First African-American woman known to gain postgraduate degree in physics
Scientific career
Fields
Mathematics
Physics
Institutions
Bluefield State College
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Fisk University
Carolyn Beatrice Parker (November 18, 1917 – March 17, 1966) was a teacher and research physicist who contributed to the Dayton Project from 1943 to 1947, an initiative within the Manhattan Project focused on polonium development. Parker was among the few African American scientists and technicians on the Manhattan Project.[1][2]
Beginning her academic career, Parker taught at public schools in Florida after obtaining her undergraduate degree at Fisk University. Following her work on the Dayton project, she pursued an academic career, taking on the role of assistant professor in physics at Fisk University.[2] Parker earned two master's degrees, one in mathematics from the University of Michigan in 1941 and one in physics from MIT in 1951. Parker went on to pursue a doctorate in physics at MIT but was derailed by leukemia, an occupational risk for workers on the Dayton Project.[1][3] She died from leukemia at the age of 48.[1][2]
Parker is celebrated as the first African-American known to have obtained a postgraduate degree in physics. The Carolyn Beatrice Parker Elementary School and Park in Gainesville were renamed in her honor. [4][5][6]
^ abcWarren, Wini (1999). Black women scientists in the United States. Bloomington, Ind. [u.a.]: Indiana University Press. pp. 208–209, 216. ISBN 0253336031. carolyn parker.
^ abcFleming, GJ; Burckel, CE (1950). Who's who in colored America : an illustrated biographical directory of notable living persons of African descent in the United States. Yonkers-on-Hudson, NY: Christian E. Burckel and Associates. p. 405.
^"Special Exposure Cohort (SEC)". CDC The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. CDC Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
^Powers, Anna (January 31, 2020). "The First African American Woman To Obtain A Graduate Degree In Physics Was Involved In A Top Secret US Mission". Forbes.
^Lotz, Avery (August 18, 2020). "J.J. Finley Elementary's new namesake: Carolyn Beatrice Parker". The Independent Florida Alligator.
^"Letter from the Renaming Committee" (PDF). Alachua County Public Schools. August 5, 2020.
Carolyn Beatrice Parker (November 18, 1917 – March 17, 1966) was a teacher and research physicist who contributed to the Dayton Project from 1943 to 1947...
From the Lower 9th Ward Yes 2009 Neil Young Trunk Show Yes 2011 I'm CarolynParker Yes Yes Also cinematographer 2012 Neil Young Journeys Yes Yes Enzo Avitabile...
Actress (also for The Robe and The Actress) Affair with a Stranger CarolynParker The Robe Diana National Board of Review Award for Best Actress (also...
activist Jean Dominique. Demme spent six years on the documentary I'm CarolynParker (2011), which highlighted rebuilding efforts in New Orleans Lower Ninth...
Leslie Orrey and Rodney Milnes, World of Art, Thames & Hudson Abbate, Carolyn; Parker, Roger (2012). A History of Opera. New York: W W Norton. ISBN 978-0-393-05721-8...
divorce. Friends and acquaintances begin recalling how the couple met. CarolynParker was a fashion model who bought a Toledo, Ohio, newspaper each day. Bill...
loosely based on Parker, but she is adopted by Sioux. Where the Broken Heart Still Beats: The Story of Cynthia Ann Parker (1992) by Carolyn Meyer is a historical...
Carolyn Goodman (née Goldmark; born March 25, 1939) is an American politician who has served as mayor of Las Vegas, Nevada, since 2011. She is the second...
school board on August 18, 2020, named the school Carolyn Beatrice Parker Elementary. CarolynParker was a native of Gainesville who graduated from, and...
in Mississippi in 1955 after being accused of offending a white woman, Carolyn Bryant, in her family's grocery store. The brutality of his murder and...
Carolyn Ann Bennett PC (born December 20, 1950) is a Canadian physician and politician. A member of the Liberal Party, she represented Toronto—St. Paul's...
Chew (n.d.), §10 "Historical position" Pryer (2007), p. 18 Abbate, Carolyn; Parker, Roger (2012). A History of Opera: The Last 400 Years. London: Allen...
August 15, 2023. "*A Family Man*". PBS. Retrieved August 15, 2023. "*I'm CarolynParker: The Good, the Mad, and the Beautiful*". PBS. Retrieved August 15, 2023...
Axelle Carolyn, Lucky McKee, Andrew Kasch, Paul Solet, John Skipp, Adam Gierasch, Jace Anderson, Mike Mendez, Ryan Schifrin, and Dave Parker. The film...
Carolyn Lee Hennesy (born June 10, 1962) is an American actress, writer, and animal advocate. Hennesy's early work consisted of guest appearances and...
May 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2013. 2001 Graham Thomas interview with CarolynParker for Journal of the Heritage Rose Foundation (reproduced on Rosesfromatoz...
allegations against Parker resurfaced. Parker was born in Norfolk, Virginia, to Carolyn Whitfield, a 17-year-old single mother. Although Parker's mother did not...
Anderson-Stuart (m. 1974) Children 2 daughters (Robin Potter and CarolynParker Bowles) Military career Allegiance Australia Service/branch Royal Australian...
Edie Kerouac-Parker (September 20, 1922 – October 29, 1993) was the author of the memoir You'll Be Okay, about her life with her first husband, Jack Kerouac...
Cherelle Lesley Parker (born September 10, 1972) is an American politician who has served as the 100th Mayor of Philadelphia since 2024. She is the first...
Global Information