Willetta Greene-Johnson facts for kids

Willetta Greene-Johnson (born in 1957) is a brilliant scientist and musician. She teaches physics and chemistry at Loyola University Chicago. Dr. Greene-Johnson made history as one of the first African-American women to earn a Ph.D. in theoretical physics. She is also a Grammy award winning musician for her song "Saved" from 2004.

Early Life and Learning

Willetta Greene-Johnson was born in Delaware in 1957. She grew up in Michigan, where she was surrounded by both music and science. Her parents were both scientists. Her mother, Bettye Washington Greene, was one of the first African-American women to get a PhD in chemistry. Her father, William Miller Greene, was an engineer and a former captain in the U.S. Airforce. He was trained just a decade after the famous Tuskegee Airmen.

Willetta's parents introduced her to many kinds of music. She listened to artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Barbra Streisand, and The Beatles. One of her first memories of loving orchestral and gospel music was hearing Symphony No. 5 (Beethoven).

Education and Research

Greene-Johnson's parents encouraged her to work in science. She started college planning to become a doctor. But she later decided to study physics at Stanford University. She graduated with honors in 1979.

In 1979, she joined the AT&T Cooperative Research Fellowship Program. As part of this program, she worked at AT&T's labs for a summer. She then went on to earn her doctoral degree. In 1988, she became one of the first African-American women to complete a PhD in theoretical physics. She earned this degree from the University of Chicago. Her research for her PhD looked at how vibrations behave on surfaces.

Amazing Career

Science and Teaching

After earning her PhD, Dr. Greene-Johnson became a Ford Fellow. She worked in the physics department at Loyola University Chicago. There, she studied how light and physical things interact on surfaces. She joined the teaching staff at Loyola University Chicago in 1992.

Since 2005, she has been a Master Teacher of chemistry and physics. She teaches many different courses. These include general chemistry, college physics, quantum mechanics, and biophysics. In 2014, she was a main speaker at the Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics.

Music and Inspiration

Dr. Greene-Johnson's song, "Saved," was released in 2004. It was part of a Grammy Award winning CD project by the Brooklyn Tabernacle. The song explores what life means. It was translated into four languages and shared all over the world.

In 2010, she was honored as a Woman of Excellence for her achievements in music. She plays with the Chicago Sinfonietta. She has also conducted in their yearly Martin Luther King concert. During the summer, Dr. Greene-Johnson balances her time. She researches physics topics and also composes and records music. She has performed with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. Throughout her life, she has also shared her thoughts on biblical topics. In 2003, she started a company called StrategicMusic, Inc..