Women’s History: Dr. Valerie LaVerne Thomas: Renowned Scientist, Physicist, and Inventor

As we continue our series this month spotlighting notable African American women who have helped change and shape the landscape of our country, as well as the world, we want to highlight the accomplishments of Dr. Valerie LaVerne Thomas, renowned scientist, mathematician, physicist, and inventor. Thomas was born in 1943 in Baltimore, Maryland and reared in the historic all Black Cherry Hill neighborhood. Thomas states that her parents were her first role models and instilled in her the importance of education. Dr. Valerie LaVerne Thomas is a renowned scientist, mathematician, physicist, and inventor. (WIKIPEDIA) Thomas attended the all-girls public Western High School, then later Baltimore magnet school at Howard and Centre which was racially integrated under police protection in 1954. She enrolled three years later and developed a keen interest in physics, graduating in 1960. She received her undergraduate degree at a Historically Black Colleges and University – Morgan State College, now known as Morgan State University, in physics. She obtained her master’s degree in 1985 from George Washington University in Engineering Administration and her Doctor of Education Degree in Educational Leadership/Ed Tech in 2004. She developed computer data systems to support Orbiting Geophysical Observatory from 1964-1970. Thomas later became...