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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 18, 2004)
studei age. jewel» Fox aid, cot versitj's a veij ontribuij 'dgeiati ; as A&U arch oil. responsj. agemet services, nd uiajj t the sci- aast sue- drii; Jturesti novathe reseaKl X)3, aul present take sci' s on ai to loci' ■ox said, tal rod scientists i will tie climate 5 millioi i insight ages and changes. : of find- ces hint' the sea lists and w mem- in the to have are these id direc- r path, lortunit) ithesri- :ld$ ind lesmh eporting, i 35 per- Dennis i percent ercent. >athering id up the powerful rile votes 27, o! erry was with i i. “Ijtts lid. rlain,| , bacte e reasoi i beating i said, or a one- i towait gged of probiet / are no t enotig 1 d Ken)’' : mendotf ;o,ofSK' od head . 5* mg. sin race rt oftk reentot 1 udiend ters sat ,ibs fro” tor ucer or jringt!® session postal attalio 11 ' /eisitvl 1 ' >s are in E-mait it by mo ,r class'- id offiot ttopiot options ror$l» 2611' Black like me Yesterday's black inventors helped make today's luxuries a possibility Photo illustration by Joshua Hobson and Ruben DeLuna • THE BATTALION By Kyle Ross THE BATTALION T his month, people all over the country will celebrate Black History Month. They will recall the misfortunes and oppressions of black people throughout the years, mdcelebrate the many triumphs and achievements that often go unnoticed. There is no better time for the nation to take a peek into how black people have helped shape science and technology than now. According to the U.S. Patent Office, Thomas Jennings is thought to be the first black person to receive a patent for an invention. In 1821, Jennings was granted a patent for a dry cleaning process. Sixty years later, Judy Reed became the first Hack woman to obtain a patent for a hand-operated machine for tneading and rolling dough. At that time, slaves were prohibited [ramreceiving patents, and while free black inventors were legally able to file, few ever did, probably in fear of the intoler ance all around them. Henry Blaire received a patent in 1834 for a seed planter and another in 1836 for a cotton planter. He is the only person docu- lented in the U.S. Patent Office records as ‘‘a colored man.” Eecause Blaire could not write, he signed his patents with an “X.” Bom in 1856, Granville Woods spent a greater part of his life (ontributing innovations to the railroad industry. Woods filed 27 ptents ranging from a railway telegraphy system to the auto- ratictrain airbrake. Due to his contributions, many called him the "Black Edison.” From these humble beginnings has come a wave of black inven ts and their number continues to grow with each passing generation. Valerie Thomas, a black inventor and retired NASA employee isone of this generation’s leading women. Growing up in some- »hat of a modest background, she has become one of the more successful and influential black women in the science and tech nology world. "Igrew up in an area of Baltimore that some may call ‘the projects,’”Thomas said, “but the development was not like nor mal project housing. It wasn't a ghetto. It was built more like a paikand was a wonderful place for a child to grow up. I was able to wander around and explore the world in front of me.” Thomas, who worked as a data analyst for NASA and was project manager for NASA’s image-processing system on Lauisat, the first satellite to send images to Earth, is credited with inventing the Illusion Transmitter. Her vision was to create k-dimensional projections of images without having to use altering glasses. “My father was really into photography. He would develop and even enlarge his own photos ip the kitchen of our house,” Thomas said. “I would watch him, even at an early age, and he would explain how it worked. He also fixed televisions, and I remember see ing all the machinery of a broken TV and wondering how a picture could come from it. That’s probably when 1 first became interested in optics.” What gives Thomas and others like her such a significant amount of achievement are the challenges awaiting ethnic minority groups and women that must be overcome in the disciplines of science and technology. “Ethnic minority groups face a lot of challenges in the engineering world such as racial profiling, and it is harder for them to be represented in the world, period,” said Ashley Gaines, a representative for the National Society of Black Engineers Texas A&M. “Being a woman in the engineering industry is different from being a man in engineering industry. Not better, not worse, but different. In the professional engi neering fields, it is filled with men. It is harder for women to get jobs. Women have to work extra hard to be well-respected at their job.” Despite the struggles of racial equality in the United States, black men and women have always offered their innovations to science and technol ogy. Without black inventors, we would not have such things as traffic lights, the gas mask, the potato chip, the mailbox or the golf tee. We would n’t have the fire extinguisher, the elevator or the automatic gearshift. Even the idea of a blood bank and system for long-term preservation of blood plasma came from a black inventor. Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1865 abolishing slavery everywhere in the United States, but it wasn’t until 1957 that The Civil Rights Act was written. That’s less than 50 years ago - a mere blip on the timeline of this young country. Thomas is just one of the growing multitudes of black inven tors finding success in a society that is still walking the path toward racial and gender equality. “My advice to young women, or more specifically young African American women out there, is to seek out organizations and peer groups that you can relate to,” Thomas said. “And also make learning a lifetime activity. Never stop taking classes or seminars or workshops. Never stop learning. It’s worked out well for me.” ^ Biggest Downloader On Campus. THE NEWEST WAY TO GET HIT MOVIES: DOWNLOAD THEM. STUDENTS GET 25% OFF* ALL MOVIES AT COLLEGE.MOVIELINK.COM ^5* Movielink movies on demand Terms and conditions apply. See website for details. verltas WednesdayFebruary 18 “Five Reasons God Exists and Three Reasons Why It Makes A Difference” with Dr.William Lane Craig & “Is There Scientific Evidence for the Existence of God?” with Dr. Walter Bradley see below for time and location details WednesdayFebruary 18 “Five Reasons God Exists and Three Reasons Why It Makes A Difference” with Dr. Wiliam Lane Craig 9:30-11:00 A.M. - Rudder 404 “Is There Scientific Evidence for the Existence of God?” with Dr. Walter Bradley 7:00 P.M. ■ Rudder Auditorium ThursdayFebruary 19 Women’s Lunch: “The Role of the Body in the Spiritual Search” with Lilian Calles Barger (President of Damaris Project), 12:30-1:45 P.M. ■ MSC 231 - RSVP RHildreth@clm.org “What I Learned from Sex and the City” with Lilian Calles Barger 4:00-5:30 P.M. ■ Rudder 410 “Relativism, Truth, and Tolerance” with Dr. Peter Kreeft - 7:00 P.M. ■ Rudder Auditorium FridayFebruary 20 Catholicism and Evangelicalism: Are They Compatible?, with Dr. Peter Kreeft. St Mary’s Catholic Church, 7:00 A.M. (reservations please: info@aggiecatholic.org) NOTE: This event is not just for Catholics. Everyone is welcome to attend. There is no charge for the breakfast. varitas-veritas ■ verito's ■ v^ritn^. vet February 16-20, 2004 www.veritas.org/TexasA&M