Meet the latest STEMpowered Woman making history, Dr. Amber Johnson. In July 2019, she crossed the stage as the first African-American woman to earn a PhD in Computer Science at Purdue University. She started her program in Fall 2013 researching a topic that struck close to home. After her aunt passed away due to complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) she focused her efforts towards improving the lives of others with the disease. “By incorporating Big Data, she was able to extract information to determine the most effective times and doses of medication to treat life-threatening COPD… Now, the results have a ‘much greater impact than I ever imagined by calculating how soon we should give antibiotics and for reviewing historical data to determine the best treatment.”
She quickly learned that she was on track to become the first to hold the historical title at the university. Initially she felt a little overwhelmed, but soon began to appreciate the impact it will have on others. She said, “I love the title because now people know, now little brown girls, little girls, little boys, whatever, will know that computer science is possible for them, for anybody.”
Amber has spent her academic career continuously growing her knowledge in computer science. She earned her bachelor’s degree from LeMoyne-Owen College, a private HBCU located in Memphis, Tennessee, and her masters degree from Jackson State Univ., one of the largest HBCUs in the country. Attending Purdue presented a culture shock she hadn’t faced at any other institution or in her hometown of Jackson, MS, but she didn’t let that hinder her determination.
At graduation, Amber was hooded by her mentor, Dr. Raquel Hill. In 2002, she became the first African-American woman to earn a PhD in computer science at Harvard. She guided and supported Amber through her dissertation and now they’re both on to bigger and better opportunities.
Dr. Amber Johnson will be starting her new role as a software engineer in the Future Technical Leaders program at Northrop Grumman. Meanwhile, Dr. Raquel Hill will continue to impact the lives of young students of color as the Chair of Computer and Information Sciences at Spelman College.
Congratulations Amber for receiving your doctorate and making history! Best of luck to both Sistas as they move into their new roles!
Source: WFLI, JSU News
Photo by Dr. Oyindamola Oluwatimi (@oyinoluphoto)
