Geraldine Pittman Woods facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Geraldine Pittman Woods
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| Born | January 29, 1921 |
| Died | December 27, 1999 (aged 78) |
| Alma mater | Howard University Radcliffe College |
| Known for | Science administration |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Embryology |
Geraldine Pittman Woods (born January 29, 1921 – died December 27, 1999) was an American science leader. She spent her life helping communities. She is especially known for starting programs that support minority students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). She also helped with scientific research.
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Early Life and Education
Geraldine Pittman Woods was born in West Palm Beach, Florida on January 29, 1921. Her parents were Susie and Oscar Pittman. When she was in fourth grade, she moved to Industrial High School. This was the only public school in her area that allowed African-American students. She finished high school in 1938.
After high school, she went to Talladega College. This was a historically black college in Talladega, Alabama. Her parents had not gone past eighth grade. Her father died when she was a teenager. But her mother strongly believed in education.
Woods once shared what her mother told her:
"My mother paid for everything. She had a tremendous commitment to education in general and my education in particular... Since she was always aware that she never had the opportunity to get an education, she wanted me, her only child, to have all the education I desired."
In 1940, Woods's mother became sick. She was admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. To be closer to her mother, Woods moved to Howard University in Washington, D.C.. At Howard, she was very good at biology and other science classes. Her professor, Dr. Louis Hansborough, encouraged her to keep studying embryology. Embryology is the study of how living things develop before birth.
She graduated in 1942. Then, she went to a special program with Radcliffe College and Harvard University. She earned a master's degree in 1943. In 1945, she earned her Ph.D. in neuro-embryology. This is the study of how the nervous system develops. Also in 1945, she was chosen for Phi Beta Kappa, a national honors society. This was for her excellent school work.
Career and Community Work
Early Career and Family Focus
After getting her doctorate, Woods taught at Howard University until 1946. She then took a break from science for 25 years. During this time, she focused on raising her family.
Helping Communities in the 1960s
In the 1960s, Woods became very active in volunteering. She focused on helping minority groups. Her volunteer work grew from local to national levels. Starting in 1963, she worked for the California Department of Employment for four years.
In 1964, she joined the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). This is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Later that year, Dr. Woods became the first African American woman on the National Advisory General Medical Services (NAGMS) Council. This group advises NIGMS. In this role, she worked to improve science education and research for minority schools. In 1969, NIGMS made her a special consultant. This was a very respected position.
Woods was also a member of Delta Sigma Theta, an African American sorority. She was their national president from 1963 to 1967. Under her leadership, Delta Sigma Theta started The Delta Research and Educational Foundation (DREF) in 1967. This nonprofit group helps organizations that do community service.
In 1965, First Lady Lady Bird Johnson noticed Woods's work. Woods was invited to the White House to help start the Head Start Program. This program helps young children from low-income families. In 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson chose her to lead the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services. This committee helps women serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Continuing Impact in the 1970s
From 1968 to 1972, she continued her community service. She was the vice chair of the Community Relations Conference of Southern California.
In 1972, two important programs Woods worked on at NIGMS finally started. These were the Minority Access to Research Careers Program (MARC) and the Minority Biomedical Research Support Program (MBRS). These programs help minority students get into science research. At first, some Black colleges were unsure about joining. They had been overlooked for a long time.
By 1978, Woods was the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Howard University. During her time there, she spoke at the dedication of a sculpture called Students Aspire.
Later Years and Retirement
By 1980, the MARC and MBRS programs were very popular. Hundreds of students across the country were benefiting from them. Woods also led Howard University's Board of Trustees from 1975 to 1988. She retired from the NIH and many of her leadership roles in 1991.
Awards and Honors
Woods received many awards for her dedication to community service and minority rights. These include:
- The Mary Church Terrell Award from Delta Sigma Theta (1979)
- The Scroll of Merit from the National Medical Association (1979)
- The Howard University Achievement Award (1980)
- A Distinguished Leadership Achievement Award from the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (1987)
In 1978, the sixth annual NIGMS Minority Biomedical Support (MBS) symposium was held in Atlanta University Center in Georgia. It was dedicated to Woods. In 1994, a chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority created the Geraldine P. Woods Sciences Award. This award recognized her contributions to the sorority.
In 2003, NIGMS created the Geraldine Woods Award at a science conference. This was because of her key role in starting the MBRS and MARC programs. These are two NIH programs that help minority students. This award honors people who have greatly helped minorities advance in biomedical science.
Two fellowships have been named after her: one in biology at Howard University and one in chemistry at Atlanta University. She also received honorary degrees from several colleges. These include Benedict College, Talladega College, Fisk University, Bennett College, Meharry Medical College, and Howard University.
Personal Life
While teaching at Howard, she met and married Robert Woods. He was studying dentistry at Meharry Medical College. After he became a dentist, they moved to Los Angeles, California. Woods paused her science career to raise their three children: Jan, Jerri, and Robert.
Woods once said, "I was so busy 'driving' that I couldn't find time to research and write. But I think I made a lasting contribution to science nevertheless." This shows she believed her work in leadership and community service was very important.
After a long illness, Woods passed away on December 27, 1999, at her home in Aliso Viejo, California.
