November is Native American Heritage Month. We’re celebrating by highlighting Indigenous scientists throughout history who have made an impact in the fields of physics, anthropology, medicine, and more.

Celebrating the Contributions of Indigenous Scientists, Past and Present

Floy Agnes Lee (1922-1908): Floy Agnes Lee was an Indigenous scientist, particularly a biologist, from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her mother was of German-American heritage and her father belonged to the Santa Clara Pueblo. She grew up at the Albuquerque Indian School and later graduated from the University of New Mexico (UNM) with a degree in biology in 1945. Lee’s early research at UNM led her to an unexpected opportunity: joining the Manhattan Project’s hematology lab at Los Alamos. There, she monitored the health of scientists exposed to radiation, including the renowned Enrico Fermi and Louis Slotin.

After the war, Lee pursued a PhD in biology from the University of Chicago, eventually returning to Los Alamos National Laboratory. Her legacy endures as one of the few Native Americans to work on the Manhattan Project.

Fred Begay (1932–2013): Fred Begay was an Indigenous scientist, particularly a Navajo nuclear physicist. Begay’s parents were Navajo and Ute healers who taught him healing songs at an early age. When Begay was introduced to physics for the first time, he saw many connections between traditional Navajo beliefs and modern science. In addition to his research in nuclear physics, Begay spent hours translating and mapping connections between Navajo religion and modern science. He went on to join the Los Alamos National Laboratory and studied thermonuclear fusion.

Jerry C. Elliott High Eagle (Present): Jerry C. Elliott High Eagle is a physicist of Osage and Cherokee descent. He was one of the first Indigenous scientists to work at NASA, joining in 1966 to work as a flight mission operations engineer. He worked on the mission control team during the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969. Elliot also played an instrumental role in computing the trajectory and successful return of the Apollo 13 mission after an oxygen tank explosion, for which he received a Presidential Medal of Freedom by Richard Nixon.

During his time at NASA as an Indigenous scientist, Elliot was an advocate for increasing telecommunications infrastructure between Native American reservations. His work, which included testimony to congress, ultimately led to the First Americans Commission for Telecommunications (FACT).

Read the full article about Indigenous scientists by Adriana Vazquez at Gladstone Institutes.