Women in STEM

KATHERINE JOHNSON A.K.A. “COMPUTER”

Celebrating International Day for Women and Girls in Science with a daily spotlight on #WomenInSTEM
Siobhan Paul
Siobhan Paul
Director, Global Marketing

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This year celebrates the 4th annual event which began with the goal of shaping young minds to see past gender and to provide an opportunity for all.

At DigitalEd, today kicks off a week-long celebration as we spotlight some of the amazing women who have made significant contributions, to not only the world of science, but technology, engineering, and math as well.

To start the week, we’re highlighting one of the most popular women in STEM – mathematician, author, and long-time NASA employee, Katherine G. Johnson.

“We will always have STEM with us. Some things will drop out of the public eye and will go away, but there will always be science, engineering, and technology. And there will always, always be mathematics.”
Katherine Johnson

Katherine Johnson, or “Computer” as she was also known at NASA, is an extraordinary woman who worked the front lines at NASA for over 30-years playing a pivotal role in countless missions, including the national space mission to send the first American into space.

She was so well-known for her impressive skills in mathematics, that for the “First Astronauts” mission, John Glenn specifically called on her to check, by hand, the calculations for the orbital flight plan. As a result, Katherine was one of the final individuals at NASA to ensure the successful mission that marked a favorable crossroads for American space travel.

Additional projects under Katherine’s belt include Apollo 11, 13 and Lunar Lander, the Space Shuttle, the Earth Resources Shuttle, and plans for a mission to Mars. In her 33-years at NASA Katherine had many successes, but even after she retired in 1986 she continued to make a monumental impact on society as a trailblazer in space science and a tremendous role model for young women and men.

Born August 26, 1918, 2018 marked the celebration of this incredible woman’s 100th birthday.

Katherine is among many great women who are changing the course of history for women and girls in STEM and proving that gender does not determine your dreams.

Tomorrow we will feature another incredible woman in STEM, so if you haven’t already, follow us on social for daily #WomenInSTEM inspiration!

For more information on Katherine Johnson, visit the sites below which helped to create the article above:

https://www.nasa.gov/content/katherine-johnson-biography
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/katherine-g-johnson
https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/katherine_johnson_815494

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