Footsteps articles from May 2004

Footsteps archives from May 2004

The world around us.
May 1, 2004... Science is the study of the world around us through observation and measurement. The word "science" is derived from the Latin word scientia ("knowledge"). In the past, many people have considered almost any search for knowledge to be part of...

Seeking equality in the lab.
May 1, 2004... Mathematician and astronomer Benjamin Banneker published a widely used almanac in 1791. Physicist Edward A. Bouchet earned a Ph.D. from Yale in 1876. Agricultural chemist George Washington Carver invented more than 300 products made from...

The wizard of Tuskegee.(George Washington Carver)
May 1, 2004... George Washington Carver often quoted his favorite Bible verse: "Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth... to you it shall be for meat." This verse provided Carver not only with inspiration,...

George's fudge.
May 1, 2004... Do peanut sausage, peanut soup, and peanut-prune ice cream sound tasty to you? George Washington Carver thought so. These were just a few of the 105 peanut recipes that Carver, an agricultural chemist, created in his lab. Known as "the Peanut...

A sweet solution.
May 1, 2004... Americans consume, on average, more than 150 pounds of sugar a year per person. While most people know about the potential health hazards of eating too much sugar, it might be surprising to learn that 200 years ago, even making this popular...

One invention at a time.
May 1, 2004... Determined to achieve success, many black scientists have had to brave slavery, segregation, racism, and sexism. Profiled here are six men and women who are not as widely known as George Washington Carver or Mae Jemison, but whose contributions...

Heroes of microbiology.
May 1, 2004... Context not available due to copyright restrictions.

Charles Richard Drew, M.D.
May 1, 2004... Charles Richard Drew was an extraordinary person. The oldest of five children, he was born in 1904 and grew up in a loving, closely-knit family in Washington, D.C. Not only was he smart, handsome, and athletic, he was also remembered as...

Meet Erin R. Drew.(Descendants)(Interview)
May 1, 2004... Erin R. Drew, M.D., works as a senior regional medical scientist for GlaxoSmithKline, a pharmaceutical company. Her responsibilities include teaching physicians about the latest studies and new products for respiratory ailments. After she...

Medical maze.(Brief Article)(Illustration)
May 1, 2004... It takes navigating a maze to become a doctor. Some doctors study chromosomes. Do you have what it takes to find your way through this chromosome maze? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Chromosomes are linear strands of DNA and associated...

The sky's the limit: at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the opportunities for black scientists are out of this world. Read on to meet six stellar scientists, and discover what can happen when the sky's the limit.
May 1, 2004... Guion Bluford On August 30, 1983, "Guy" Bluford became the first African American in space, serving as a mission specialist onboard the shuttle Challenger. As a boy, Bluford worked hard to keep up with others in school. But he went on...

Solar oven science.
May 1, 2004... illustrated by CHRIS WOLD OYRUD Think about getting into a closed car on a sunny day. Outside may be only 70 degrees F, but inside temperatures can reach above 200 degrees F. Your car has turned into a solar oven! This happens because...

A spirit of invention.
May 1, 2004... Because scientists and scientific companies must apply for patents to protect ownership of their discoveries, FOOTSTEPS has included this article on just what an invention is. Check the sidebar on page 34 to see the process you must follow to...

Obtaining a patent.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... 1. To obtain a patent, an inventor must have an invention that is new and useful. Any similarities to existing patents must not be obvious. 2. To begin, the inventor must file a patent application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office....

Light a match.
May 1, 2004... When cartoon people have an idea, they are pictured with light bulbs over their heads. Study the bulbs below to find exact matches. When you find a pair, shade them in. When you find all the pairs, the unshaded bulbs will reveal another way of...

Take a byte out of science: have you caught the computer bug? Computer science, the science of solving problems using computers, is the wave of the future. Meet five so-called "computer geeks" who have used computer science to rewire the world.
May 1, 2004... Clarence Ellis In 1969, Clarence "Skip" Ellis became the first African American to earn a doctorate in computer science. He became interested in computers at age 15 when a Chicago company hired him as a security guard to protect its new...

Meet Philip Emeagwali.(Primary Sources)(Interview)
May 1, 2004... How did you come to be interested in computers and the Internet? As a child, my father drilled me on "fast computation" to hundreds of solve mathematical problems in an hour. My interest in fast computation continued. When I was 20 years...

Aim for the stars.(Shirley Ann Jackson)
May 1, 2004... Her father once told her, "Aim for the stars, so that you can reach the treetops, and at least you'll get off the ground." Shirley Ann Jackson, president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, has used these words successfully...

Meet Shirley Ann Jackson.(Primary Sources)(Interview)
May 1, 2004... What led you to pursue a career in science? I was always interested in math and in understanding the world around me. I grew up in a time after the Soviet Union launched the Sputnik satellite into space. That had a big influence on me. When...

The Selma March.(Your Pages)
May 1, 2004... Justin Schneider Christa McAuliffe Middle School Jackson, New Jersey

Ella Fitzgerald.(Your Pages)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... ELLA FITZGERALD Ella Fitzgerald was born in 1917, and she died in 1996. She was born in Newport, Virginia, but soon moved to Yonkers, New York. Throughout her life, she was in many bands. She was known for her beautiful and pure tone. She...

Black Man.(Your Pages)
May 1, 2004... Marcus Morman Edward L. Bouie Elementary School Lithonia, Georgia

George Washington Carver: Innovator in Agriculture.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2004... George Washington Carver: Innovator in Agriculture by Lisa Halvorsen (Thomson/Gale, 2002, www.gale.com) accompanies details of Carver's youth, agricultural career, innovations, and legacy with an informative collection of contemporary images,...

African Americans in Science, Math, and Invention.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2004... African Americans in Science, Math, and Invention by Ray Spangenburg and Kit Moser (Facts On File, 2003, www.factsonfile.com) is part of a series titled "A to Z of African Americans." Well-researched, each entry is followed by a "Further...

A Small Nation of People: W. E. B. Du Bois & African American Portraits of Progress.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
May 1, 2004... A Small Nation of People: W. E. B. Du Bois & African American Portraits of Progress by the Library of Congress with essays by David Levering Lewis and Deborah Willis (Amistad/Library of Congress, 2003, www.harper collins.com) includes...

On the net.(More About)(Brief Article)(Bibliography)
May 1, 2004... For a site that includes profiles of African American men and women have contributed to the advancement of science and engineering, with charts, links, and bibliographies, go to: www.princeton.edu/~mcbrown/display/faces.html For a site...

Let's find out.
May 1, 2004... During the 1700s and 1800s, U.S. military recruitment officers used various terms to describe the complexion of African Americans who joined the army and navy. These terms included light, bright, yellow, mulatto, copper, brown, olive, yellow,...

African Americans in the news--past and present.(In the Know)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Over the course 400 years, as many as 10 million people may have been forcibly removed from Africa to the Americas. Without shipping records, many people can only guess the region or ethnic group from which their ancestors came. To complicate...