Celebrating Black Pioneers in Computer Science [Infographic]

Though I’ve worked in the computer science field for over 25 years, I didn’t know about Black men or women computer science pioneers in the field until recently.

My college courses focused on white computer science men and highlighted their accomplishments.

I’ll continue to educate myself on the diversity of computer science folks who play (or have played) integral roles in computer technology.

In New Relic’s infographic, you’ll learn about seven Black computer science pioneers including NASA physicist Katherine Johnson, who many people know from the film Hidden Figures as well as computer scientist Mark Dean who co-created the IBM personal computer released in 1981.

Check out the infographic to learn more about Black pioneers in computer science.

Or, if you prefer, I’ve included the text version of the infographic.

Which may be easier to read, since the infographic from New Relic was saved in jpg file format, which means the text is a bit fuzzy to read.

Black Pioneers in Computer Science

In honor of Black History Month, let’s celebrate the amazing and inspiring life stories of some of the trailblazing African-American men and women who made substantial contributions to the development of modern computer technology.

Katherine Johnson, Physicist & Mathematician (b. 1918)

• Starting in 1953, Johnson worked as a “human computer” at NASA, doing calculations essential to the success of many early missions.
• Key to the success of Project Mercury and the Apollo 11 mission. When NASA began using digital computers, she helped confirm the accuracy of those computer calculations.
• Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2015.

Evelyn Boyd Granville, Mathematician (b. 1924)

• One of the first African-American women to earn a Ph.D. in mathematics (from Yale in 1949).
• Joined IBM in 1956 as a computer programmer, writing software programs for the IBM 650 computer.
• At IBM’s Aviation Space and Information Systems division, Granville worked on various projects for NASA’s Apollo space program, including digital computer techniques.

Roy L. Clay, Sr., Computer Programmer (b. 1930)

• In 1958, Clay started working as a computer programmer at Lawrence Radiation Laboratory in California (known today as Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory).
• Recruited in 1965 to set up Hewlett-Packard’s computer development business, and led HP’s first foray into the computer market with the 2116A computer.
• Inducted into Silicon Valley Engineering Council’s Hall of Fame in 2003.

Clarence “Skip” Ellis, Computer Scientist (b. 1943)

• First African-American to earn a Ph.D. in computer science (from Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1969).
• Contributed to the development of ILLIAC IV supercomputer, icon-based GUI, object-oriented programming languages, “groupware” technology, and Operational Transformation (OT).
• First African-American named to the Association of Computing Machinery (ACM).

Mark Dean, Computer Scientist (b. 1957)

• Co-creator of the IBM personal computer released in 1981.
• Contributed to the development of the color PC monitor, the first gigahertz chip and the Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) system bus.
• First African-American to become an IBM Fellow (which represents the highest level of technical excellence).

John Henry Thompson, Computer Scientist & Inventor (b. 1959)

• Inventor of Lingo, a scripting language that renders visuals in computer software.
• As chief scientist at Macromedia, Thompson developed Macromedia Director, a multimedia application authoring platform.
• His work was instrumental in bridging the early gap between art and technology and a foundation for modern video games, web design, animation, and graphics.

Kimberly Bryant, Founder of Black Girls Code (b. 1967)

• Founded Black Girls Code in 2011, a nonprofit organization that teaches programming to young girls of color.
• Named by Business Insider as one of the 25 Most Influential African-Americans in Technology.
• Honored by the White House in 2013 as a “Champion of Change for Tech Inclusion.”