Shaundra B. Daily was born in 1979 in Nashville, Tennessee. In high school, an interest in being an agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation led her to major in electrical engineering at Florida State University. But, she writes, “once I got to college, I realized that while the FBI was fascinating, what I really enjoyed was working with kids using technology.” After graduating with honors, she received a master’s in electrical engineering and moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
She is now a doctoral candidate at the MIT Media Laboratory working in the Affective Computing Group. This group seeks to “give machines skills of emotional intelligence … and … to develop technologies to assist in the development of human emotional intelligence.” Her main interests include interfaces that support affective (that is, emotional) development and technologically supported reflective practice. “Most importantly,” she writes, “I am the proud wife of Julian and mother to Layla.”
Bruce Ovbiagele, a vascular neurologist, is assistant professor of neurology at the University of California, Los Angeles. Among other responsibilities, Ovbiagele directs the UCLA PROTECT program, which helps hospitals provide the highest-quality stroke treatment to patients. He is a national spokesperson for the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association’s “Power to End Stroke” campaign.
Born in Nigeria, Ovbiagele came to the United States in 1995 to pursue specialist training in stroke, the second-leading killer of Africans and the single most deadly neurological disease. He plans to return to Nigeria to set up stroke centers. “Given the dearth of resources in this region, the main emphasis will be on preventive therapies and public education,” he says. He also hopes to help train new African doctors and medical researchers.
***Information courtesy of http://www.scienceupdate.com/spotlights/african-american-scientists/***