THE DIGITAL REPOSITORY FOR THE BLACK EXPERIENCE
Center of Science and Industry
333 West Broad Street
Columbus, OH 43215
United States
The Nature of the Universe: Engineering the Power of Physics celebrated the life and work of Edward Alexander Bouchet, who was the first African American to graduate from Yale University, where he ranked sixth in a class of 124. In 1876, Bouchet successfully completed his dissertation on the new subject of geometrical optics, becoming the first black person to earn a Ph.D. degree from an American university as well as the sixth American of any race to earn a Ph.D. in physics. Bouchet's full impact on education will never be known; that he had an impact is undeniable. The moderator of the program was Dr. Patricia A. Blyden, former Director of Admissions at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. The Center of Science and Industry in Columbus, Ohio was one of ScienceMakers' science center partners in 2010, 2011, and 2012.
The participating scientists included Dr. Albert Antoine, NASA Lewis Research Center; Dr. Isaiah Blankson, NASA Glenn Research Center; Dr. Darnell Diggs, Air Force Office of Scientific Research; Dr. Sossina Haile, California Institute of Technology; and Dr. Stephen McGuire, Southern University and Agricultural and Mechanical College.
During the day program, students were drawn from six area high schools who participate in a STEM Club sponsored by Honda Manufacturing of America. The purpose of the STEM clubs are to increase the number of underrepresented students interested in studying STEM curriculum and pursuing STEM-related careers, in an effort to stabilize STEM industry workforce needs and grow the educational and economic strength of our society.