On February 24th , we lost a woman who embodied the best of STEM, Mrs. Katherine Johnson at the age of 101. Mrs. Johnson was one of the most brilliant mathematical minds in a group of black women mathematicians at NASA who broke barriers. “Her impeccable calculations had already helped plot the successful flight of Alan B. Shepard Jr., who became the first American in space when his Mercury spacecraft went aloft in 1961. And yet, her 33 years in NASA’s Flight Research Division, almost no one knew her name.”
For those of you who watched the movie Hidden Figures, she fought the right to vote, the right for inclusion and the right to lead on several fronts. They may not have touched you personally, but they touched others who over the years like myself who has touched you. I am honored to have been given this opportunity to be a STEM professional, a woman who has the right to vote and mentor others. It is my hope that one day society will celebrate valiant women every month, not only in March who fought to win suffrage rights for women, and for the voting rights not only at the election box, but for a seat at the table, or an equitable paycheck for a job well done. Enjoy the month, honor the women in your life who has inspired you and made significant contributions to society and be valiant in any vote you cast.
--Written by Dr. Dion Serben, WID Picatinny Chapter President