Theda Daniels-Race facts for kids

Theda M. Daniels-Race is an American engineer and a special professor at Louisiana State University. She works in nanoelectronics, which is about making tiny electronic devices. Her research focuses on growing and studying very small materials, called nanomaterials, and creating new electronic devices using special materials called semiconductors.

Early Life and Education

Theda Daniels-Race loved science from a very young age. When she was just five years old, she decided she wanted to become a scientist and earn a Ph.D. This is the highest degree you can get in a university.

Her College Journey

Daniels-Race went to Rice University and earned her first degree in electrical engineering in 1983. She then went to Stanford University for her master's degree, also in electrical engineering, which she finished in 1985. She received a special scholarship to help pay for her studies.

She was one of only ten students chosen for a national program to get her Ph.D. at Cornell University. There, she worked with a famous professor named Lester F. Eastman.

Discovering Tiny Particles

For her Ph.D., Daniels-Race studied how to observe very fast-moving tiny particles called electrons. Her research helped show how these electrons move in special ways, which is important for making super-fast electronics. She earned her Ph.D. in 1990. She was one of the first African American women to earn a Ph.D. in physics or a related field in the United States.

Research and Career

After getting her Ph.D., Dr. Daniels-Race joined Duke University in 1989. There, she started the university's first lab for growing special materials called semiconductors. These materials are used to make computer chips and other electronic parts. She received money from the National Science Foundation to support her work.

Exploring Quantum Worlds

At Duke, she studied how tiny particles behave in a strange way, which is called quantum mechanical phenomena. She also worked on making very small electronic devices using materials like GaAs and AlGaAs.

Moving to Louisiana State University

In 2003, Dr. Daniels-Race became a professor at Louisiana State University (LSU). She continued her research, focusing on new ways to create hybrid electronic materials. Her team at LSU has received funding to work on microelectronics with the University of Texas at Austin.

Her research also includes studying other tiny structures like carbon nanotubes. These are incredibly small tubes made of carbon atoms, which have amazing properties. In 2023, Dr. Daniels-Race received the Worley Professor of Excellence Award for her outstanding work.

Working with Industry and Inspiring Others

Throughout her career, Dr. Daniels-Race has worked with big companies like Union Carbide and AT&T Bell Laboratories. She also helps guide the Department of Physics and Engineering at Tulane University.

She is a strong supporter of women and minorities in STEM fields. STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. She is also an active member of several professional groups, like the American Physical Society.

Dr. Daniels-Race has also written a chapter in a book about how to design and make very small electronic devices.

Personal Life

Theda Daniels-Race is married to Paul Race.