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CircNova, a Michigan-based biotech startup, has completed a $3.3 million seed round to advance its technology, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to target “circular RNA.” Crystal Brown co-founded CircNova in May 2023 with scientist Joe Deangelo. Brown told TechCrunch that it has since developed a “proprietary AI engine that allows us to identify, design, and then produce novel, non-coding, circular RNAs.” RNA, or ribonucleic acid, is present in all cells and is a key molecule that carries the instructions to convert genetic information into proteins. F irst discovered in 1976, circular RNA — a class of structures that forms a circle rather than a strand — regulates critical biological processes, per TechCrunch. The aim is to “treat diseases we haven’t treated so far, things like ovarian cancer, triple-negative breast cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, rare genetic diseases,” Brown said. CircNova’s website states that its AI NovaEngine is the first in the world capable of...
Howard University has received a new distinction. According to Diverse Education, the Historically Black College and University (HBCU) has earned the Research One (R1) Carnegie Classification — a first for an HBCU. Not to mention, such an accomplishment is shared with fewer than 150 universities across the country. The criteria entails that institutions allocate at least $50 million toward research and development and award a minimum of 70 research doctorates, the Carnegie Classification website states. Howard University surpassed these expectations in fiscal year 2023, allocating just under $85 million in research expenses and awarding 96 doctorates in a variety of fields — the highest number awarded to Black students at any college or university in America, according to Dr. Bruce A. Jones, Howard University’s senior vice president for research. Dr. Robert T. Palmer, the school’s chair and professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, mentioned, “Howard...
Former pharmacist Brittney Mikell will be making history in her next chapter. WCCO-TV reports Mikell exited her role in pharmacy after experiencing burnout. She then decided to purse her passion in brewing and landed a role as an assistant brewer at La Dona Cerveceria in Minneapolis, MN. “I didn’t feel like I was making the impact that I really wanted to in healthcare,” Mikell explained to Eater Twin Cities. “I woke up one day and realized that this could be a really cool place where I could make an impact. You only really live once, so I decided, let’s just pivot — why not?” Mikell maintained bigger aspirations while working at La Dona Cerveceria, referring to herself as “a huge dreamer,” per WCCO-TV. She plans to become the first Black woman to own a brewery in Minnesota. This is significant as just 1% of breweries in the U.S. are Black-owned, Essence reports. Additionally, of the 200 breweries in the state, few are owned by women or people of color, WCCO-TV mentions. “The...
University of Michigan (U-M) graduate Oluwami Dosunmu-Ogunbi has made history! The Street Journal reports she has earned a Ph.D. in robotics, the first for a Black woman at the institution. Reflecting on her milestone and speaking in front of thousands of people during the university’s 2024 commencement ceremony, she said, “If you do not know me right now that is OK, but I want you to remember me as the University of Michigan’s first Black woman to get a Ph.D. in Robotics. We did it class of 2024. We can officially call ourselves Michigan engineers.” She later took to LinkedIn and commented further stating, “Speaking at Commencement was the experience of a lifetime! To receive a standing ovation from a crowd of over 70,000 people in the largest stadium in North America…. Oh how far have I ascended! That little girl with big dreams is not so little anymore. She has become a GIANT.” Dosunmu-Ogunbi’s road to her doctoral started in high school. She recalls being “fixated” on the “funny...
Dominique Kemp is yet another inspirational story and Black history in the making. The recent graduate of Indiana University is the first Black man in the university’s history to graduate with a Ph.D. in mathematics, Indiana Daily Student (IDS) reports. “I’m interested in problems that connect harmonic analysis with geometry. In particular, decoupling, restriction and Kakeya theory, and Böchner-Riesz are my current focus. I also enjoy exploring applications of decoupling inequalities to problems in number theory and geometry,” he said on his personal statement page. Kemp has co-written three academic papers, all in the field of discrete mathematics. He also got his undergraduate degree in mathematics from Stanford University in California, where he double-majored in physics and mathematics before fully concentrating on the latter from his junior year forward. The Lansing, MI native also tutored math students and played the piano while attending IU. And while his experiences have...
A new South African partnership has announced that it has secured $3 million in pre-Series A funding. The interesting part is, according to TechCrunch, this partnership doesn’t have a name as of yet. However, it still managed to secure enough funds to launch a tele-health product. Even more interestingly, this product that they’ve just launched doesn’t have a name yet, either. How did they manage to do this? This South African partnership is ultimately a joint venture between three companies: Webrock Ventures, Healthforce.io, and Doktor.se. Webrock Ventures is a Sweden-based investment firm that partners with African companies to create what’s called “portfolio businesses.” They do this while retaining a stake in the company. Healthforce, meanwhile, is a South African company that has installed nurses in more than 450 locations throughout the continent. And Doktor.se is another Swedish company, and this company offers tele-health services throughout Scandinavia through phones. So,...
This Howard University (HU) graduate is living proof that you’re never too old to follow your dreams! According to a news release distributed by the venerated Historically Black College and University (HBCU), 70-year-old Joseph Grant is a proud member of the HU graduating class of 2021. He’s matriculating from the university with a Ph.D. in political science. Dr. Grant’s focus will be on American government and Black politics. “I always wanted to go to Howard University, literally all my life. This is my first HBCU experience,” said Dr. Grant, in a statement included in the university’s release. “When I graduated high school, there was a big move to integrate, and because they needed Black students and I needed the money, it was an easy decision to go to those schools. I was determined [as I got older] that when my children were in college, they would go to an HBCU.” Dr. Grant said that he grew up during a time of segregation, where things were “separate but equal” in the United...
Meet Dr. Thakgalo Thibela, a 21-year-old woman who is the youngest doctor in South Africa today. Glamour South Africa was the first to draw the world’s attention to this remarkable woman when it was revealed that Dr. Thibela was on South Africa’s frontlines during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. She received her bachelor of medicine and bachelor of surgery from the University of Witwatersrand, located in the northern part of Johannesburg. Currently, the youngest doctor in South Africa calls the Helen Joseph Hospital — also in Johannesburg — home. Priscilla Sekhonyana, the spokeswoman for The Health Practice Council of South Africa, confirmed that Dr. Thibela is the youngest doctor on the IN register today. But Dr. Thibela always seemed destined for greatness. According to News24, she skipped seventh grade and was bumped up to high school. Once she got to Lehlasedi High School, she skipped yet another grade. Ultimately, she graduated from high school when she was just...
Aerospace engineer Aprille Ericsson-Jackson utilized her life-long career as a trailblazer to break barriers in STEM. It is through her life’s work that she’s been able to open doors for young Black women pursuing paths across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics while also advocating for more diversity. Ericsson-Jackson was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1963. As a child she developed a love for STEM watching Apollo missions and participating in science fairs that would dictate her educational and career choices later down the line. At age 15, she moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts to live with her grandparents and attended the Cambridge School of Weston. From there, Ericsson-Jackson was accepted into the UNITE (now MITE—Minority Introduction to Engineering, Entrepreneurship, and Science) program that set her up to pursue a B.A. degree in aeronautical/astronautical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Face2Face Africa reports. She continued her...
Although Black women have contributed to STEM in more ways than a little bit, they are still grossly underrepresented in the field. In 2016, Black women reportedly only made up a mere 2.9 percent of students earning bachelor’s degrees in STEM. Today those numbers have increased thanks to pioneers like Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, and Katherine Johnson whose stories were brought to light in the hit film, “Hidden Figures.” Here are five women who also shattered glass ceilings and accomplished anything they put their minds to in STEM. Dr. Patricia Bath As the first Black doctor to land a medical patent for the laserphaco probe, a device uses to treat cataract patients, Dr. Bath became the first Black woman to complete an ophthalmology residency in the U.S. She was also the first to document that Black people suffered blindness at alarming rates compared to other racial groups. Soon, the late Dr. Bath could become the first Black woman to be inducted into the National Inventors Hall...
Black History Month is always a beautiful (albeit too short) celebration of Black excellence across the diaspora throughout the years. And let’s be honest, there’s a host of things that wouldn’t exist without Black women, including much of today’s modern-day entertainment. Black women, like Dr. Shirley Jackson, invented technologies that changed communication, and as a result, enhanced the way we are entertained, whether watching a basketball game on TV, streaming a movie on Hulu, or throwing a party via Zoom. Without further ado, tip your hat to these four Black women inventors who laid the groundwork for modern-day technology. Martha Jones Before we honor the women who are responsible for modern-day entertainment, we must salute Martha Jones from Amelia County, VA. According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Jones became the first Black woman to be granted a U.S. patent in May 1868. Although her invention, a cornhusker, is unrelated to entertainment, we can assume...