West Virginia State University Honors Katherine Johnson With Statue, Scholarship

By Sameer Rao Jun 04, 2018

West Virginia State University, alma mater of NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson, will recognize her with a new bronze statue and scholarship this year.

The Associated Press reports today (June 4) that West Virginia State University—which was founded as a historically Black university (HBCU), but touts on its website that it "has evolved into a fully accessible, racially integrated and multi-generational institution"—will dedicate a statue of Johnson at a ceremony on August 25, 2018. The ceremony takes place one day before Johnson, whose story formed the basis of "Hidden Figures," turns 100.

The school also plans to endow a scholarship in Johnson’s name with $100,000, which will support students pursuing science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) degrees.