Alpha Phi Alpha Alums

Alpha Phi Alpha was the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans. Alpha Phil Alpha was founded at Cornell University in 1906, and over the decades, members and alums have been not only within the Black community but across America. The fraternity's famous alumni include , , , , , , , , , , and .

Vera Rubin (1928 - 2016), dark matter astrophysicist

Vera Rubin, a pioneering astrophysicist who confirmed the existence of dark matter, died Sunday, Dec. 25, 2016, according to multiple news reports. She was 88.

George Olah (1927–2017), Nobel-winning chemist

The Hungarian-born U.S. chemist was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1994 for his research into unstable carbon molecules.

Straight Truth & Real Talk: Albert Einstein (video)

Albert Einstein’s genius extended beyond physics to everyday life. A man who could grasp the complexities of space and time, he was often pressed by interviewers for his thoughts on all aspects of the human condition. He displayed a wit and wisdom that were surprisingly down-to-earth for someone who spent so much time thinking about the stars.

Thanks, Scientists! (video)

A video tribute to scientists whose work have saved lives.

Bruce McCandless (1937–2017), first astronaut to fly untethered in space

Bruce McCandless wasthe first astronaut to fly untethered in space.

John Young (1930–2018), astronaut walked on the Moon

Legendary astronaut John Young walked on the moon and later commanded the first space shuttle flight.

John Sulston (1942–2018), scientist helped decode human genome

John Sulston, Nobel Prize-winning British scientist who helped decode the human genome.

Stephen Hawking (1942–2018), world-famous theoretical physicist

Stephen Hawking, one of the world's best-known scientists, brought theoretical physics to the general public with his 1988 best-seller "A Brief History of Time."

Stephen Hawking Was Wrong, And That's How He Became So Great

The great physicist's life teaches us that science means changing your mind when new evidence turns up.

17 People Who Fought for Autism Awareness

These scientists, teachers, and community leaders sought greater understanding of life on the spectrum.

Stewart Adams (1923–2019), inventor of ibuprofen, used himself as test subject

“I always felt it was important to take the first dose.”

Wallace Broecker (1931–2019), scientist popularized the term “global warming”

Predicted rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide would raise global temperatures.

Bill Jenkins (1945–2019), tried to end Tuskegee syphilis experiment

Bill Jenkins was an epidemiologist and government whistleblower who tried to bring an end to the Tuskegee syphilis experiment by exposing it as racist and unethical. The study began in 1932 when 600 black men, 399 of whom had syphilis, were recruited for a study in exchange for free health care. The study quietly continued for four decades, during which time the men were denied emerging treatments for syphilis and allowed to pass the disease along to their wives and children. When Jenkins joined the Public Health Service in 1967, he learned about the still-ongoing experiment and began working to bring it to the public's attention so it could be stopped. After others got involved in whistleblowing the study's poor methods, a governmental hearing deemed the study problematic and it came to an end in 1972. A subsequent lawsuit brought monetary compensation to the remaining subjects and their survivors, and years later, Jenkins led the effort to get an official apology from President Bill Clinton to the victims of the experiment and their families.

Edward Nixon (1930–2019), brother of President Richard Nixon

Edward Nixon was the youngest brother of President Richard Nixon and worked on his brother's presidential campaigns in 1968 and 1972.

Larry Tesler (1945–2020), computer scientist who created copy-and-paste

Larry Tesler  was a computer scientist whose achievements included developing the cut, copy, and paste technology that’s now an integral part of using our devices. In the 1970s, Tesler worked at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), then a hotspot for innovations in computing. It was there that he worked on the Gypsy word processor, which introduced the concept of cut, copy, and paste, as well as the terms we now use for those actions. Tesler also introduced the concept of find and replace.

Katherine Johnson (1918–2020), NASA's “Hidden Figures” hero

Katherine Johnson was a mathematician who calculated orbital mechanics for the first crewed spaceflights for NASA. The story of her struggles as one of the African American women working as computers at NASA in the 1960s was made famous in the 2016 film “Hidden Figures,” which starred Taraji P. Henson as Johnson. Johnson’s calculations of the trajectory and launch window for Alan Shepard’s historic 1961 spaceflight were crucial to the success of the mission. She later helped calculate the trajectory for Apollo 11’s 1969 Moon landing, and she worked on the Space Shuttle program and on plans for a mission to Mars.

Women's History Month: Legacies & Life Stories

Women accomplish amazing things every day, and that’s always worth celebrating. But in March, we take special notice of women’s achievements as we observe Women’s History Month.

John F. Murray (1927–2020), top lung disease doctor

John F. Murray  was a doctor who spent his career studying and treating lung disease whose work will be instrumental in fighting COVID-19.  

Margaret Burbidge (1919–2020), astronomer who showed elements form inside stars

Burbidge was a renowned astronomer known for fighting discrimination towards women in the field.

William Frankland (1912–2020), founding father of allergy medicine

Dr. William Frankland was a pioneering allergist who popularized pollen count reporting and helped develop the science behind allergy shots.

John Houghton (1931–2020), renowned climate scientist

John Houghton was a renowned climate scientist who won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.

Takuo Aoyagi (1936–2020), pulse oximeter inventor

Takuo Aoyagi was a Japanese engineer who developed technology that made the modern pulse oximeter possible, allowing us to measure the level of oxygen in the blood.

Richard C. Friedman (1941–2020), doctor who showed homosexuality was biological

Richard C. Friedman was a psychiatrist whose groundbreaking 1988 book, “Male Homosexuality: A Contemporary Psychoanalytic Perspective,” showed that homosexuality was largely biological, rather than a perversion that needed to be cured.

William Dement (1928–2020), sleep doctor who coined the term “REM”

Dr. William Dement was a scientist who developed the field of sleep research and coined the term “REM,” or rapid eye movement, to describe the stage of sleep when dreaming takes place.

Grant Imahara (1970–2020), host of “MythBusters,” “White Rabbit Project”

Grant Imahara was an electrical engineer and roboticist who was best known for hosting “MythBusters” and “White Rabbit Project.”

Flossie Wong-Staal (1946–2020), pioneering HIV researcher

Flossie Wong-Staal was a molecular virologist whose research on HIV was crucial in the development of blood tests to detect the virus.

Frances Allen (1932–2020), pioneering computer scientist

Frances Allen was a pioneering computer scientist and the first woman to win a Turing award.

Russell Kirsch (1929–2020), inventor of the pixel

Russel Kirsch was a computer scientist credited with inventing the pixel andbeing the first to scan aadigitalaphotograph.aa

Joan Feynman (1927–2020), astrophysicist who explained the aurora borealis

Joan Feynman was a pioneering astrophysicist who discovered the science behind the aurora borealis and aurora australis.

Shere Hite (1942–2020), author of Hite Reports on female sexuality

Shere Hite was a sex educator and feminist who issued the groundbreaking Hite Reports that explored human sexuality and focused on women’s experiences.

Darold Treffert (1933–2020), autism researcher who consulted on “Rain Man”

Darold Treffert was a psychiatrist whose pioneering research helped us better understand autism and savant syndrome.

Narinder Kapany (1926–2020), physicist who co-invented fiber optics

Narinder Kapany was a physicist known as the “father of fiber optics,” who was one of the inventors of fiber optics technology.

Discover the legacies of the Challenger astronauts

On January 28, 1986, Americans turned on their TVs to watch the launch of Space Shuttle Challenger. The shuttle’s flight would turn out to be heartbreakingly brief before tragedy struck. Seventy-three seconds into the Challenger’s flight, the shuttle exploded. All seven astronauts on board were killed.

Andrew Brooks (1969–2021), scientist who developed first COVID-19 spit test

Andrew Brooks was a research professor at Rutgers University and CEO of Infinity Biologix, who developed the first FDA-approved rapid saliva test for COVID-19.

Paul Crutzen (1933–2021), Nobel laureate who warned of ozone depletion

Paul Crutzen was a scientist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1995 for his study of the damaged ozone layer.

Millie Hughes-Fulford (1945–2021), first female payload specialist for NASA

Millie Hughes-Fulford was the first woman to go into space as a payload specialist, the scientists who work aboard NASA’s space missions.

Isamu Akasaki (1929–2021), inventor who made LED light widely accessible

Isamu Akasaki was a Japanese physicist who was part of the Nobel Prize-winning team that developed blue LED light, a breakthrough that led to the widespread use of LED today.

Spencer Silver (1941–2021), co-inventor of Post-it Notes

Spencer Silver was a chemist who invented the adhesive used in Post-it Notes.

Yuan Longping (1930–2021), created hybrid rice to ease famine

Yuan Longping was a Chinese plant scientist who created high-yield hybrid rice that helped alleviate famine in Asia and Africa.

Ei-ichi Negishi (1935–2021), top scientist revolutionized drug-making, made OLED TVs possible

Dr. Ei-ichi Negishi was a scientist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work, which paved the way for new medicines and OLED televisions.

George Stranahan (1931–2021), physicist who founded Flying Dog Brewery

George Stranahan was a physicist and rancher who founded Flying Dog Brewery, one of the largest craft breweries in the U.S.

Steven Weinberg (1933–2021), Nobel Prize-winning physicist

Steven Weinberg was a theoretical physicist who won the 1979 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work with elementary particles.

Carolyn Shoemaker (1929–2021), astronomer who discovered many comets

Carolyn Shoemaker was an astronomer who co-discovered Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 and set a record for comets discovered.

Glen de Vries (1972–2021), businessman who went to space with Blue Origin

Glen de Vries was a businessman who recently went to space alongside William Shatner on Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin NS-18 mission.

Peter Buck (1930–2021), Subway restaurant co-founder

Peter Buck was the co-founder of the Subway chain of sandwich shops.

Sherif Zaki (1955–2021), CDC pathologist who studied Ebola, COVID-19

Sherif Zaki was a pathologist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who studied infectious diseases including Ebola, SARS, and COVID-19.

Jeremiah Stamler (1919–2022), doctor who linked diet and heart disease

Dr. Jeremiah Stamler was a doctor whose research proved that cardiovascular disease was linked to our diet and lifestyle.

Luc Montagnier (1932–2022), Nobel winner who co-discovered HIV

Luc Montagnier was a virologist who shared a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for co-discovering HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.