![]() First, she would start with the “why.” While many of Katherine’s colleagues refrained from asking additional questions or doing more than what was asked of them, Katherine made a point to ask the questions that would get her to the heart of the problem.Katherine developed a creative problem-solving strategy that ensured her work was thorough and accurate: Katherine’s Approach to Creative Problem-SolvingĪt NASA, Katherine’s biggest responsibility was to review the NASA engineers’ work for errors that could spell life or death for the astronauts on each mission. She worked for NACA until 1958, when the federal government dissolved the agency to make way for the space organization we know today: NASA. When the opportunity finally arose for her to join the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) as a research mathematician, she jumped at the chance. Unfortunately, most research mathematician positions were not open to women or people of color at the time. In fact, her gift enabled her to graduate from college at the age of 18 with the dream of becoming a research mathematician. Katherine always had a knack with numbers. Katherine handled the different obstacles she encountered by relying on both her natural and learned abilities. And she landed these achievements while navigating the additional challenges that came with being a Black woman in an overwhelmingly white and male environment. She helped send astronaut John Glenn into orbit and the first men to the moon. As a human computer at NASA, Katherine performed complex orbital calculations that were critical to the success of the U.S. No longer “hidden,” Katherine Johnson is recognized today as an essential figure in U.S. We hope these stories inspire your kids to find their own moments of brilliance and to never give up on their ideas. This Black History Month, Osmo is celebrating Black mathematicians, scientists and inventors whose creative problem-solving paved the way for future innovations. ![]()
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