John Asher Johnson

Harvard University, Astronomy Department 

Before John arrived to the Department in July, 2013, it lacked color. John said it was his aim to change the face of the Department, and he did. Of our 60 students we now have 8 black students & 8 Hispanic students. John runs the Banneker Institute here in the summer which trains minority students to do detailed research, give papers, and are tutored in how to fill out successful applications for graduate school. The Institute has become a source of more diversity being funneled into graduate programs in science, our department included. We owe him a great deal for the amount of work he has done to train these students to have the tools to compete at the highest level of best universities anywhere. He is also working with bringing in a more diverse post-doctoral community, and he hopes to spread his work to the faculty level. For raising people to their true potential, enriching their lives and ours for having them here.