Although Mary Kenner did not complete her degree at Howard University, her connection to that institution and to the broader tradition of historically Black colleges and universities is worth examining.

Howard University has, throughout its history, been a crucial institution for the development of Black American intellectual and professional life.

In the fields of science and technology specifically, HBCUs have produced a disproportionate share of Black Americans who have gone on to careers in research, engineering, medicine, and invention.

This is not despite the limited resources of HBCUs but partly because of the specific culture of those institutions — the explicit affirmation that Black students can and should achieve at the highest levels, the presence of Black faculty as role models, the community of students with shared experiences and mutual support.

The HBCU contribution to Black American inventive achievement has been documented in specific ways.