Black STEM History at A&T

A&T recently made headlines as the nation’s first HBCU to offer a bachelor’s degree in Artificial Intelligence (AI). This milestone is one of thousands in our 134-year journey for the “progress of the colored man” and “the industrial development of the state,” as our first president, the Rev. Dr. John O. Crosby, Ph.D., would have put it. 

Here are some highlights from Aggieland’s many groundbreaking contributions to STEM in honor of Black History Month. 

A&M College, Biographical Laboratory – Library of Congress 

Scientific innovations from A&T students date back to the college’s early years. For his graduating thesis, Adam Watson, one of the “Superior Seven” of the Class of 1899, created a working steam engine. The college promoted it as the first engine invented by a person of color in North Carolina.

Gaston Alonzo Edwards, A&T Class of 1901, became the first licensed Black architect in North Carolina and remained the only one for decades. Erkwood Logan, a student in A&T’s preparatory school, is believed to have been the first Aggie alumnus to file a patent. His patents included a plastic and biscuit-cutting machine in 1904 and a toy in 1911. That same year, Logan gifted the latter patent to A&T. 

Aggies have a long history of impacting healthcare in North Carolina. Charles Henry Moore (namesake of Moore Gym and the Agricultural Center) and A&T campus physician Dr. Simon P. Sebastian (former namesake of Sebastian Health Center and Sebastian Villages) co-founded the Greensboro Negro Hospital Association in 1923. Established to build a modern healthcare facility for Greensboro’s Black community, the association’s efforts led to the creation of L. Richardson Hospital in 1927, which began hosting a nursing program in 1929. 

Founded in 1953, A&T’s School of Nursing was the first degree-awarding program for Black nurses in North Carolina. Among its most distinguished alumni is Brigadier General Clara Adams-Ender, the first Black Nurse Corps officer to graduate from the U.S. Army War College. 

Harold Delaney, Ayantee Yearbook, 1946 

In the field of chemistry, generations have passed down the legend of Harold Delaney, one of the few African Americans to contribute to the Manhattan Project. Delaney served as an associate professor of chemistry at A&T from 1945 to 1948.

American to earn a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering in 1943. 

Another Aggie who was the first to earn a doctorate in his field was Dr. Major Franklin Spaulding, Ph.D., B.S., A&T Class of 1925. He became the first African American to earn a doctorate in agronomy, completing his degree in 1935 at the University of Massachusetts Amherst while serving as a professor and Dean of the Agricultural Department at A&T (1928–1937). 

The “A” in A&T stands for agriculture, and the university has produced many pioneering figures in the field. John D. Wray, A&T Class of 1910, was the first 4-H agent of color, while Neil Alexander Bailey became North Carolina’s first Black demonstration agent in what is now the Cooperative Extension. 

Dr. Cecile Hoover Edwards was a groundbreaking professor of agriculture and nutrition at North Carolina A&T from 1956 to 1971. She later established the first doctoral program in nutrition at an HBCU, housed at Howard University. Alongside her husband, physical chemist Dr. Gerald Edwards, she co-authored numerous research papers. Gerald and Cecile met on the Aggieland campus in 1951. 

Dr. Alfreda Webb was among the first two Black women to earn a Ph.D. in veterinary medicine (1949) and the first to be admitted to the Women’s Veterinary Association. She was a professor of biology at A&T from 1959 to 1978 and later served as the professor and coordinator of Laboratory Animal Science beginning in 1977. Webb Hall on the A&T campus is named after her husband, agriculturalist Dr. Burleigh C. Webb, A&T Class of 1944. 

It is impossible to overstate the impact of astronaut and physicist Dr. Ronald E. McNair, Ph.D., A&T Class of 1971, and the enduring significance of his legacy to A&T and aeronautics. He was not only one of the first three Black astronauts and the first HBCU graduate in space, but his historic 1984 mission also took place during Black History Month (February 3–11, 1984). 

Even before Dr. McNair’s achievements, NASA was actively recruiting Aggies in the 1960s. Physics major Rita J. Southall, Class of 1966, became a NASA intern and, for a time, was the only “gal physicist” at NASA’s Langley Research Center in 1969.

As a continuation of NASA’s legacy and Dr. McNair’s impact, A&T became the first HBCU to partner with the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation in 1994. In 2023, A&T became the first HBCU to offer two Astronaut Scholarships in a single cycle, producing three recipients. 

A&T proudly holds the distinction of being the first HBCU to offer doctoral programs in engineering and is currently the leading producer of Black engineers. One lesser-known milestone for the College of Engineering occurred between 1985 and 1986, when A&T became the first HBCU to fabricate integrated circuit chips (computer chips). This achievement was made possible through a grant from the National Science Foundation and the leadership of Dr. Harold L. Martin Sr., who was the chair of the Electrical Engineering department at the time. 

A&T is well known for its civil rights legacy, and many of its civil rights heroes have STEM backgrounds. Dr. Joseph McNeil, one of the A&T Four, graduated with a B.S. in engineering physics. Justice Henry E. Frye excelled as a biology and chemistry major before pursuing law in 1956. 

Black history and STEM at A&T continue to reach new milestones. In 2008, A&T became the first HBCU to receive a research center grant from the National Science Foundation. More recently, Michael Regan made history as the first Black man to lead the Environmental Protection Agency under President Joe Biden’s administration. 

The achievements of African American STEM faculty, staff, and alumni are too numerous to capture in a single article. When considering Aggies of all backgrounds—such as chemist John A. Steinhauer, A&T’s first white graduate, and electrical engineer Dr. Yaxi Shen, the first woman to earn a Ph.D. at A&T—the university’s history is truly remarkable. 

The University Archives and Special Collections is committed to acquiring, organizing, and preserving these histories to strengthen the record of A&T’s “exponential” legacy. To learn more about Black history, Aggies, or STEM history, please contact us at libraryarchives@ncat.edu.