News
January 30, 2020miSci Collaborates with the Black Student Union of Union College to Create an Exhibition Celebrating Notable African American Scientists.
miSci is collaborating with the Black Student Union of Union College to create an exhibition that celebrates influential African American scientists. The exhibition, entitled Passion and Perseverance: Black Leaders Throughout Time, opens on February 1, 2020, and is on view at miSci through February 29, 2020. Marshall Jones, Ph.D., one of the individuals highlighted in the exhibition, will be present for a meet and greet on Saturday, February 1, from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM.
“It’s an honor to celebrate Black History Month and recognize one of miSci’s long-time trustees, Dr. Marshall Jones,” says Dr. Gina C. Gould, President of miSci. “Dr. Jones has been instrumental in reaching young children of color and inspiring them with his own story of perseverance, discovery and success. To curate such an exhibition in collaboration with students from Union College makes the endeavor all the more fun and interesting.”
Passion and Perseverance celebrates notable African American scientists who rose to become leaders and innovators within their fields. Two of the individuals highlighted are Marshall Jones, Ph.D., and Wendell King. Jones is a long-time employee and mechanical engineer at General Electric, who mastered the use of lasers for industrial materials processing. He is a member of the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame, the National Academy of Engineering and is currently a member of miSci’s Board of Trustees. King, a 1924 graduate of Union College, was a pioneer within the field of radio technology. He is often considered to be one of the fathers of amateur radio, something that he became heavily involved in while a student at Union. He was also a student of Charles Steinmetz, a famous electrical engineer at General Electric, whose scientific discoveries allowed for the vast expansion of the electric power industry.
Members of the Black Student Union at Union College released the following statement:
“As members of both the Union College community and the Black Student Union, we appreciate the opportunity we have been given to help showcase Black leaders in STEM. Through this exhibit, we hope to highlight and represent Black, contributing members of the Schenectady and Union College communities. We welcome any opportunity to showcase Black excellence and we hope that this exhibit will inspire and encourage the youth of Schenectady.”
The exhibition is curated by Chris Hunter, VP of Exhibitions & Collections, in collaboration with students who are members of Union’s Black Student Union. Lileas Maier, Director of School Programs, is collaborating with them to create engaging educational programming which highlights the main points displayed in the exhibition.
