Mathematical Modeling
Scarlet Bellamy
Scarlet Bellamy is the first woman of color to be President of the North American region as a part of the International Biometric Society. She is a teacher and a role model for girls and African Americans Americans worldwide. Here at the “Girl Talk Math Camp,” we were able to research her unique and exciting story, even being able to interview her online.
Scarlett Bellamy was born in North Carolina and raised by her grandmother, who got sick with breast cancer. That's what got Scarlett interested in the medical field. However, there were a lot of things about working directly in the medical field that she did not like. She had always been good at math and just could not give that up, so she was very lucky and happy to discover Biosatictics.
Scarlett Bellamy went to three great universities. The first one was Hampton University, a historically black research university in Hampton, Virginia. It was one of her favorites because there were many people who looked like her. Next was the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she learned a lot about statistics and health. And finally, she went to Harvard University, which is a private Ivy League research university. She said how it made her “feel smarter just being there.”
Scarlett Bellamy decided to share her knowledge with students. She was hired as a biostatistics professor, but she knew she didn’t just want to be a teacher. She tried to make a real difference. (She didn’t actually want to be a professor at first, but she decided to try it for three years, and then if she didn’t like it, she would try something else. She most certainly seemed to enjoy it, since she's still teaching 20-something years later.)
Her second job was at Drexel University, where she was the Director of the Biostatistics Graduate Program. Where she helped a lot of students learn how to use math to help people. Today, she is the President of the North American region of the International Biometric Society, the first African American woman to do so. She said that it was an honor to be the first when asked about it, but she was also sad that it took so long to happen. She hopes that in the future, many more women of color will follow in her footsteps.
Scarlett Bellamy is a great role model and Scarlett Bellamy's story shows us that math isn't just about numbers. It's about solving problems and helping people. She used-and continues to use-her love of math to make the world a better place.