9781422283264

Environmental Science

Black Achievement I N SC I E NC E

TK

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Mason Crest

Black Achievement I N SC I E NC E

Biology Chemistry Computer Science Engineering Environmental Science

Inventors Medicine Physics Space Technology

Black Achievement I N SC I E NC E

Environmental Science By JANE GARDNER Foreword by Malinda Gilmore and Mel Poulson, National Organization for the Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers

Mason Crest 450 Parkway Drive, Suite D Broomall, PA 19008 www.masoncrest.com © 2017 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher. Printed and bound in the United States of America. Series ISBN: 978-1-4222-3554-6 Hardback ISBN: 978-1-4222-3559-1 EBook ISBN: 978-1-4222-8326-4 First printing 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 Produced by Shoreline Publishing Group LLC Santa Barbara, California Editorial Director: James Buckley Jr. Designer: Patty Kelley Production: Sandy Gordon www.shorelinepublishing.com Cover photographs by Wavebreakmedia Ltd./Dreamstime. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file with the Publisher.

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Contents

Foreword. 6 Introduction. 8 George Washington Carver. 10 Warren Washington. 16 Jerome Nriagu. 22 Carl Anthony . 28 Philip Emeagwali. 34 Larry Robinson. 38 Lisa Perez Jackson. 44 Nkrumah Frazier. 50 Careers in Environmental Science. 56 Text-Dependent Questions . 60 Research Projects. 61 Find Out More . 62 Series Glossary of Key Terms. 63 Index/Author. 64

Key Icons to Look for

Words to Understand: These words with their easy-to-understand definitions will increase the reader’s understanding of the text, while building vocabulary skills. Research Projects: Readers are pointed toward areas of further inquiry connected to each chapter. Suggestions are provided for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis. Text-Dependent Questions: These questions send the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented here. Series Glossary of Key Terms: This back-of-the-book glossary contains terminology used throughout this series. Words found here increase the reader’s ability to read and comprehend higher-level books and articles in this field. Educational Videos: Readers can view videos by scanning our QR codes, providing them with additional educational content to supplement the text. Examples include news coverage, moments in history, speeches, iconic moments, and much more!

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cience, Technology, Engineering and Mathe- matics (STEM) are vital to our future, the future of our country, the future of our regions, and the future of our children. STEM is everywhere and it shapes our everyday experiences. Sci- ence and technology have become the leading foundation of global development. Both subjects continue to improve the quality of life as new findings, inventions, and creations emerge from the basis of science. A career in a STEM disci- pline is a fantastic choice and one that should be explored by many. In today’s society, STEM is becoming more diverse and even internationalized. However, the shortage of African Americans and other minorities, including women, still

exists. This series— Black Achievement in Science — reveals the numerous ca- reer choices and pathways that great African-Ameri- can scientists, technologists,

By Malinda Gilmore, NOBCChE Executive Board Chair and Mel Poulson, NOBCChE Executive Board Vice-Chair

engineers, and mathematicians have pursued to become successful in a STEM discipline. The purpose of this series of books is to inspire, motivate, encourage, and educate people about the numerous career choices and pathways in STEM. We applaud the authors for sharing the experi- ences of our forefathers and foremothers and ultimately in- creasing the number of people of color in STEM and, more

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Black Achievement in Science: Environmental Science

Series Foreword

specifically, increasing the number of African Americans to pursue careers in STEM. The personal experiences and accomplishments shared within are truly inspiring and gratifying. It is our hope that by reading about the lives and careers of these great sci- entists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians, the reader might become inspired and totally committed to pursue a career in a STEM discipline and say to themselves, “If they were able to do it, then I am definitely able to do it, and this, too, can be me.” Hopefully, the reader will realize that these great accomplishments didn’t come easily. It was because of hard work, perseverance, and determination that these chosen individuals were so successful. As Executive Board Members of The National Organi- zation for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) we are excited about this series. For more than 40 years, NOBCChE has promot- ed the STEM fields and its mission is to build an eminent cadre of people of color in STEM. Our mission is in line with the overall purpose of this series and we are indeed committed to inspiring our youth to explore and contribute to our country’s future in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. We encourage all readers to enjoy the series in its en- tirety and identify with a personal story that resonates well with you. Learn more about that person and their career pathway, and you can be just like them.

Series Foreword

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hat is environmental science? There is a short answer and a much longer answer to this ques- tion. The short answer is that environmental science is concerned with the relationship be- tween organisms (usually humans) and their surroundings. The longer answer is that environmental science is a branch of science concerned with the environ- ment. It uses physical and biological sciences to identify and find solutions to environmental problems. Environmental science involves fields such as ecology, biology, geology, physics, chemistry, and atmospheric sciences. Environmen- tal science started when people began to focus on natural sciences and medicine. Environmental science is more than just the study of the environment; it is the study of relation- ships and consequences and the future. People who study environmental science come from all backgrounds and walks of life. As you will discover in this book, there are many ways to be concerned with the environment and work to make the world a better place. These scientists made contributions including revolution- izing farming practices to protect the soil and increase pro- ductivity. Others worked to bring science opportunities to disadvantaged youth in the US, while yet others spent their careers focusing on how drilling for oil in remote regions in Africa can impact the environment. This book is part of a series highlighting the achieve- ments of black scientists. As you will read, many of the en- vironmental scientists in this book were met with opposi-

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Black Achievement in Science: Environmental Science

Introduction

tion, hardships, and prejudice. The chemists introduced here range from George Washing- ton Carver, who was born into slavery in the 1800s to Jerome Nriagu, who was born to a very poor family in Nigeria. Not only are these scientists notable for their scientific and educational accomplishments, but also for the social and personal obstacles they overcame in their pursuit of education and science. Most

Environmental scientists start with a base of love of the Earth and everything that grows.

of them were driven by a strong desire to improve the liv- ing conditions and health of underserved communities. The scientists featured in this book came from all over the US and the world. Some gave back to society by heading government agencies designed to protecting the environ- ment or by advising presidents and world leaders on envi- ronmental issues. Others became teachers, passing their in- fectious love of science on to generations of students. These scientists were, and are, more than simply scientists in lab coats. They are examples of how science can help others. There are countless environmental scientists of all back- grounds, who have done amazing things and overcome ob- stacles. This is the story of only eight of them. Perhaps you will be inspired by their strength and determination to use their model for part of your own life. •

Introduction

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botany the study of plant biology pathology the study of diseases and the changes they cause in organisms Words to Understand

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Black Achievement in Science: Environmental Science

Chapter 1

George Washington Carver

Born: 1864 (?))

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he exact date of George Wash- ington Carver’s birth is uncer- tain. He was born a slave in Mis- sissippi sometime around 1864.

Died: 1963 Nationality: American Achievements:

This was toward the end of the American Civil War and Carver’s mother, Mary, was owned by Mr. Moses Carver. Carver’s father was a slave owned by a neighbor, but he was killed in an accident before Carver was born. Carver and his mother were kidnapped when he was a baby. Their owner, Mr. Carv- er, hired someone to find Mary and her baby. Mary died under suspicious circumstances and only baby George was returned to the Carver home. With the end of the Civil War and slav- ery in 1865, young Carver had a new home. Moses Carver and his wife, Susan, took him in and raised him. He was sickly as a young boy, and was not much help in the fields or

Botanist and chemist who found new uses for plants and inspired generations of black scientists

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on the farm. He spent most of his time helping with house- hold chores such as cooking, laundry, and sewing. The Carvers taught George to read and write. As a re- sult, he gained an appreciation for learning and a thirst for knowledge. George left the Carver home when he was young to go to a school for black children. Eventually, af- ter attending several different schools, he graduated from Minneapolis High School in Kansas. He was accepted to Highland College but when he arrived on campus, he was asked to leave. The administrators did not realize he was black, and indicated that they did not accept students of his

race. Several years lat- er, he applied and was accepted to Iowa State Agricultural College in Ames. Carver was interest- ed in many things: mu- sic, art, botany, chemis- try, and agriculture. He eventually decided to study botany and went on to earn both a bachelor of science degree and a masters’ degree in plant pathology at Iowa State. After Iowa State, he was hired by the great

Though slavery had ended in Carv- er’s time, many blacks still farmed.

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Black Achievement in Science: Environmental Science

African-American educator Booker T. Washington to work and teach at Tuske- gee Institute in Alabama. Carver worked there for many years and influenced sev- eral generations of students. He is prob- ably best known for his work with the peanut. He discovered many new uses for the plant, some of which included nonfood uses. He worked with not only peanuts but also with sweet potatoes, soybeans, and pecans, inventing hun- dreds of products from these crops along

Carver’s studies of cotton helped farmers improve crops.

the way, including plastics, dyes, and a form of gasoline. But Carver also made great contributions in the area of environmental science. His research and training led him to the conclusion that crop rotation was vital for some of the poorest farmers in the South, farmers who were pri- marily former slaves. Crop rotation is the practice of grow- ing different crops in a field over successive years. At this time, many farmers relied heavily on planting cotton as their primary crop. However, doing so season after season decreased the fertility of the soil. A less fertile soil would not produce as many plants, which could lead to erosion and severely impact the productivity and yield of the farm- ers. The work that Carver did at Tuskegee suggested that planting other crops in a cotton field would increase the fertility of the soil and therefore increase the crop yield and decrease soil erosion.

George Washington Carver

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In his later years, Carver was repeatedly honored by national and international groups for his pioneering work.

Carver introduced these farmers, whose backgrounds were mostly similar to his, to the idea of rotating the crops in a field seasonally. He also showed them alternative cash crops that they could grow on their fields. Cotton was, for a long time, the largest cash crop in the South, but with Carv- er’s inventions using soybeans, sweet potatoes, and pecans, he created uses for other crops. Carver thought a lot about nature and the role that hu- mans play as they interact with nature. He believed that in the natural world everything is a part of the whole. He knew that nothing exists in isolation, that everything is con- nected. He believed that if we ignore that connection, then the effects could be disastrous. George was a very spiritual man. He believed that God spoke through the beauty of na- ture and the joy of creating. The advancements in environmental science and bota- ny that George contributed to science made him one of the most well known African Americans of his time. President

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Black Achievement in Science: Environmental Science