Women in STEM - Evelyn Boyd Granville
Evelyn Boyd Granville loved mathematics from a very early age. She said being a “geek” never bothered her, and she believed that her ability to problem solve was a gift from God.
“It never occurred to me that [girls] couldn’t do mathematics - 'cause I could do mathematics. I never heard that message.”
Evelyn became the 2nd African-American woman to gain her Ph.D. in Mathematics, graduating from Yale University in 1949. In 1956, she began her career as a computer programmer for IBM, which led to her contract work on the Apollo program with NASA. In that work, Evelyn was responsible for projects related to celestial mechanics, trajectory computation, and digital computer technologies.
In 2000, Evelyn was given Yale University’s highest alumni award, and has since been named one of the “four giants of women’s contributions to Science and Technology.”
To learn more about Evelyn Boyd Granville:
You can also check out this short interview with Evelyn:
