Blackwell, David

1919-2010 · Contribution: 1950s-1980s

Mathematician and statistician

First Black member of the National Academy of Sciences; first Black tenured professor at UC Berkeley; Blackwell channel model in coding/information theory

Science & Medicine — collage image
Science & Medicine

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Quick facts

Born
1919, Centralia, Illinois
Active since
1941
Category
Science & Medicine
Best known for
First Black member of the National Academy of Sciences

Impact on the world

Blackwell reshaped multiple fields of mathematics and statistics, and broke through some of the most exclusive barriers in American academia, opening doors for Black scholars who followed.

Sources

  1. National Academy of Sciences biographical directory

1 more sources and references are available to members.