Anna Coble
Anna Jane Coble-Mullen[3] (1936 – March 3, 2009) was an American biophysicist. She was the first black woman to earn a doctorate in biophysics, and the first black woman to be hired at Howard University.
Anna Coble | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1936[1] |
| Died | March 3, 2009 (aged 72–73)[2] |
| Education | Physics (1973) |
| Alma mater | Howard University University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign |
Early life and education
Coble was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she became interested in mathematics and physics.[4] Her father was a teacher at St. Augustine's University. Coble studied mathematics at Howard University, earning a bachelor's degree in 1958 and a master's degree in 1961.[5] After graduating, she taught physics at North Carolina A&T State University for four years.[5] Coble moved to University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign for her postgraduate studies, where she became an advocate for minority students and women.[5] She completed her PhD in 1973 under the supervision of Floyd Dunn.[5][6] She spent two years at Washington University in St. Louis studying the impact of high-intensity ultrasound on frogs.[5][7]
Research and career
Coble moved back to Howard University, where she was the first black woman to be hired to the faculty.[5] She spent a summer finding houses for 200 black graduate students, forfeiting her own research.[5] During her time at Howard University there was a 30 - 40% cut to federal research grants.[5] She was part of the Writing Across the Curriculum faculty.[8] She was eventually promoted to Associate Professor.[9]
Coble was part of the formation of the National Society of Black Physicists.[10] She served on the board of the Ionia Whipper Home, a shelter for neglected teenage girls.[5] She developed educational resources for the National Academy of Sciences and the National Research Council.[11]
Coble worked with the American Association for the Advancement of Science and American Association of Physics Teachers to support underrepresented groups in science.[5] One project, the AAAS Black Church Project, brought hands-on science to young people in the Washington Area.[5] The Gamma Chapter of the District of Columbia of Phi Beta Kappa at Howard University established a Faculty Service Award in honor of Coble, who was the Chapter Secretary for multiple decades.[12]
Personal life
Coble was married to Kirk P. Mullen. She was the stepdaughter of Cora Coble, and had three siblings: Mary Lee Coble, Cecil N. Coble, Jr. and Dennis Coble. Coble passed away on March 3, 2009.[4] She is buried at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery.[3]
See also
References
- ^ American Men & Women of Science. Bowker. 1998. p. 347.
- ^ "Molecular & Integrative Physiology - Newsletter December 2009" (PDF). University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
- ^ a b Anna Coble-Mullen
- ^ a b Sisters in science : conversations with black women scientists about race, gender, and their passion for science. Jordan, Diann, 1958-. West Lafayette, Ind.: Purdue University Press. 2007. ISBN 9781557534453. OCLC 137292168.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Narratives of the Double Bind: Intersectionality in Life Stories of Women of Color in Physics, Astrophysics and Astronomy - Research Library". Retrieved 2018-05-04.
- ^ A., Nakireru, Omoviekovwa. The physics queen : authorized biography of Dr. Elvira Louvenia Williams. [Bloomington, IN]. ISBN 9781441538574. OCLC 755708994.
- ^ Coble, Anna J.; Dunn, Floyd (1974-04-01). "Reversible changes in the electrical parameters of isolated frog skin induced by ultrasound". The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 55 (S1): S16–S16. doi:10.1121/1.1919576. ISSN 0001-4966.
- ^ "WAC Faculty". www.cetla.howard.edu. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
- ^ . www.physics1.howard.edu. Archived from the original on 2017-07-11. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
- ^ "The Genesis of the National Society of Black Physicists" (PDF). AIP. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
- ^ "Resources for Teaching Elementary School Science". National Science Resources Center. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
- ^ "Howard University | Washington Research Library Consortium". www.wrlc.org. Retrieved 2021-06-20.