Demetrius Venable facts for kids

Demetrius Dante Venable was born on October 11, 1947. He is an American physicist and a retired professor from Howard University in Washington, D.C. Dr. Venable is an expert in optical physics, which is the study of light. He is also known for helping to create and improve physics programs at several historically Black universities.

Growing Up and School

Demetrius Venable grew up in Powhatan, Virginia. His parents were also from Virginia. His father, James Venable, was a schoolteacher and a principal. He led Pocahontas High School, which was a school for Black students, from 1967 to 1975.

When Demetrius was in high school, he took math and history classes with his father. There were no physics classes offered at his school back then. However, he got to attend a special summer program at Norfolk State University. There, he learned about set theory, which is a part of math. He finished high school in 1966.

Venable then went to Virginia State College, which is now called Virginia State University. This is a historically Black college in Petersburg, Virginia. While in college, he joined ROTC. He earned his bachelor's degree in physics in 1970.

During his college summers in 1968 and 1969, he attended a special program at Columbia University. He studied physics and worked on experiments there. He also worked with physicists Arthur Thorpe and James Davenport at Virginia State.

Later, he continued his studies at American University in Washington, D.C. He earned his master's degree in physics in 1972. Then, in 1974, he received his PhD in physics from the same university.

His Career in Physics

After getting his PhD, Dr. Venable worked as an engineer at IBM for two years. After that, he became a physics professor at Saint Paul's College in Virginia. While there, he helped set up a program with Howard University. This program allowed students from Saint Paul's to take summer physics classes at Howard.

During his summers, he also worked with the Air Force and NASA Langley. At NASA, he started working on remote sensing. This is a way to gather information about something without actually touching it, often using satellites or airplanes.

In 1978, Dr. Venable became a physics professor at Hampton Institute (which became Hampton University in 1984). He eventually became a full professor. He also took on many leadership roles, including:

• Head of the physics department
• Dean of the graduate college
• Vice president for research
• Executive vice president and provost

He also helped create Hampton University's graduate program in physics.

In 1995, Dr. Venable joined Howard University as a professor and department chair. He also served as the interim associate provost for research for a short time. At Howard, he helped create a program that studies the atmosphere. He was also a leader at the Howard University Beltsville Center for Climate System Observation, which was supported by NASA.

Throughout his career, he was part of many important science groups. These included the National Society of Black Physicists and the American Association of Physics Teachers.

Dr. Venable officially retired from Howard University in 2017.

Family Life

Dr. Venable met his wife during the summer program at Columbia University. They have two children.

Awards and Honors

Dr. Venable has received several awards for his work:

• American Association of Physics Teacher's Distinguished Service Citation
• NASA's Distinguished Public Service Medal
• NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Group Achievement Award
• Lifetime Achievement Award Finalist of The Benjamin Banneker Institute (2008)