Black History Hero of the Day: Dorothy Johnson Vaughan

2/9/2018 3:08 pm

Black History Month Hero of the Day

Today, we feature Dorothy Johnson Vaughan. She was an African-American mathematics teacher
who became one of the leading mathematical engineers in early days of the aerospace industry. After the U.S. defense industry desegregated, Vaughan worked with leading computer operators and engineers, becoming a n expert in the FORTRAN programming coding language at NASA. She worked on the SCOUT Launch Vehicle Program that shot satellites into space. Vaughan and other female African- American mathematicians are the subject of a 2016 film Hidden Figures.