Dr. Talitha Washington, an associate professor at Howard University and program director at the National Science Foundation, received the 2019 STEM Innovator Award at the Black Engineer of the Year Awards (BEYA) Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Conference in Washington, DC.

This award is presented to individuals who have made significant advancements in research at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

An HBCU graduate and current faculty member, Dr. Washington takes pride in cultivating opportunities for African Americans in STEM and has served on doctoral dissertation committees of students in both engineering and the sciences.

During Dr. Washington’s first year at the National Science Foundation (NSF), she took on a leadership role to stand up NSF’s Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program. Her work disseminates best practices on how organizations can cultivate diversity in STEM as well as how students and professionals can successfully navigate STEM careers.

In this NSF video “Women History Makers: Talitha Washington” she shares how math didn’t come easy for her, and if not for other amazing women in her life, she might not have become the award-winning mathematician she is today. Click here to view.