A survey was sent out to UNK students and faculty about what the name of the Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) building should be. Options like Veritas Hall, Discovery Hall, The Nexus, and The LinK were suggested, but no options for names of people were suggested. All of the names are based around unity.
The options given for the new building are poor. The STEM building is supposed to be seen as a great addition to campus, but it’s hard to see that given the suggestions for new building names. Naming the new building after someone who was inspirational in those fields might encourage others alike to pursue a career in that area.
Most of the buildings on campus that are named after men, are named after white males. Randall Hall, Warner Hall, Bruner, Calvin T. Ryan are all named after white males. The only facility on campus that has a female name is the Ron and Carol Cope Stadium, and the women’s name comes second.
The new STEM building should be named after Katherine Johnson. Johnson was one of the three African American women that helped John Glenn, the first American to successfully orbit around Earth. She was known as the “human computer” because one of the men in charge of the calculations for the orbital mission didn’t trust electronics. So, after the computer was done running tests, they sent it to Johnson to double check the numbers by hand.
Johnson and the two other African American women who helped with the space orbit not only helped advance space travel for Americans, but also helped open doors for other women and POC. Former U.S. President Barack Obama said that, “Johnson broke the barriers of race and gender, showing generations of young people that everyone can excel in math and science and reach for the stars.” A movie called “Hidden Figures” that came out in 2016 highlighted the impact these women made while working with NASA to help get the first American to space.
In 1940, Johnson attended West Virginia University and was the first African American to enroll in the mathematics program. Johnson even had a special mathematics program created for her. She died earlier this year and since then has been recognized for more of her outstanding work. Naming the STEM building after Katherine Johnson might also encourage other women and people of color to go into STEM programs.
The new STEM building should be named after someone of importance and who has made history in a department like STEM. UNK’s new STEM building should be named after Katherine Johnson, one of the mathematicians that helped the first American astronaut to orbit the Earth.
Alana's Blog 
Really great editorial. I agree with your idea to name it after Johnson. What better person to name a Science building after than a NASA revolutionary. “Hidden Figures” was a great movie too, really did a good job showing how important women like Johnson really were.
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