Technology Tuesdays: Technology and Black History Month
It is truly one of my favorite times of the year! All month, we proudly celebrate the excellence, achievements, and contributions of Black Americans. The most memorable Black History Month is when I have an opportunity to take a moment to reflect on events in my life and how the people we celebrate during Black History Month have impacted them.
This month, I want to focus on technology and how its progression has shaped our lives in ways we never would have imagined. I want to highlight the contributions of Black Americans who have made that technology possible.
First, let us talk about technology in general and how quickly it has advanced in recent decades. I had not actively thought about this topic until I was watching a movie with my son. This was about 8 years ago. We were watching The Matrix, which was released on March 31, 1999, a full 6 years before his birth. I found myself explaining how differently we communicated then versus now. I also realized how difficult it would be to find a functioning pay phone, and if we did, he would have no idea how to use one. I also thought about the days when a landline was required to access the internet and the old days of fighting with my siblings over whose turn it was to talk on the phone and who would have access to AOL Online.
This got me thinking: If technology advanced so dramatically in 20 years, how quickly is it advancing in the grand scheme of things? The answer to this question is that technology is advancing exponentially. In fact, there have been more technological advancements in the last 100 years than in the previous millennium. I would like to highlight some of the more pivotal technological advancements and celebrate the people who helped make them possible.
Space Travel: Katherine G. Johnson Mary W. Jackson Dorothy Vaughan
If you have not seen the movie Hidden Figures, I encourage you to watch it! It is a 2017 release based on a book written by Margot Lee Shetterly. It brings to life the story of these 3 African American female mathematicians who were instrumental in placing the first American astronaut into space.
Before actual computers, humans had to perform calculations for early spaceflight by hand. Calculations to determine launch windows for spacecraft and fuel consumption, among other things, had to be perfected to ensure the trip's success. At the time, NASA began to hire women to do this work because many men were off fighting in the war during the 30s and 40s. NASA began hiring African American women for this work in the 40s, which was the beginning of the organization’s now diverse workforce.
Fiber Optics and Caller ID: Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson
Next time your phone rings and you screen your call, think of Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson. Her contributions lead to the development of caller ID and Fiber Optics. Dr. Jackson is the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. from The Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She studied physics throughout her academic career and even pioneered a program called Project Interphase. Having faced many difficulties acclimating to campus life, she started Project Interphase, which was a summer program designed to support incoming minority freshmen.
Dr. Jackson also encouraged the college to do something it had never done before. Beginning in the fall of 1968, with Dr. Jackson's help, MIT began recruiting minority students. These efforts led to the increase of African American students on campus from 3 or 5 students to 57. Project Interphase has been in operation for over 5 decades and has served more than 2,000 students.
Dr. Jackson has enjoyed a rich career that includes numerous honors, such as being appointed chair of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission by President Bill Clinton in 1995. She was the first African American woman elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2001 and appointed to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology by President Barack Obama in 2009.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP): Dr. Marian R. Croak
It seems very second nature to us now as we work from home or conduct business remotely, but when we place a phone call over the internet via Zoom or Google Voice, we use a technology called VoIP. VoIP converts our voices into a digital signal that is easily transmitted from a computer to another digital device. Dr. Marian R. Croak, holder of over 200 patents, is responsible for VoIP.
Dr. Croak earned her undergraduate degree from Princeton University in statistical analysis and social psychology and her doctorate from the University of Southern California in the same field. She spent most of her career in voice and data communications, which spanned more than three decades. Much of this time was spent with Bell Labs, which later became AT&T, developing ways that technology could be used to enrich people’s lives. She is now the Vice President of Engineering for Google and heads the Research Center for Responsible AI and Human-Centered Technology. In addition, Dr. Croak has worked to increase broadband availability in developing countries throughout Africa and Asia.
