STEM Glam Gallery: Marjorie Lee Browne
MARJORIE LEE BROWNE, the third African American in US to earn a Ph.D in Mathematics.
“If I had to live my life again, I wouldn’t do anything else. I love mathematics.”
*Illustration by Matteo Farinella*
Black women has been consistently underrepresented in the number of advanced degrees awarded in STEM fields: During the 39 years between 1973 and 2012, just 66 black women achieved Ph.Ds in physics while the count reached up to 22,172 for white men. In computer science, black female Ph.D.s doubled from eight to 16 between 2002 and 2012, the same period of time that saw white men jump from 198 to 436. Unfortunately this pattern still holds true today in 2017. Women and African-Americans (and other ethnic groups) are the minority in STEM, and these underrepresented groups often face discrimination and traditional barriers in their career. Nonetheless, there are many women who defied the stereotypes with their persistence and hard work.
Marjorie Lee Browne, the third Africa