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| Janez Lawson | |
|---|---|
 Lawson in 1953 | |
| Born | (1930-02-22)February 22, 1930 |
| Died | November 24, 1990(1990-11-24) (aged 60) |
| Alma mater | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Employer | Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
Janez Yvonne Lawson Bordeaux (February 22, 1930 – November 24, 1990) was an American chemical engineer who became one of NASA's computers. She was the first African-American hired into a technical position at Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She programmed the IBM 701.
Early life and education
Lawson was born on February 22, 1930, in Santa Monica, California. Her parents were Hilliard Lawson and Bernice Lawson. She attended Belmont High School and graduated in 1948. Lawson completed a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles in 1952. She was a straight-A student and President of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority.
Career
Despite her qualifications, Lawson could not get work as a chemical engineer because of her race and gender. She saw an advertisement for a job as a computer in Pasadena. There was discussion about whether or not she should get the job, but Macie Roberts stood up for her. Lawson got the job, and in 1953 was one of the first Jet Propulsion Laboratory employees to be sent to a training course at IBM. Lawson was the first African-American hired into a technical position at Jet Propulsion Laboratory. She was promoted to mathematician in 1954. She became skilled at programming during the course, using a keypunch and learning speedcoding. Lawson lived in Los Angeles and would commute for over an hour to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory every day. Lawson joined the Ramo-Wooldridge Corporation in the late 1950s.
References
- ^ Changing the face of engineering : the African American experience. Slaughter, John Brooks, 1934-, Tao, Yu, 1978-, Pearson, Willie, 1945-. Baltimore, Maryland. December 15, 2015. ISBN 9781421418155. OCLC 924719355.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ Holt, Nathalia (June 11, 2016). "How Sexism Held Back Space Exploration". The Atlantic. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
- ^ "How Women 'Computers' Transformed Early Space Exploration Technology - Entity". Entity. December 10, 2016. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
- "The incredible story of NASA's forgotten 'Rocket Girls'". Retrieved June 22, 2018.
- Smith, Yvette (January 31, 2018). "Rocket Girls and the Advent of the Space Age". NASA. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
- Summary and analysis of Rise of the rocket girls : the women who propelled us, from missiles to the moon to Mars. Based on the book by Nathalia Holt. New York. May 2, 2017. ISBN 9781504046374. OCLC 984992626.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
- 1930 births
- 1990 deaths
- 20th-century African-American women
- 20th-century African-American scientists
- 20th-century American engineers
- 20th-century American mathematicians
- 20th-century American women mathematicians
- African-American engineers
- African-American women engineers
- 20th-century American women engineers
- American chemical engineers
- American computer programmers
- Delta Sigma Theta members
- Human computers
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory faculty
- Mathematicians from California
- NASA people
- Engineers from Los Angeles
- University of California, Los Angeles alumni
- 20th-century American chemists