Attendees watch “The Color of Space” during a screening of the documentary as part of the Department of Education’s HBCU Week Conference, Monday, Sept. 25, 2023, at the Hyatt Regency in Arlington, Va. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Attendees watch “The Color of Space” during a screening of the documentary as part of the Department of Education’s HBCU Week Conference, Monday, Sept. 25, 2023, at the Hyatt Regency in Arlington, Va. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

NASA’s Lisa Frazier introduces NASA TV producer of “The Color of Space” Jori Kates and NASA astronaut Alvin Drew before a screening of “The Color of Space” as part of the Department of Education’s HBCU Week Conference, Monday, Sept. 25, 2023, at the Hyatt Regency in Arlington, Va. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

NASA TV producer of “The Color of Space” Jori Kates, left, and NASA astronaut Alvin Drew answer questions before a screening of “The Color of Space” as part of the Department of Education’s HBCU Week Conference, Monday, Sept. 25, 2023, at the Hyatt Regency in Arlington, Va. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

NASA TV producer of “The Color of Space” Jori Kates, left, and NASA astronaut Alvin Drew answer questions before a screening of “The Color of Space” as part of the Department of Education’s HBCU Week Conference, Monday, Sept. 25, 2023, at the Hyatt Regency in Arlington, Va. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

NASA TV producer of “The Color of Space” Jori Kates, left, and NASA astronaut Alvin Drew answer questions before a screening of “The Color of Space” as part of the Department of Education’s HBCU Week Conference, Monday, Sept. 25, 2023, at the Hyatt Regency in Arlington, Va. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

NASA TV producer of “The Color of Space” Jori Kates, left, and NASA astronaut Alvin Drew answer questions before a screening of “The Color of Space” as part of the Department of Education’s HBCU Week Conference, Monday, Sept. 25, 2023, at the Hyatt Regency in Arlington, Va. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

MR. DAVID E. BROCK SPEAKS AT HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM, HUNTSVILLE MUSEUM OF ART. SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

MR. RONALD BLAKELY SPEAKS AT HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM, HUNTSVILLE MUSEUM OF ART. SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

MR. CRAIG BOWERS SPEAKS AT HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM, HUNTSVILLE MUSEUM OF ART. SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

GLENN DELGADO SPEAKS AT HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES PROGRAM, HUNTSVILLE MUSEUM OF ART. SEPTEMBER 17, 2014

NASA ADMINISTRATOR CHARLES BOLDEN, LEFT, SPEAKS WITH LEGAND BURGE OF ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY, DURING THE SECOND ANNUAL MINORITY PARTNERSHIPS MEETING FOR HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES AND MINORITY SERVING INSTITUTIONS.

Governor Kay Ivey recognized retired NASA Space Flight Center team member, Jeanette Scissum-Mickens on Sept. 27 at the Alabama HBCU Roundtable Discussion: Minority Women in STEM held at the Alabama A&M University. Scissum-Mickens was honored as the “Hidden Figure of Alabama A&M.” She was the first African American mathematician hired by Marshall in 1964. While at Marshall, she was a space scientist and helped improved forecast models of the sunspot cycle and led activities in Marshall’s Atmospheric, Magentospheric, and Plasmas in Space project.

Retired Marshall scientist, Jeanette Scissum-Mickens, was honored by Alabama Governor Kay Ivey at the Alabama Historically Black Colleges and Universities Roundtable Discussion: Minority Women in STEM event held at the University of Alabama A&M in Huntsville, Alabama. Scissum-Mickens was honored as the “Hidden Figure of Alabama A&M.” She was the first African-American mathematician hired by Marshall in 1964.

RONALD BLAKELY, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR FOR THE WHITE HOUSE INITIATIVE ON HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES, SPEAKS DURING NASA’S FIRST PARTNERSHIPS MEETING FOR HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES AND MINORITY SERVING INSTITUTIONS. NASA’S OFFICE OF SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAMS HOSTED THE EVENT, WHICH ALLOWED REPRESENTATIVES FROM 30 NATIONWIDE UNIVERSITIES AND NASA PRIME CONTRACTORS TO DISCUSS POTENTIAL SUBCONTRACTING OPPORTUNITIES

Representatives of the state of Alabama, academia, and industry listen and take part in a panel discussion led by NASA Marshall Space Flight Center's Ruth Jones as part of the first Alabama Historically Black Colleges and Universities Roundtable Discussion. The event focused on drawing more minorities, specifically women, into academic fields and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Photograph taken July 30, 1964. Mary W Jackson, Aerospace Engineer in the Large Supersonic Tunnels Branch of Full-Scale Research Division, explains the facilities used in testing research models such as SCAT. The Guidance Counseling Class from Hampton Institute visited the center on July 30 and toured a number of facilities. The purpose of the visit was to provide the counselors an opportunity to see areas of work representing fields in which their students might be employed. The group, under the direction of Professor Fissell Jones (Left, back row) of Hampton Institute, represented the states of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. In 1958 Mary Jackson became NASA's first black female engineer. The Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) is a Historically Black College. NASA started its EEO office in 1964 and the NASA Administrator at the time, James Webb, was very enthusiastic about reaching out to universities (including HBCUs) to partner with them and to encourage students to become NASA engineers.