Christine Darden

Basic Info
1. b. 1942, Monroe, NC.
  1. Mathematician, data analyst, & aeronautical engineer
Youth & Studies
1. 1962: B.S. in mathematics from Hampton University
  1. 1967: M.S. in mathematics at Virginia State
    1. 1983: Ph.D. in engineering at George Washington University
Teacher & Researcher
1. Earned a teaching certificate and taught high school mathematics briefly
  1. Devoted much of her NASA career to researching supersonic flights and sonic booms
    1. Taught at Virginia State University before working for NASA
      1. 1967 began work at the Langley Research Center (NASA)
        First African American woman at NASA’s Langley research center to be promoted into the senior executive service, the top rank in the federal civil service
        Spent 40+ years researching sonic booms through different methods and computer programs
Later Years
1. 2007: she retired from NASA as director of the office of strategic communication and education
Major Contributions
1. Her findings in the 1960s and 1970s resulted in an aerodynamic design to produce low-boom sonic effects
  1. In 1989, she was made leader of the sonic boom team
    1. Worked to decrease negative effects of sonic booms, such as noise pollution and the depletion of the ozone layer

Resource summary

	Created by Joseph Gianotti about 3 years ago