Degree(s): Math

Undergraduate Institution: West Virginia State College (HBCU)

Photo Credit: NASA [Public domain]

Mrs. Katherine Johnson was employed as a “computer” at NASA, the term given to women who performed mathematical calculations for NASA engineers. She is most famous for calculating (by hand) the trajectory of the first American in space (Alan Shepard), the first American to orbit Earth (John Glenn), and the first human mission to the moon (Apollo 11).

Fun Fact: Mrs. Johnson’s story (along with Dorothy Vaughn’s and Mary Jackson’s) was told in the 2016 film, “Hidden Figures.”