathematics and eventually focusing on the intersection of mathematics and biology.
Dr. Vivienne Malone Mayes
Dr. Meyes was a famous mathematician known for her scholarship, leadership, and anti-racist advocacy. She received her PhD in mathematics in 1966, becoming the fifth black woman in the US to earn a mathematics doctorate. She was also the first black faculty member at Baylor University, a university that had previously denied her admission because she was black.
Dr. Mohamed Omar
Dr. Mohamed Omar is an associate professor of mathematics at Harvey Mudd College and conducts research in combinatorics and algebra. He has worked to make rich math experiences more widely accessible and to promote diversity in math, including through his YouTube channel, participation in the BEAM program, and participation in high school math competitions.
Dr. Omayra Ortega
Dr. Omayra Ortega is an assistant professor of mathematics and statistics at Sonoma State University. She combines mathematics, statistics and public health tools to address emerging health problems in a field called mathematical epidemiology. In addition, she is committed to broadening the participation of underrepresented minorities in STEM and guiding students through the challenges of academia (from her website).
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Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein is a professor of physics and faculty member of Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of New Hampshire. She is also a writer who recently published the book The disordered cosmos: a journey into dark matter, spacetime and deferred dreams. (her website)
Dr. Candice Price
Candice Price is an associate professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Smith College. Its mission is to “support communities that have been historically and systemically excluded in STEM by creating and supporting programs that increase visibility, amplify the voices of women and people of color, and create networks and communities in STEM to provide opportunities to share resources.” She is co-founder of the Mathematically Gifted and Black and Underrepresented Students in Topology and Algebra Research Symposium (USTARS). (by her website)
Dr. Geremías Polanco Encarnacion
Dr. Polanco is an assistant professor at Smith College. He has a master’s degree in actuarial science and a doctorate in mathematics.
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Dr. John Urschel
Dr. John Urschel is a mathematician, a former NFL offensive lineman and the author of Mind and Matter: A Life in Math and Football. After receiving his Ph.D. in mathematics from MIT in 2021, he is now an assistant professor at MIT Math and a Harvard Junior Fellow.
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Dr. Gladys West
Dr. Gladys West is a mathematician whose work in modeling the Earth was instrumental in the development of the GPS systems we still use today. She has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in mathematics, as well as a master’s degree and PhD in public administration.
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Dr. Talithia Williams
Dr. Talithia Williams, a statistician and mathematician at Harvey Mudd College who co-hosts the PBS series NOVA Wonders. She is known for her popular TED Talk: ‘Own your body’s data” and for publishing the book Power in Numbers: The Rebel Women of Mathematics. (by her website)
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Dr. Aris Winger
Dr. Aris Winger is an assistant professor of mathematics at Georgia Gwinnett College. He co-hosts the podcast Mathematically uncensored and co-author of the book Asked and Answered: Dialogues on Advocacy for Students of Color in Mathematicsboth in collaboration with Dr. Pamela Harris.
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Idea for the classroom: build a routine for Mathematician of the Week
Continue to highlight Black mathematicians all year long! The Math in action slide deck features these and more black mathematicians, as well as other mathematicians who have been historically and systemically excluded from the field.
Establishing a weekly routine can be one small way to help students meet mathematicians of all identities, see themselves reflected in mathematics, and expand their understanding of the field.
With 60 profiles you are ready for the whole semester or year!
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Celebrate Black History Month with us!
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