Howard University has produced some of the greatest names in STEM, many of them the first African Americans to achieve these feats. From the famed Kenneth Clark (B.A. ’35; M.A. ’36) and Mamie Clark (B.S. ’38; M.A. ’39)to Patricia Bath (M.D. ’68), the first Black female doctor to receive a patent for a medical invention, the list goes on and on.
Another such great in the STEM field, Harley Flack Sr., worked his way to become the founding dean and professor at the College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences. One of his sons, Christopher Flack (B.A., ’95)worked in D.C. government and had a hand in converting the Ecology building on Howard’s campus to what is now the Howard University Middle School of Math and Science, more commonly known as (MS)2. Christopher Flack’s son, Malachi, recently finished 8th grade at the middle school, and his family expects “great things” from the third-generation Flack.
“I always love the fact that, when they came up with the concept of the charter school, math and science were put out front as key to their curriculum,” Christopher Flack said. “Of course, when it came time for Malachi to complete 8th grade, we sent him to the charter school. I guess the legacy had come full circle from my father to Malachi.”
Howard alumni around the world are creating lineages of brilliant minds, and in a world where careers in STEM fields are increasingly in demand, industry leaders and policymakers have been calling for improvements in K-12 math and science education as well as an increase in production of STEM undergrads over the last few years.
Cheri Philip (B.S. ’00) and Romaneio Golphin Sr., who attended Howard University for a year, have gone above and beyond in answering that call in their own way. They posted a video that went viral a few years back that showed their 2-year-old son, Romanieo Jr., answering questions about chemistry and physics while eating his Cheerios. The video was created in part to demonstrate some of the learning tools they’ve utilized to cultivate the nurturing learning environment that viewers saw Romanieo Jr. flourishing in at such a young age.
“We early on saw that he was very curious about the world around him, as every child is,” Philip said. “It’s not so much that Romanieo Jr. is so unique and exceptional as many have often asked or said of him, it’s really about the amount of time we put into understanding where he is and where he can go because of his interests.”
Briahnna M. Brown 