By Savannah Gignac, Assistant Photo Librarian
In honor of Black History month, we are celebrating the careers and contributions of African Americans in physics and allied sciences. Our collection includes such historical notables as Elmer Imes and Herman Branson, as well as contemporaries like James Gates, Shirley Jackson, Ronald Mickens, and James Stith. The careers of Black physicists/allied scientists in our collection span government science, industrial physics and academia. Their accomplishments are recognized by National Medal of Science, induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame, and many other honors. Please enjoy this featured selection from our historical photos collection of these talented individuals. To see more images like the ones we’ve selected, type the name of the physicist in the search engine.
Description: Ronald Mickens with his daughter, Leah Marie in his study in Atlanta, Georgia.
Date: July 1994
Credit: AIP Emilio Segre Visual Archives
Description: Shirley Jackson (left), others unidentified, representing the NRC at plant visit.
Credit: AIP Emilio Segre Visual Archives, Ronald E. Mickens Collection
Description: Stith (right) in uniform watching a student working on equipment in classroom at West Point, NY, students unidentified
Credit: AIP Emilio Segre Visual Archives
Description: Portrait of Elmer Imes
Credit: Fisk University, courtesy AIP Emilio Segre Visual Archives
Description: Sylvester James Gates pictured in front of blackboard.
Credit: AIP Emilio Segre Visual Archives, Ronald E. Mickens Collection
Description: Herman Branson in a laboratory with equipment.
Date: circa 1939
Credit: AIP Emilio Segre Visual Archives, gift of Dr. Herman Branson