“Forgotten Genius” recognizes pioneering
African American scientist
Elizabeth Campell
Institute Communicationsand Public Affairs
No book-length biographies have been written about
Percy Julian, one of the most famous chemists of the
twentieth century, but he will get some recognition
when NOVA, a popular science program, airs “Forgotten
Genius” about his personal and professional
life on Feb. 6 at 8 p.m. on local PBS stations.
Julian broke the color barrier in American science
and won worldwide acclaim for his work in organic chemistry
and as the first black director of an industrial chemistry
research lab. A brilliant chemist, his career was marked
by many scientific breakthroughs that improved lives.
He converted soybeans into synthetic steroids on an
industrial scale, and his innovative approach helped
make drugs like cortisone affordable and available to
millions. His inventiveness helped lay the groundwork
for the entire field of steroid medicine, and later
the birth control pill.
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School of History, Technology and Society Professor
Willie Pearson has been closely associated with
the production of this biography for several years. |
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Willie Pearson Jr., a professor in the School
of History, Technology and Society, has been involved
with NOVA from concept through production. Several years
ago, Pearson, who specializes in science and technology
policy-related research on the production of doctoral
scientists and engineers, was contacted by NOVA to help
with a proposal for a program about Julian. He reviewed
the producers’ materials, critiqued their proposals
and served as a member of the program’s advisory
board.
“My contribution to this program was to help
the producers find materials and validate facts and
provide the broader context of what was happening in
the science field during Julian’s life,”
says Pearson. “This project has turned into a
much bigger project than NOVA originally anticipated.
To see this project come into final production is very
rewarding.”
Pearson, whose on-camera interview appears in the program,
emphasized what an extraordinary man Julian was. “In
addition to his remarkable accomplishments as a chemist,
entrepreneur and philanthropist, he was a gifted writer
of both scientific and literary works which is an unusual
combination,” says Pearson. “His life story
has some controversy as well, and it is interesting
to see how those aspects of his life are handled in
the final program as well.”
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