The AFRO is a leading source of news and information for the African American community. Founded in 1892, the newspaper has a long history of providing in-depth coverage of issues affecting the Black community, including civil rights, social justice, and economic empowerment. For more information, visit afro.com.
A Lifetime of Achievement
Rodney C. Adkins
Rod Adkins' work spans solutions ranging from mobile devices to the world's largest supercomputer His contributions include helping to develop the Personal Computer industry, launching the IBM ThinkPad mobile PC, and leading IBM's Power business to become the dominant player in UNIX. In 2005, he was inducted into the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), which is one of the highest national recognition for the engineering profession. He is a lifetime member of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). In 2001, he was recognized with NSBE's Golden Torch Award. He was honored as Black Engineer of the Year in 2007.
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STEM Can Make You a Champion
Dr. Lydia Thomas
Dr. Lydia Thomas was the CEO of a federal technology company before she retired. Her curiosity in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) began as a young girl. “My father was a chemistry major and I grew up around science,” she said. “But as a kid, you don’t understand that things you observe in the world are the result of chemistry, biology, or other fields of science.” On one occasion, her homemade experiments almost resulted in a house fire. This love of science led to an undergraduate degree in zoology at Howard University, a master’s degree in microbiology, and a doctorate in cytology.
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A Trailblazer in Technology
Linda C. Gooden
As a Youngstown State University student in the 1970s, Linda Gooden witnessed the installation of a new IBM 360 computer. “I was mesmerized by the size of the machine,” she told US Black Engineer & Information Technology magazine. “It took up six normal-sized rooms, though the computing power of what you have on your wrist today is probably greater than those they in those early machines. But it was clear to me that was the direction the nation was moving in and that’s where I wanted to be.” That connection launched her career in information technology (IT). Her first job was writing code.
