Ingram to become first black female to earn a Ph.D. in physics at UGA

Amazing student Whitney Ingram continues to rise to new heights of greatness. The Double Dawg from Stone Mountain will soon become the first African American woman to earn her Ph.D in physics at UGA:

“My love of science at a young age came from arts and crafts books, where you could build small projects,” Ingram told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

That passion stayed with her through college, where she eventually earned her bachelor’s degree in physics.

After some convincing from her mother, Ingram decided to reach out to UGA’s Office of Institutional Research to find out if she would be the first black woman to earn a Ph.D. in physics from the university. UGA sent her an email confirming the historic feat in February.

Black female physicists are a rare breed. There were 138 black women working in physics as of May, according to African American Women in physics, a website that keeps track of the number of black female physicists in America.

“There’s a gray area between those who work as physicists and those who have a Ph.D. degree in physics, or astrophysics,” AAWIP.com’s founder, Jami M. Valentine, said in an email. “This becomes more muddled as university programs become more interdisciplinary.”

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While working in a national lab would be a dream, Ingram said she understands the importance of minority visibility in high school and college classrooms and hopes to be an example for future leaders.

“I’m happy to be the first,” she said, “but I don’t want to be the last.”

Truly inspiring words from an inspiring young woman. Congratulations, [Dr.] Ingram! We proudly look forward to your future success and contributions to the field.