Dorothy Vaughan

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Dorothy Vaughan (left) with Leslie Hunter and Vivian Adair

Dorothy Vaughan (born September 20, 1910 in Kansas City as Dorothy Johnson , † November 10, 2008 in Hampton ) was an American mathematician . She is known for her contributions to space technology at the time of the " space race ".

Dorothy Vaughan studied at Wilberforce University and made her bachelor's degree there in 1929 . She then worked as a math teacher at a school in Farmville .

In 1943 Dorothy Vaughan began working for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), NASA's predecessor organization . She was one of the first black people to be employed there in a scientific position. She became a member of the West Area Computing Unit of the Langley Research Center , a research group of African American mathematicians. The group was not allowed to work with whites due to racial laws and conducted its research isolated from the other units of the NACA. The employees of the West Area Computing Unit made aeronautical calculations under the job title “(human) computer” . In 1958 Vaughan became head of her work unit as head computer.

After NASA was founded, Dorothy Vaughan stayed at the Langley Research Center. When the first electronic computers largely replaced the calculations of the West Area Computing Unit, Vaughan specialized in programming , especially the FORTRAN programming language .

She married Howard S. Vaughan Jr. and had six children. Vaughan worked for NASA until she retired in 1971.

Dorothy Vaughan is one of the main characters in the biographical feature film Hidden Figures , which is based on Margot Lee Shetterly 's book of the same name. She is played by Octavia Spencer .

literature

  • Margot Lee Shetterly : Hidden Figures - Unrecognized heroines . HarperCollins, Cologne 2017, ISBN 978-3-95967-084-5 (English: Hidden Figures. The Untold Story of the African-American Women Who Helped Win the Space Race . New York City 2016. Translated by Michael Windgassen).

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personal data
SURNAME Vaughan, Dorothy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Johnson, Dorothy (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American mathematician
DATE OF BIRTH September 20, 1910
PLACE OF BIRTH Kansas City (Missouri)
DATE OF DEATH November 10, 2008
Place of death Hampton (Virginia)