Dr. Marguerite Thomas Williams was the first African-American to earn a PhD in geology. She enrolled in the Miner Teachers College and earned a certification and a scholarship to Howard University. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in science, then pursued a master’s degree in geology at Columbia University. She completed her doctorate at the Catholic University of America after successfully defending her dissertation on the contribution of deforestation and agriculture on the erosion of the Anacostia drainage system located in Maryland. She became a full-time professor at Miner Teachers College and taught evening classes at Howard, dedicating her life to education and making geology a more inclusive field.
Dr. Marguerite Thomas Williams, PhD
Geologist