The highest normal orbits for satellites are geostationary (sometimes called geosynchronous); a constant speed lets the satellite maintain the same view of Earth all the time. More…
The Big Bang Theory is the most widely accepted explanation for the origin and evolution of the Universe, though some scientists dispute it and many say it may never be proven. More…
It’s the study of evolution and the origin, destiny, and distribution of life in the universe. Relying on the biological sciences, space exploration and space technology, the discipline asks: Where did we come from? Are we alone? What is our future on Earth and in space? More…
How many planets orbit our Sun? If you said nine, you’re shy by several thousand. Scientists consider asteroids to be minor planets – some are hundreds of miles wide (and seldom round). More…
M. WHARTON YOUNG (1903–1986) was a neuroanatomist whose primary research was in the fields of baldness and deafness and who also did research on the anatomical basis of glaucoma. A Fulbright scholar, professor, and visiting lecturer, he served as chairman of the Ninth International Congress of Anatomists in Leningrad, Russia, in 1970. Dr. Young received the U.S. Department of Defense’s Pentagon Award for his research on the mechanics of blast injuries.
CARTER G. WOODSON (1875–1950), known as the Father of Negro History, set for himself the goal of providing a scientific and historical account of people of African ancestry. Born to former slaves, he educated himself as a youth and went on to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1912. Among his highly influential writings are The Education of the Negro Prior to 1861 and The Negro in Our History. Although his six-volume Encyclopedia Africana remained unfinished at the time of his death, his works are the foundation for countless other writers on African American history. One of Dr. Woodson’s achievements was the organization in 1926 of the first Negro History Week, which has evolved over the years to become what is currently known as African American History Month.
WILLIAM JULIUS WILSON (1935– ), one of America’s leading sociologist, and a prolific author, was, in 1996, named the Malcolm Wiener Professor of Social Policy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. At Harvard, Dr. Wilson will also serve on the Advisory Board of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African American Research. A former MacArthur Prize Fellow, Wilson served as the Lucy Flower Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Public Policy and former chair of the Department of Sociology at the University of Chicago. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. In 1991 Dr. Wilson became a member of the National Academy of Sciences.
DONALD E. WILSON became Dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine in September 1991. In May 1999, he was named Vice President for Medical Affairs of the University of Maryland, Baltimore. At the State University of New York Health Science Center in Brooklyn he was professor and chairman of the Department of Medicine, and Physician-in-Chief at the University Hospital. He completed his undergraduate education at Harvard and received his medical degree from Tufts University. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies and is a co-founder of the Association for Academic Minority Physicians, established in 1986. He is also a Master of the American College of Physicians; an honor bestowed on less than 0.4 percent of its members. He is chairman of the Maryland Health Care Commission and chair of the Association of American Medical Colleges.
DANIEL HALE WILLIAMS (1858–1931) was the first person in the world to operate successfully on the human heart. He performed that feat in 1893 at Provident Hospital in Chicago and went on to perform other history-making operations. In 1891 he founded Provident Hospital, first hospital and training school for African American nurses and interns in the United States. Appointed by President Grover Cleveland to head Freedman’s Hospital in Washington, D.C., Dr. Williams established a nursing school there for African Americans. His papers were printed in their entirety in the Annals of Surgery and in abridged forms in the Chicago Medical Recorder and the Illinois Medical Journal.
JACK E. WHITE (1921–1988), who was director of the Howard University Cancer Research Center and chairman of the Department of Oncology at Howard University’s College of Medicine, made outstanding contributions to cancer research. He was a recipient of an award from the American Cancer Society for Outstanding Service to the Cause of Cancer Control. Dr. White was a member of the Institute of Medicine and the American Association for Cancer Research.