This month, in honor of Black History Month, we wanted to highlight 17 Black chemists you might have missed in class:

Winifred Burks-Houck was an environmental organic chemist and the first woman president of @NOBCChE. During her work at @Livermore_Lab she minimized threats to worker safety and limited the lab’s environmental impact. Learn more about her at https://t.co/XY47pzQbuU #BlackInSTEM
Charles Drew, better known as the father of the blood bank, found that blood could be preserved longer once the plasma and the red blood cells were separated. A well-timed finding, since WWII was breaking out in Europe. Read more about Drew at https://t.co/GuSZajs8OO #BlackInChem
James Andrew Harris played a key role in the discovery of two elements. During his time @BerkeleyLab in the ’60s, Harris and his team discovered two elements: 104, rutherfordium, and 105, dubnium. Learn more about Harris at https://t.co/HKjp7jaPFN #BlackInChem #BlackInSTEM
Angie Turner King was a prominent chemist educator in a period when few women—let alone Black women—were scientists. She built a successful career and mentored many accomplished scientists. Read more about King at https://t.co/pwmycraxYP #BlackInSTEM #WomenInSTEM #ChemEd
Josephine Silone Yates: In addition to being a chemist, she was a writer and a civil rights activist. She became the first Black certified teacher in Rhode Island and was the first Black woman to lead a college science department. Learn more about Yates at https://t.co/JX2wKuKDW0
Alice Ball was the first Black woman to receive a chemistry degree from the University of Hawaii. She isolated the chaulmoogra plant’s active ingredient, which became a standard treatment for leprosy. Learn more about Ball at https://t.co/EJP0tmHlnl #BlackInChem #WomenInSTEM
St. Elmo Brady in 1916 became the first Black American to earn a PhD in chemistry. He also created the first chemistry graduate program at an HBCU in the US. Read more about Brady at https://t.co/1VIX2Z1BG0 #BlackInChem #BlackInSTEM
Marie Maynard Daly was the first Black woman in the US to receive a PhD in chemistry. Her research contributed to understanding histones and how blood pressure led to clogged arteries. To learn about her other contributions, visit https://t.co/Jaa4D0pWCe #BlackInSTEM #BlackInChem
Lloyd Noel Ferguson in 1943 became the first Black person to receive a PhD from UC Berkeley. He had a chemistry set in his backyard at Oakland, where he made moth repellent a spot remover! Read more about Ferguson at https://t.co/KNBKJ7OYty #BlackInChem #BlackInSTEM
Bettye Washington Greene in 1965 earned a PhD in physical chemistry focusing on how particles distribute themselves in emulsion. Later that year she became the first Black woman to work at Dow Chemical. Learn more about Greene at https://t.co/ROhXXVSGYu #BlackInChem #BlackInSTEM
Walter Lincoln Hawkins codeveloped a cable sheath for telecommunication cables that extended their lifetime by 70 years, contributing to a worldwide telecommunication expansion. This was only one of his many patented inventions. Learn more at https://t.co/23x9is6Mg7 #BlackInSTEM
Alma Levant Hayden was one of the first scientists of color to work at a federal agency. Her research focused on using spectrometry to detect steroids. Read more about Hayden at https://t.co/eMCJDjki0h #BlackInSTEM #BlackInChem #WomenInSTEM
Mary Elliott Hill was an analytical chemist that developed tracking methods for the progress of reactions based on their solubility. Learn more about her career at https://t.co/Js1EGDC4E1 #BlackInChem #WomenInChem #BlackInSTEM
Percy Lavon Julian developed an 11-step synthesis of physostigmine, a molecule used to treat glaucoma. He also developed an efficient synthesis for steroids. Learn more about Julian’s contributions at https://t.co/m2Im9ypVyN #BlackInSTEM #BlackInChem
Robert Henry Lawrence Jr. enrolled in the US Air Force soon after graduating in chemistry, and he was selected to become the first Black American astronaut. Read more about Lawrence at https://t.co/5KyOgCLT0b #BlackInSTEM #BlackInChem
James Ellis Lu Valle was a chemist and an Olympian, winning the bronze medal in the 400 m race at the 1936 Olympics. He also led the first-year chemistry lab at Stanford University. Read more about Lu Valle at https://t.co/jjlrb2eqIK #BlackInChem #BlackInSTEM
Samuel P. Massie became the first Black person to teach at the US Naval Academy and to chair its Chemistry Department. Learn more about Massie’s contributions at https://t.co/fG6NF2wOGo #BlackInChem #BlackInSTEM

More from Society

Imagine if Christians actually had to live according to their Bibles.


Imagine if Christians actually sacrificed themselves for the good of those they considered their enemies, with no thought of any recompense or reward, but only to honor the essential humanity of all people.

Imagine if Christians sold all their possessions and gave it to the poor.

Imagine if they relentlessly stood up for the widow, the orphan, and the foreigner.

Imagine if they worshipped a God whose response to political power was to reject it.

Or cancelled all debt owed them?

Imagine if the primary orientation of Christians was what others needed, not what they deserved.

Imagine Christians with no interest in protecting what they had.

Imagine Christians who made room for other beliefs, and honored the truths they found there.

Imagine Christians who saved their forgiveness and mercy for others, rather than saving it for themselves.

Whose empathy went first to the abused, not the abuser.

Who didn't see tax as theft; who didn't need to control distribution of public good to the deserving.

You May Also Like

And here they are...

THE WINNERS OF THE 24 HOUR STARTUP CHALLENGE

Remember, this money is just fun. If you launched a product (or even attempted a launch) - you did something worth MUCH more than $1,000.

#24hrstartup

The winners 👇

#10

Lattes For Change - Skip a latte and save a life.

https://t.co/M75RAirZzs

@frantzfries built a platform where you can see how skipping your morning latte could do for the world.

A great product for a great cause.

Congrats Chris on winning $250!


#9

Instaland - Create amazing landing pages for your followers.

https://t.co/5KkveJTAsy

A team project! @bpmct and @BaileyPumfleet built a tool for social media influencers to create simple "swipe up" landing pages for followers.

Really impressive for 24 hours. Congrats!


#8

SayHenlo - Chat without distractions

https://t.co/og0B7gmkW6

Built by @DaltonEdwards, it's a platform for combatting conversation overload. This product was also coded exclusively from an iPad 😲

Dalton is a beast. I'm so excited he placed in the top 10.


#7

CoderStory - Learn to code from developers across the globe!

https://t.co/86Ay6nF4AY

Built by @jesswallaceuk, the project is focused on highlighting the experience of developers and people learning to code.

I wish this existed when I learned to code! Congrats on $250!!
Margatha Natarajar murthi - Uthirakosamangai temple near Ramanathapuram,TN
#ArudraDarisanam
Unique Natarajar made of emerlad is abt 6 feet tall.
It is always covered with sandal paste.Only on Thriuvadhirai Star in month Margazhi-Nataraja can be worshipped without sandal paste.


After removing the sandal paste,day long rituals & various abhishekam will be
https://t.co/e1Ye8DrNWb day Maragatha Nataraja sannandhi will be closed after anointing the murthi with fresh sandal paste.Maragatha Natarajar is covered with sandal paste throughout the year


as Emerald has scientific property of its molecules getting disturbed when exposed to light/water/sound.This is an ancient Shiva temple considered to be 3000 years old -believed to be where Bhagwan Shiva gave Veda gyaana to Parvati Devi.This temple has some stunning sculptures.
**Thread on Bravery of Sikhs**
(I am forced to do this due to continuous hounding of Sikh Extremists since yesterday)

Rani Jindan Kaur, wife of Maharaja Ranjit Singh had illegitimate relations with Lal Singh (PM of Ranjit Singh). Along with Lal Singh, she attacked Jammu, burnt - https://t.co/EfjAq59AyI


Hindu villages of Jasrota, caused rebellion in Jammu, attacked Kishtwar.

Ancestors of Raja Ranjit Singh, The Sansi Tribe used to give daughters as concubines to Jahangir.


The Ludhiana Political Agency (Later NW Fronties Prov) was formed by less than 4000 British soldiers who advanced from Delhi and reached Ludhiana, receiving submissions of all sikh chiefs along the way. The submission of the troops of Raja of Lahore (Ranjit Singh) at Ambala.

Dabistan a contemporary book on Sikh History tells us that Guru Hargobind broke Naina devi Idol Same source describes Guru Hargobind serving a eunuch
YarKhan. (ref was proudly shared by a sikh on twitter)
Gobind Singh followed Bahadur Shah to Deccan to fight for him.


In Zafarnama, Guru Gobind Singh states that the reason he was in conflict with the Hill Rajas was that while they were worshiping idols, while he was an idol-breaker.

And idiot Hindus place him along Maharana, Prithviraj and Shivaji as saviours of Dharma.