Marsha Rhea Williams facts for kids

Marsha Rhea Williams (born 1948) is an American teacher and scientist. She is famous for being the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. (a very high university degree) in computer science.

Dr. Williams has worked at many universities. Most recently, she was a professor at Tennessee State University. She also works hard to encourage more African American people and other minority groups to join STEM fields. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.

Early Life and Education

Marsha Rhea Williams was born on August 4, 1948. Her hometown is Memphis, Tennessee. Her parents were James Edward and Velma Lee Williams.

She started her college journey in 1969. She earned her first degree, a Bachelor of Science (B.S.), in physics from Beloit College. Then, in 1971, she got her Master of Science (M.S.) degree in physics. She earned this degree from the University of Michigan.

After teaching for a while, Dr. Williams decided to continue her studies. She went to Vanderbilt University to work on her doctoral degree. In 1976, she earned another M.S. degree. This one was in systems and information science.

Then, in 1982, she achieved something amazing. She earned her Ph.D. in computer science. This made her the first African American woman to get a Ph.D. in this field. For her Ph.D., she wrote a special paper called a dissertation. It was about how people use computers to search large amounts of information.

Her Career and Impact

Dr. Williams has taught at several universities. These include the University of Mississippi, Memphis State University, and Fisk University. She also worked for a big technology company called IBM. She was also a special fellow with the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Most recently, she was a tenured professor of computer science. She taught at Tennessee State University. Being "tenured" means she had a permanent teaching position. Dr. Williams was one of the first African American professors to teach engineering and computer science. She held these roles at both the University of Mississippi and Tennessee State University. She has written many articles for academic journals. She has also given presentations at important conferences.

Dr. Williams is part of several professional groups. These include the Association for Computing Machinery. She is also a member of the Association of Information Technology Professionals. She belongs to the Tennessee Academy of Science as well. She used to serve on the board for one of these groups.

Besides her teaching and research, Dr. Williams is a strong supporter of diversity. She wants to see more people from different backgrounds in computer science and engineering. She advised a group called the National Society of Black Engineering Students. She also started her own group. It is called the Association for Excellence in Computer Science, Math, and Physics.

She also led a program at Tennessee State called Project MISET. This project helped "Minorities in Science, Engineering, and Technology." Her life story and achievements are featured in many "Who's Who" books. These books list important people. She is often mentioned alongside other famous computer scientists. Some of these include Dorothy Vaughan and Melba Roy Mouton.