Melba Mouton
Melba Mouton worked for NASA as a mathematician and computer programmer. (Image Credit: NASA)
NASA recently announced it named a moon mountain located near the south pole after Melba Mouton, a Black mathematician who worked for the space agency during the "Hidden Figures" era. (A film named "Hidden Figures" loosely covers the events of the time.) The Artemis program plans to land humans on the south pole in 2025. This moon landmark is one of the 13 proposed landing sites for Artemis 3. It's also adjacent to the area NASA plans on sending its VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) in 2024.
The International Astronomical Union, which designates worldwide space landmarks, received proposals for "Mons Mouton." She "charted a path for other women and people of color to pursue careers and lead cutting-edge science at NASA," said Sandra Connelly, the agency's acting associate administrator for science.
In 1959, NASA hired Mouton at the Goodard Space Flight Center near Baltimore, Segregation. During that time, African-Americans faced a great deal of discrimination after centuries of slavery, lynchings, and institutional prejudice. NASA has been highlighting African Americans' contributions in the past decade. The space agency also named one of its headquarters after Katherine Johnson, a black mathematician, in 2020.
Mouton served as a head mathematician of the "human computers," tracking the Echo 1 and Echo 2 satellites that reached Earth orbit in 1960 and 1964, respectively. In 1961, Mouton was promoted to the head programmer role and led a team to track spacecraft locations and trajectories. She retired in 1973 after becoming assistant chief of research programs for the trajectory and geodynamics division at Goddard. She was awarded an Apollo Achievement Award after humans landed on the moon on July 20, 1969.
Todd Coleman
An example of Todd Coleman's medical application is a non-invasive stomach monitor. (Image Credit: UC San Diego)
Todd Coleman is a professor of bioengineering at the University of California, San Diego. He uses tools for information theory, neuroscience, machine learning, and bioelectronics to understand and control interacting systems with biological and computer components.
His research in flexible bio-electronics leads to wireless health applications that are barely noticeable to the wearer. Coleman's brain-machine interface research focuses on information theory, control theory, and neuroscience to design systems "from the perspective of multiple agents contributing to achieve a common goal." His technology has proven helpful to those with disabilities while allowing others to improve their capabilities in daily tasks.
Shirley Ann Jackson
Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson serves as president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She studied at MIT, earning her physics B.S. and theoretical elementary particle physics Ph.D. In addition, she became the first black woman to earn a doctorate at MIT. She also received 53 honorary doctorate degrees. While employed at AT&T researching theoretical physics, solid-state, optical physics, and quantum physics, Jackson developed call waiting stems and caller ID. Such inventions lead to several telecommunication developments, such as fiber-optic cable, portable fax, the touch-tone telephone, and call waiting. In 2015, Barack Obama awarded her with the National Medal of Science.
Dr Eric Numkam Fokoua
(Image Credit: University of South Hampton)
Eric Numkam Fokoua serves as a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Southampton's Optoelectronics Research Centre. He studies light propagation in optical fibers and develops hollow-core optical fibers for data transmission. Eric received a 5-year Engineering for Development Research Fellowship in 2019 for research progress.
Kobie Boykins
Kobie Boykins built the solar arrays for the Mars Spirit rover and designed Curiousty's actuators. (Image Credit: NASA)
Kobie Boykins works at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory as a senior mechanical engineer in Pasadena, California. Boykins contributed to the Mars Spirit rover by designing, fabricating, and developing solar array systems. He also designed the Curiosity Mars rover's actuators. As a student, he worked on the Mars Pathfinder rover, working "on mass properties by finding the CG of the rover to work stability of the mobility system." In addition, he tested the airbag system by developing the rock stand. He also contributed to fabricating the cleats used on Sojourner's wheels. Boykins won the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal in 2013 and now serves as the supervisor of the mobility and remote sensing teams for Curiosity.
Jerone Andrews
Jerone Andres contributes to Sony's AI Gastronomy and AI Ethics projects. (Image Credit: Sony)
Jerone Andrews attended King's College London, where he earned an MSci in Mathematics. Afterward, he received an ESPR-funded MRes and Ph.D. in Computer Science from University College London. He works as a research scientist and makes contributions to Sony's AI Gastronomy and AI Ethics projects. He also conducts research in deep learning and computer vision, self-supervised anomaly detection, machine learning, and transfer learning. Jerone received a Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellowship, a Marie Sklodowska-Curie RISE grant, and a British Science Association Media Fellowship with BBC Future.
Jeremy Brown
Jeremy Brown develops devices for amputees, allowing them to regain a sense of touch. (Image Credit: John Hopkin's Whiting School of Engineering)
Jeremy Brown earned his bachelor's degrees in applied physics and mechanical engineering from Morehouse College and the University of Michigan. While attending the University of Michigan, Brown worked on haptic feedback for upper-extremity prosthetic devices.
He studies the interface between humans and robots, focusing on medical applications and haptic feedback. Brown's role involves developing haptic interfaces in upper-limb prosthetics and minimally invasive surgical robots. This research is applicable for providing amputees with a sense of touch and helps surgeons use robots to improve their precision during surgeries. His team uses human perception, motor control, neurophysiology, and biomechanics for human touch perception observations since it relates to applications of human-robot interaction. Research conducted by his team could also lead to rehabilitation robotics.