Diversity and Inclusion – Uncovering the Hidden Figures

Edward Bouchet, the first African American physics PhD, graduated from Yale University in 1876. Forty- two years later, Elmer Imes earned his PhD (1918) from the University of Michigan. Imes was followed, 19 years later (1937) by John M. Hunter receiving his degree from Cornell University. Sixty- five additional African American men had earned the physics PhD by 1972 when the first African American woman, Willie Hobbs-Moore earned her degree from the University of Michigan. It is of note that in 1972, thirteen African Americans earned the PhD. It took another twenty-four years to exceed that number. In the first century after Bouchet, one hundred and six African Americans earned the Doctorate in physics, four of them women. What will the numbers look like in the 2 nd century after Bouchet? What is the story behind these numbers? Who are the unsung heroes/sheroes on whose shoulders so many students stood to become a physics professional? This talk will pull back the curtains on some of these questions.