Dr. Lloyd Noel Ferguson
Dr. Lloyd Noel Ferguson born in Oakland in 1918, was a chemist, entrepreneur, mentor, and STEM literacy advocate. Despite growing up in poverty, he had a strong interest in chemistry during his childhood. He created his first lab in his backyard and made several inventions, some of which he sold. After high school he worked in construction and as a porter for a railroad company to save money for college. He received a BS (1936) with honors and PhD (1940) in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, becoming the first person in his family to attend college and the first African American to obtain a Chemistry PhD at Berkeley.
Samuel Proctor Massie Jr.
Dr. Samuel Proctor Massie Jr. was an African-American chemist who worked on the Manhattan Project, antibiotics, environment, and infectious diseases.
Dr. Edward Alexander Bouchet
Dr.Edward Alexander Bouchet was an African-American mathematician and physicist who was the first African-American to graduate with a PhD in the United States.
Mary Elliot Hill, MS
Mary Elliott Hill was an organic and analytical chemist who researched ultraviolet light and used it to develop more precise analytical methods.
Emmett Chappelle
Mr.Emmett Chappelle, widely known as the “Father of Bioluminescence” was an African-American scientist who made grand leaps in the field of research.
Dr. Percy Lavon Julian
Dr. Percy Lavon Julian was one of the foremost chemists in the 20th century. He was one of six children to two middle class parents in Montgomery, Alabama, and all of his siblings attended college.
Dr. Marie Maynard Daly
Dr. Marie Maynard Daly was a biochemist and advocate for minorities in STEM. Originally from Queens, New York, she always showed an interest in science modeled after her father, an immigrant from the West Indies.
Alice Augusta Ball
Alice Augusta ball was a renowned biochemist and Seattle native who broke barriers in the field of Chemistry during the early 1900’s.