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His invention improved Edison’s electric light bulb, and he executed the patent drawing for Bell’s telephone. Get to know this creative genius! With his mind frequently in motion as a child, Lewis Howard Latimer -- born in 1848 in Chelsea, Massachusetts -- loved drawing at an early age and found…

Most famous for inventing Clinistix® -- the "dip-and-read" test that for the first time allowed diabetics to monitor their blood glucose level instantly at home. Her contributions to laboratory science have even been recognized on the show, Jeopardy! PLEASE SHARE IF YOU ARE INSPIRED BY THIS STORY…

PLEASE SHARE IF YOU ARE INSPIRED BY THIS STORY! (Send Us Your Opinion Today:  Have you ever been inspired to greatness in scientific invention at the age of 12 like Rachel? Let us know what you think about her achievement!) Rachel Zimmerman undoubtedly had her teacher’s inspiring "Go for it" advice…

Molly Stevens -- Materials scientist Internationally known for her work in nanotechnology to regenerate bone and tissue growth, and to design bioactive materials for early detection of disease  Nanotechnology (the science of manipulating matter at the atomic or molecular level, especially to build…

Gregorio Zara -- Filipino physicist and aeronautical engineer Creator of the first videophone ( a forerunner of such video telecommunication applications as Skype, Webcam and videoconferencing) and discoverer of the physical law known as the "Zara Effect." PLEASE SHARE IF YOU ARE INSPIRED BY THIS…

Carlos Juan Finlay -- Cuban physician He was the first to theorize that the deadly yellow fever virus was transmitted through the bite of one species of mosquito, however it would take years before his theory would be deemed correct. We know today that yellow fever -- which is most common in Latin…

Ada Byron (later Countes of Lovelace) -- British mathematician The daughter of poet Lord Byron, her key collaborations in the 1880's with British inventor Charles Babbage led to the earliest computer; she is considered the first computer programmer. Born Augusta Ada Byron in London in 1815,  Ada…

PLEASE SHARE IF YOU ARE INSPIRED BY THIS STORY! (Send us your opinion today: Think of the various ways you can combine your hobbies and other interests into a  possible career in science! Stephanie merged her love of chemistry with her penchant for textiles and fabrics -- resulting in a life-saving…

Meat production stinks.  And I’m not referring to worries about bacterial contamination.  I mean it literally stinks.  Here’s the story.  Hold your nose. We crave meat.  To satisfy our hunger Canadian feedlots ready some three and a half million cattle for slaughter every year.  And those cattle…

PLEASE SHARE IF YOU ARE INSPIRED BY THIS STORY! (Send Us Your Comment: Dan Lipinski, one of only a few engineers in Congress, is responsible for bringing nanotech advocacy to the House!  What do you think of the role he’s playing?) Born in Chicago into a political family, Congressman Dan Lipinski (…

PLEASE SHARE IF YOU ARE INSPIRED BY THIS STORY! (C'mon, Hit Us With Your Comments! -- Yvonne, a pioneer of today's GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) technology, came up with the propulsion system that helps keep communication satellites in a fixed geosynchronous orbit. Tell us what you think!)…

Satyendranath Bose collaborated with Einstein, and is for whom a family of subatomic particles known as "Bosons" is named Born during British colonial rule in Calcutta (now Kolkata), India in 1894, Satyendranath Bose, even as a child, showed promise as a creative mathematical and scientific thinker…

Adopted when she was two weeks old, Lisa Perez Jackson grew up in the New Orleans, LA area of Pontchartrain Park with her adopted parents Benjamin Perez (a postal worker), his wife Marie and their two sons. While exploring less fortunate neighborhoods of New Orleans as an adolescent, she noticed…

His work led to the worldwide elimination of chlorofluorocarbon gases (CFCs) from aerosol cans and refrigerators. The first Mexican-born citizen to receive the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.  Environmental problems pose a huge threat to Mother Earth, and it's up to scientists around the world to take…

"Even though he is a world-renowned scientist -- including being the recipient of the prestigious National Medal of Science (the highest honor that the U.S. can bestow upon a researcher) -- Shu Chien is also known for mentoring a generation of high school, undergraduate and graduate students…

Looking back on his childhood days in Prince Edward County, Virginia, acoustical scientist James Edward West, says curiosity ruled his life. "If I had a screwdriver and a pair of pliers, anything that could be opened was in danger," remembers James with a laugh. "I had this need to know what was…

PLEASE SHARE IF YOU ARE INSPIRED BY THIS STORY! Dian Fossey's path to studying gorillas in Africa began in San Francisco, where she was born.  Her father (an insurance agent) and her mother (a fashion model) divorced when she was 6, at about the time she began developing a keen interest in animals…

Some of you may find this surprising, but I don’t mind ironing.  Unlike giving a lecture, writing a column or appearing on TV or radio, you get immediate gratification.  You see the results of your efforts.  Wrinkles that were there before are gone.  I suspect, however, that not everyone shares my…

Co-inventor of "Hospital-in-a-Box", a solar-powered, life-saving operating room which can be transported to remote areas of Africa and set up quickly Although he spent part of his youth in America (including going to high school in Cleveland, OH), Seyi Oyesola's heart was always in his native…

Read more.... These days the eyes of the academic chemistry community are riveted on a courtroom in Los Angeles where UCLA chemistry professor Patrick Harran stands accused of “willfully violating occupational safety and health standards and causing the death of a young technician in his laboratory…

 Read More…  Credited with helping to popularize physics and other fields of science for millions of students worldwide with his futuristic way of presenting these frontiers, Michio Kaku says his explorations into such realms began in childhood when his hero Albert Einstein died.  He was eight when…

(Science Question of the Day:  Are you often teased and put down by peers and others because of your love of science or engineering?  So was Ellen.  Read her amazing story of success!) Blasting off into space was once an all-male’s game.  But on the heels of such trailblazers as Sally Ride,…

Read More… Although dance was among her first loves while growing up in Decatur, Alabama, Mae Jemison also had a high degree of interest in science, particularly space exploration. "I always knew I'd go to space," she says with a smile. A desire to help others through medicine was also high on her…

Read More… The next time in class that you are contemplating the value of such algebraic equations as x^2 - 20 x + 100 = 81 x , think of Muhammad ibn Mūsā al-Khwārizmī and the power he unleashed to scientists, engineers, mathematicians -- and everyday people -- to solve a wide range of problems…

PLEASE SHARE IF YOU ARE INSPIRED BY THIS STORY! (Let Us Know Your Comment: In addition to being a brilliant scientist, did you know that Benjamin was also an outspoken critic against the evils of slavery in his day?) Born in 1731, Benjamin Banneker was born in Baltimore County, Maryland  -- the son…

Science Question of the Day:  On your road to success in science and engineering, how willing are you to break down, and break through, stereotypes and other obstacles?  Sally was. Read her story! While completing her Ph.D. in physics at Stanford University in 1977, Sally Ride became intrigued by a…

PLEASE SHARE IF YOU ARE INSPIRED BY THIS STORY! (Let Us Know Your Comments! Tell us what you think about this story, particularly how David is working to study and save vital fish populations for Native Americans!) Since his teenage years, Native American scientist David Close, (a member of the…

PLEASE SHARE IF YOU ARE INSPIRED BY THIS STORY! (Send us your opinion today: How can science and engineering make life better for persons with autism and other learning and physical challenges?  Let us know what you think of Temple's achievements in the face of autism!) Because of autism, Temple…

PLEASE SHARE IF YOU ARE INSPIRED BY THIS STORY! (Send us your opinion today: What are the challenges faced by NASA engineers and scientists in keeping the Space Station and its astronauts safe from harmful bacteria, viruses and other nasty microbes?  Tell us what you think of Monserrate’s…

  PLEASE SHARE IF YOU ARE INSPIRED BY THIS STORY! (Tell Us What You Think:  What are some of the science and engineering skills that Lonnie used to invent the Super Soaker?  He proves that science can be TOTALLY fun!) It seems that Lonnie Johnson was born to be an engineer.  Growing up in Mobile,…