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Black Mathematicians

Learn about the achievements of black mathematicians who overcame challenges and paved the way for future generations. This presentation aims to inspire and encourage students, particularly minority students, to pursue mathematics with perseverance.

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Black Mathematicians

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  1. Black Mathematicians By: Alana Alexander June 1, 2006

  2. Purpose for Students • The purpose of this presentation is to recognize the black mathematicians that achieved great achievements in mathematics during a time when blacks were looked at as inferior. • Young black students as well as all students need to know that even tough mathematics is looked at as a tough subject it can be achieved with great perseverance.

  3. Purpose for Teachers • The purpose of this presentation is to make teachers aware of great black mathematicians. • Teachers can use this information to help their students, especially minority students relate to mathematics and find encouragement from those who persevered in mathematics.

  4. Introduction • There were many successful black mathematicians who went through great difficulty in trying to attain self-confidence in mathematics. • Most of the people in this presentation are professional people who have earned degrees in mathematics and have taught mathematics to other mathematicians. • This is a remarkable achievement for people who did not have all the rights and freedoms as other groups of people.

  5. Introduction • The history of blacks in mathematics dates back to the 1700’s. • The first recognized black mathematician recognized was a male. • It was almost 200 years before women appeared in mathematics.

  6. Benjamin Banneker • Benjamin Banneker was the first Black recognized as a mathematician. • He had little formal education. • He displayed great talent in mathematics. • He produced an almanac and was commissioned to survey Washington D.C..

  7. Thomas Fuller • It has been said that he is the first known mathematician. • Fuller was a slave shipped from Africa. • Like Banneker, Fuller had no formal education. • He possessed remarkable powers of calculations. • He acquired these great mathematical abilities from Africa.

  8. Kelly Miller • The first Black mathematics graduate student in 1887. • The first African American student admitted to John Hopkins mathematics program. • He received a Master of Arts in Mathematics in 1901. • He continued his work in mathematics by being a professor of mathematics and sociology.

  9. Elbert F. Cox • He showed great abilities in mathematics and physics in high school. • The first African American to earn a Ph.D. in Mathematics in 1925 from Cornell University. • There were only 28 Ph.D.’s that were given in 1925 all over the country. • Cox’ s achievement of a Ph. D. in mathematics was remarkable.

  10. Dudley Weldon WoodardandWilliam Schieffelin Claytor • Woodard (1928) and Claytor (1933) were the second and third black men to earn a Ph.D. in Mathematics.

  11. Dr. Dudley Woodard • Dr. Woodard established the M.S. degree program in mathematics at Howard University. • He helped to establish a mathematics library at Howard University. • Woodard taught many of the upcoming black mathematicians to come.

  12. William Claytor • William Waldron Schieffelin Claytor earned his A.B. and M.A. from Howard University under Woodard. • Dr. Claytor was the first African American to publish mathematics research.

  13. African American Women of Mathematics • It wasn’t until 1943 that a woman earned a Ph.D. in mathematics.

  14. Euphemia Lofton Haynes • She became the first African American Woman to earn a Ph.D. in Mathematics. • She taught in the public schools of Washington, DC for forty-seven years. • She was the first woman to chair the DC School Board. • Dr. Haynes established the mathematics department at Miners Teacher's College.

  15. African American Women (cont’d) • There were many women to follow in Dr. Hayes foot steps: • Evelyn Boyd Granville • Marjorie Lee Browne

  16. Evelyn Boyd Granville • The second woman to earn a Ph.D. in Mathematics. • She earned her Ph.D. from Yale University in 1949. • Evelyn Granville first worked as a mathematician with The National Bureau of Standards and IBM. • She became an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at California State University. • She taught prospective elementary school teachers “new math”.

  17. Marjorie Lee Browne • The third woman to receive a Ph.D. in mathematics. • This was just six months after Evelyn Boyd Granville. • Marjorie Lee Browne received her B.S. in Mathematics from Howard University(1935). • She received her M.S. in Mathematics from the University of Michigan in 1939. • She received a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Michigan (1950).

  18. Marjorie Lee Browne (cont’d) • She authored four notes for secondary school teachers: • Sets, Logic, and Mathematical Thought (1957) • Introduction to Linear Algebra (1959) • Elementary Matrix Algebra (1969) • Algebraic Structures (1974)

  19. Conclusion • There were many more African American Mathematicians. • These were just the first few African Americans who helped pave the way for pursuing mathematics.

  20. Conclusion • As you can see, the people mentioned in this presentation helped to teach mathematics to others. • This was a great achievement to give back to others, the knowledge that they gained from mathematics.

  21. Conclusion • Mathematics was and still is a very difficult subject. • Many people shy away from mathematics. • This is why teachers have to get students interested in mathematics. • This presentation is just a start to inform students of great mathematcians who went against the odds of achieving in mathematics.

  22. Resources • To find out more about great African American Mathematicians, check out these websites and books: • http://www.math.buffalo.edu/mad/madhist.html • Newell, Virginia K. Black mathematicians and their works (1980) • http://womenshistory.about.com/od/sciencemath1/ • http://www.news.cornell.edu/Chronicle/02/2.28.02/ElbertCox.html • http://www.archives.upenn.edu/histy/features/aframer/math.html

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