Introduction
A quote from NASA’s article published in 2021 devoted to Katherine Johnson holds that “from her humble West Virginia roots to leading humankind to the Moon, the accomplishments of Katherine Johnson can be measured beyond the numerical problems she solved for NASA” (“Katherine Johnson’s STEM Contributions Marked on her 103rd Birthday,” 2021, para. 1). The role of women in the sphere of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, commonly referred to as an abbreviation STEM, has long been under-addressed. However, the impressive career of Katherine Johnson managed to transform the exploration of space by NASA and make a significant contribution to the development of STEM in the USA.
I have conducted in-depth research on Katherine Johnson’s life and career, which allows me to present credible and reliable information to you today. With this speech, I have the intention to inform you about Katherine Johnson and her career path. In particular, I will use the case of Katherine Johnson to illustrate the role of women in STEM and the importance of gender equality for the benefit of scientific development. Today, I am going to tell you the history of Katherine Johnson’s career, her legacy and contribution to NASA, and memorable aspects of her life and work that demonstrate her value for the US STEM sphere. To begin, let us take a look at the biography of this remarkable scientist.
The History of Katherine Johnson’s Life and Career at NASA
Katherine Johnson’s biography illustrates how a woman with a humble background might achieve significant heights in her career at NASA based on her curiosity, education, and professionalism. Indeed, being born in 1918 in West Virginia, she graduated from school with exceptional results and joined college ahead of her peers (“Katherine Johnson Biography,” 2020). After college graduation with a major in mathematics, she started her teaching job at a local school. Once offered to join a graduate math program at West Virginia University, after which she was offered a job in Aviation data analytics.
Soon after the launch of the Soviet satellite Sputnik, Katherine Johnson’s career changed dramatically since her research on space technology made a contribution to her start of a career at NASA. She did the calculations for pivotal NASA projects, making the history of the US spaceflights (“Katherine Johnson’s STEM Contributions Marked on her 103rd Birthday,” 2021). She worked at NASA from 1953 to her retirement in 1986, having devoted 33 years of her career to space projects (“Katherine Johnson Biography,” 2020). Her rich career history has generated a significant legacy, which is relevant to discuss further.
Katherine Johnson’s Legacy
Katherine Johnson’s active and successful participation in the launching of a number of critically important NASA space projects has made history and allowed for the consecutive development of this science in the USA. In particular, one of her most significant contributions is to weaken the stereotype that scientists are exclusively “older white men with wild hair staring at a blackboard” (Callaghan et al., 2020, p. 1). During the space race between the Soviet Union and the USA, Katherine Johnson made precise calculations for such remarkable projects as the first American space flight, namely Alan Shepard’s May 1961 mission Freedom 7 (“Katherine Johnson Biography,” 2020).
Furthermore, her legacy is largely inherent in the launching and successful implementation of the Apollo 11 mission, which was the first human landing on the moon in 1969 (Callaghan et al., 2020). Thus, Katherine Johnson significantly developed the STEM field in the USA and became a strong role model for thousands of young aspiring scientists to devote their talent to astronautics.
Curious Facts about Katherine Johnson’s Contribution to STEM
One of the particular features of the successful contribution of Katherine Johnson’s work to spaceflights, in general, was her belonging to two minority groups as a STEM specialist. Indeed, as stated by NASA (2020), she was one of the few Black female mathematicians and NASA employees at the beginning of her career. Moreover, since the beginning of her career was at the time when computer calculations had to be checked manually, Katherine Johnson demonstrated a high level of mathematics expertise to process complex data that ultimately allowed for the successful completion of the missions (“Katherine Johnson’s STEM Contributions Marked on her 103rd Birthday,” 2021). It is also noteworthy that the mathematician lived a rather long life, having lived until 2020.
Conclusion
In summation, with this speech, I intended to inform you about the life and career of one of the most renowned female scientists in the history of US spaceflights, Katherine Johnson. Her professional path vividly illustrates the importance of the presence of female figures in STEM to maximize the contribution of professional potential to this highly challenging sphere. Katherine Johnson’s biography demonstrates her deliberate devotion to science and mathematics throughout her life. Her legacy is manifested through her decisive scientific role in the launching and successful implementation of the first American human flight to space and the first human landing on the moon. She made a remarkable contribution to paving a path for women in STEM. It is essential to commemorate such renowned figures to establish strong role models for future generations of scientists.
References
Callaghan, S., Darbyshire, T., & Farajnia, S. (2020). Ada Lovelace Day and celebrating women in STEM. Patterns, 1(7).
DiLisi, G. A., Chaney, A., & Brown, G. (2019). The legacies of Apollo 11. The Physics Teacher, 57(5), 282–286.
Katherine Johnson Biography. (2020). Web.
Katherine Johnson’s STEM Contributions Marked on her 103rd Birthday. (2021). Web.