Valerie Thomas

 Valerie Thomas impact on Technology 

    Valerie Thomas is an American Scientist and inventor. She was born in Maryland in 1943; she is currently 82 years old. Valerie had a huge impact on Technology; she invented the Illusion Transmitter, for which she received a patent in 1980. She is also responsible for developing the digital media formats used in image processing systems that were used in the early years of NASA's Landsat program. The main thing that inspired Valerie was a demonstration she saw in 1976 that used concave mirrors to create the illusion of a light bulb remaining lit even when it was removed from the socket. From a young age, she was interested in electronics, mathematics, and physics. Young girls were not encouraged to study those subjects because, in a racially segregated society, they had fewer educational opportunities. That did not stop Valerie from pursuing her dreams. There are many ways we can help combat racial bias in computing and technology today, by not denying young men and women who come from different cultures and backgrounds. Where they came from does not impact the way they think and how they can further our technology in the future.