Dr. Joan Murrell Owens is the first African American female to receive a Ph.D. in Geology.
She beat the odds with an amazing determination story and the pursuit of her dream of being a marine biologist.
In 1950, Owens enrolled in Fisk University, but the historically Black university did not offer marine biology courses. She graduated with a degree in arts and later a master’s degree in guidance counseling. She went on to teach English at Howard University. Owens did not give up on her dream. 20 years after starting at Fisk, she constructed her marine biology degree by majoring in geology and minoring in zoology. She received her Geology Ph.D. in 1985 and became the first African American female to achieve this.
Owens had sickle cell anemia, a genetic disease that limited the amount of oxygen in her blood, and a diagnosis that prohibited her diving ability and research underwater. She leveraged her work at the Smithsonian and studied existing samples of button corals.
By the end of her time at the Smithsonian, Owen would discover a new genus of button coral—the Rhombopsammia— along with three new species, which she named after a snowflake, Squires, and her husband.
Despite her academic achievement, Owens found her greatest joy in her students. She was the only woman in the geology department, but she was a constant role model to her students by teaching during the school year and continuing her research in the summer. Dr. Owens passed away in 2011 at 77, but her legacy lives on.
Black History Month 2023: Be encouraged. Be purposeful.