From the fifth grade through high school, Annie attended Holy Family High School, and was valedictorian of her graduating class. Easley (April 23, 1933 – June 25, 2011) was an African-American computer scientist, mathematician, and rocket scientist. Her computer applications have been used to identify energy conversion systems that offer the improvement over commercially available technologies. Annie Jean Easley was born in 1933 and raised by her single mother in Birmingham, Alabama. [8], In 1955, she read a story in a local newspaper about twin sisters who worked for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) as "computers". Easley entered Xavier University in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1951. Apr 23, 1933. BirthDate She was born in Birmingham, Alabama 1955. Easley, however pushed back against this discrimination by helping as many as possible to register and vote. She also worked as an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) counselor, addressing race, gender, and age discrimination complaints from NASA employees. Worked at NACA ... See more Biography timelines. Later she became one of the first black computer programmers, working on alternative-energy technologies, energy-conservation systems, and the Centaur launch system. In that same Interview, Easley was asked whether she still played with gadgets and stated “I don't have the time or the desire. Despite not having a B.A., she began working as a substitute teacher in Jefferson County, Alabama. Annie J. Easley (April 23, 1933 – June 25, 2011) was an African-American computer scientist, mathematician, and rocket scientist. [10], Annie Easley was interviewed in Cleveland on August 21, 2001 by Sandra Johnson. Annie Easley (1933-2011) was a computer scientist, mathematician and rocket scientist. The literacy tests were primarily designed to exclude African Americans from voting. Annie J. Easley (April 23, 1933 – June 25, 2011) was an African-American computer scientist, mathematician, and rocket scientist. [4], In 1950, Easley enrolled in classes at Xavier University in New Orleans,[3] which was then an African-American Roman Catholic University, and majored in pharmacy for about two years. She worked for the Lewis Research Center (now Glenn Research Center) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). A small donation would help us keep this accessible to all. [11] As part of a continuing education, Easley worked through specialization courses offered by NASA. African-American children were educated separately from white children, and their schools were often inferior to white schools. She retired in 1989. [6], Easley's work with the Centaur project helped lay the technological foundations for future space shuttle launches and launches of communication, military and weather satellites. The 55 page interview transcript includes material on the history of the Civil Rights Movement, Glenn Research Center, Johnson Space Center, space flight, and the contribution of women to space flight. In between teaching, she helped members of her community prepare for literacy tests required for voter registration. Annie's mother told her that she could be anything she wanted but she would have to work at it. Annie Easley was a key member of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration team (NASA) that developed computer software for the Centaur, a high-energy rocket used to launch space vehicles and communication satellites. Easley, Annie J.1933— Computer scientist Annie J. Easley spent her 34-year career working for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Annie Easley Timeline created by Kourtney Stege. She started there as a "human computer." Easley grew up in Birmingham and initially sought to be a nurse, but she soon switched to pharmacy once she started high school.

Forego a bottle of soda and donate its cost to us for the information you just learned, and feel good about helping to make it available to everyone! [3][10] Her work contributed to the 1997 flight to Saturn of the Cassini probe, the launcher of which had the Centaur as its upper stage. Although she had no college degree, her graduation from high school as valedictorian coupled with her work ethic, helped her develop the ability to master complex equations needed for her position. [5], Shortly thereafter, she moved to Cleveland to be closer to her husband's family,[6] with the intention of continuing her studies. See more History timelines. She remembered the test giver looking at her application and saying only, "You went to Xavier University. [7], Throughout the 1970s, Easley advocated for and encouraged female and minority students at college career days to work in STEM careers.

Annie J. Easley died on June 25, 2011, at the age 78. [12] Her energy assignments included studies to determine the life use of storage batteries, such as those used in electric utility vehicles. In Uncategorized. Place of Birth: Birmingham, Alabama, United States, Profession: engineer, computer scientist, mathematician, Show Famous Birthdays Today, United States, Famous People's Birthdays on 23 April, United States, Famous People's Birthdays in April, United States, Famous engineer's Birthdays on 23 April, United States, Famous engineer's Birthdays in April, United States, Famous computer scientist's Birthdays on 23 April, United States, Famous computer scientist's Birthdays in April, United States, Famous mathematician's Birthdays on 23 April, United States, Famous mathematician's Birthdays in April, United States, https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/annie-easley-computer-scientist-and-mathematician.

Her legacy continues to inspire countless students to make an impact in the STEM field. She began her career as a mathematician and computer engineer at the NACA Lewis Flight Propulsion Laboratory (which became NASA Lewis Research Center, 1958–1999, and subsequently the John H. Glenn Research Center) in Cleveland, Ohio. After unsuccessfully attempting to continue her pharmacy education, Easley in 1955 read an article highlighting twin sisters who worked as “human computers” at the Aircraft Engine Research Laboratory in Cleveland, which eventually was absorbed into the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) when it was founded on October 1, 1958. Mathematician Annie J. Easley was born on April 23, 1933 in Birmingham, Alabama to Samuel and Mary Easley. She worked for the Lewis Research Center of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and its predecessor, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). She worked on Centaur technology at NASA -- a high-energy rocket technology that uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to boost rockets into space. [1] Before the Civil Rights Movement, educational and career opportunities for African-American children were very limited. Annie J. Easley (April 23, 1933 – June 25, 2011) was an American computer scientist, mathematician, and rocket scientist. Subsequently, she helped other African-Americans prepare for the test. After completing two years of study she returned to Birmingham, and in 1954, she married a man in the U.S. military. As part of the Jim Crow laws that maintained racial inequality, African Americans were required to pass a literacy test and pay a poll tax in order to vote, which was outlawed in 1964 in the Twenty-fourth Amendment. The article noted that individuals with strong mathematics skills were needed at the laboratory. Unfortunately, the local university had ended its pharmacy program a short time before and no nearby alternative existed. Annie Easley was born to Samuel Bird Easley and Mary Melvina Hoover in Birmingham, Alabama.