Inventors
de Mari Rich
Revolutionary War-era inventor Benjamin Banneker gets most of the headlines, but the story of invention by black scientists certainly did not stop there. Throughout recent centuries and perhaps never more so than today brilliant and dedicated creative people of African heritage are helping to make our world better and safer with their inventions. From food refrigeration to high-tech electronics, from closed-circuit TV to 3-D glasses, from rocket science to computers all these areas and more are part of the inspiring stories in this book, which awaits new chapters of inventions yet to come. Great scientific achievements, innovations, and inventions have been recorded in recent times and in the past by men and women of color, and this series celebrates their work and lives, specialty by specialty. Their stories can inspire students of today to pursue their own dreams of science success. In a perfect world, we, like science, would not see color. Until then, we celebrate and inspire with stories of BLACK ACHIEVEMENT IN SCIENCE. This series includes nearly 80 short biographies of scientists past and present who will inspire, engage, and encourage young readers. All of the subjects are African-American or of African descent and work in a wide variety of scientific disciplines around the world. Their stories of perseverance, dedication, creativity, and energy will appeal to any young person looking at a career in science, but especially to African-American students seeking role models. Each title in this series contains an introduction, as well as foreword by the directors of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers Malinda Gilmore and Mel Poulson. They write about the importance of having role models and mentors in all the science fields. Each title in BLACK ACHIEVEMENT IN SCIENCE includes color photos throughout, and back matter including an index and further reading lists for books and internet resources. Key Icons appear throughout the books in this series in an effort to encourage library readers to build knowledge, gain awareness, explore possibilities, and expand their viewpoints through our content rich nonfiction books. Key Icons in this series are: Words to Understand shown at the front of each chapter with definitions. These words are set in boldfaced color type in that chapter, so that readers are able to reference back to the definitions, building their vocabulary and enhancing their reading comprehension. Text-Dependent Questions are placed at the end of each title referring back to subjects covered within. They challenge the reader s comprehension of the material they have just read, while sending the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented there. Research Projects are provided at the end of each title as well and give readers suggestions for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis. Educational Videos are offered in chapters through the use of a QR code, that, when scanned, takes the student to an online video showing a moment in history, a speech, or an instructional video. This gives the readers additional content to supplement the text. A Series Glossary of Key Terms is included in the back matter containing terminology used throughout the series. Words found here broaden the readers knowledge and understanding of terms used in this field.
