NASA set to honor Katherine Johnson with new building

NASA Langley Research Center has named their new Computational Research Facility building after Katherine G. Johnson, who started working for NASA in 1953 as a mathematician who helped launch America into the space race with the Soviet Union. Her story was told in the Hidden Figures where she was portrayed by Taraji Henson.

Katherine Johnson just turned 99 years old, and her life is on a roll.

She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, spoke on stage at the Academy Awards and saw her career developed into a best-selling book and a hit movie adaptation. She will get her own LEGO figure later this year.

Next up: On Sept. 22, NASA Langley Research Center — where she worked for more than three decades as a “human computer” in the early days of the nation’s space program — will formally open a new building named in her honor. The Katherine G. Johnson Computational Research Facility will be a state-of-the-art lab for innovative research and development supporting NASA’s exploration missions.

“It’s a perfect storm in that we were building a computational research facility, and that’s what she did as a human computer,” said Mike Finneran, from NASA Langley’s communications department. “It made sense to name it after her. It fits, and it’s the right thing to do.”

Read more: NASA Langley set to honor Katherine Johnson with new building

Tim Duncan raises over a million dollars for U.S. Virgin islands after Hurricane Irma

Retired NBA superstar and five time champion with the San Antonio Spurs, Tim Duncan has proven once again that he is a champion both on and off the court. In the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, the U.S. Virgin Islands native penned a piece on The Player's Tribune asking for donations to help the islands which were devastated after the storm hit.

Duncan wrote:

Right now as I type this, the U.S. Virgin Islands — the place where I was born and where I grew up — has been badly damaged by Hurricane Irma. The people there, many of whom are old friends of mine, are suffering. Weather reports say that another Category 5 storm, Hurricane Jose, is close behind. No one knows what the place will look like when the rain stops.

Now time is of the essence.

I’m donating $250,000 immediately — tonight — to the storm relief efforts in the U.S. Virgin Islands. And going forward, I pledge to match your donations up to the first $1 million. That’s where you come in: You can go here to make a donation.

In response donors have given over 1 million dollars to help the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands at the time of this posting.

"I'm blown away by it," Duncan said Sunday during a news conference at the San Antonio Food Bank. "In this day and age, it's a little easier to reach a lot of people, and people have come out from everywhere. I've looked down the list of donors, and I've recognized some names. I've gotten support from the Spurs, H-E-B and the food bank -- all across the board. It's just been an amazing response."

Kimora Hudson, 13 Year-Old girl accepted to college

At first glance, Kimora Hudson seems like a normal teenager. Her interests include swimming, sleepovers, school football games, and hanging out with friends. But it’s her knack for academic excellence and exceptional intellect that makes her a standout. At just 13 years old, she’s the youngest student to be accepted and taking classes at The University of West Georgia (UWG).

Instead of attending middle school, Hudson is currently enrolled in the university’s Move On When Ready/Dual Enrollment program, which allows students in grades 9 – 12 to earn college credit while working on their high school diploma, reports the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Once she completes the program, the teen genius will be will be on the level of a college junior in about two years.

Along with UWG, Hudson, a native of Douglasville, Georgia, is also enrolled in high school. To her peers, she’s an inspiration, but according to her, she’s just “doing what comes natural.”

“I’ve always raised my hand first in class. That just felt normal to me. But when I started getting accepted into really advanced educational programs, I started thinking, ‘OK, I’m really smart,’” she told the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Although the MENSA candidate is modest about her academic ability, her parents say they knew she was special when she was just a baby.

“When she was three or four months, her doctors told me she would be a genius, because she started forming words very early,” her mother, Fawn Hudson, told AJC. “In pre-K, her teachers would tell me they had to bring in 2nd grade work specifically for Kimora. By the time first grade came around, it was just obvious that she was gifted.”

Recognizing her daughter’s brilliance, Fawn signed her up for a variety of fast-track curricula, including Duke University’s Talent Identification Program, a month-long online learning session for 5th and 6th graders, and Vanderbilt University’s Summer Academy, a week-long residential academic experience for advanced 8th through 12th graders. By the time Kimora reached the 7th grade, she was taking the college entrance exam ACT.

Read more: 13-Year-Old Black Girl Becomes Youngest Student Accepted to the University of West Georgia

Obama to hold first DNC fundraiser since leaving office

It's no secret that Democrats have been slacking in the fundraising department since President Obama left office. Well, now there's hope that fundraising will pick up with Obama holding his first of what will hopefully be multiple fundraisers since leaving office.

Former President Obama is reportedly set to hold his first fundraising event for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) since leaving the White House.

The event, which will take place in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 27, will help fund state parties and upcoming Virginia races, CNN reported on Friday.

The fundraiser marks Obama's second political event since leaving office, the first being in July for the National Democratic Redistricting Committee.

[SOURCE: THE HILL]

UNCF Launches the Hurricane Harvey HBCU Students Relief Fund

Help UNCF provide financial support to the thousands of HBCU (historically black colleges & universities) students in Texas and Louisiana impacted by the effects of Hurricane Harvey. Businesses are closed, perhaps for weeks or months, depriving employees of the paychecks they count on to pay family expenses, including their children’s college tuition. As the community comes together to rebuild, our HBCU students will need help with transportation, replenishing books, clothing and other educational necessities.

“We have all seen the devastation wrought by Hurricane Harvey in an area that is home to thousands of HBCU students,” said Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO of UNCF. “As the floodwaters recede, we know all too well what we will find, the burden falling hardest on those least able to afford it: homes ruined and families forced into temporary shelters. Now more than ever, UNCF needs the community’s help to fill the gap and ensure that these students, our family, remain in school and not lose sight of their future endeavors. Stand with UNCF and ACT NOW.”

How Can You Help?

1.    Visit uncf.org/HarveyRelief or text UNCFNA to 50555 to donate.

2.    Encourage your friends, family and colleagues to pledge their commitment.

3.    Share this message on your social networks to spread the urgency to help our HBCU students. “Restoring the damage done by #HurricaneHarvey will be a long process, but our students need your help right away! Donate now: uncf.org/HarveyRelief.”                                            

Your donation will aid HBCU students through this natural disaster. Restoring the damage done by Harvey will be a long process, but even the smallest contribution can make a larger impact.

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About UNCF 
UNCF (United Negro College Fund) is the nation’s largest and most effective minority education organization. To serve youth, the community and the nation, UNCF supports students’ education and development through scholarships and other programs, strengthens its 37 member colleges and universities, and advocates for the importance of minority education and college readiness. UNCF institutions and other historically black colleges and universities are highly effective, awarding nearly 20 percent of African American baccalaureate degrees. UNCF awards more than $100 million in scholarships annually and administers more than 400 programs, including scholarship, internship and fellowship, mentoring, summer enrichment, and curriculum and faculty development programs. Its logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and its widely recognized motto, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste, but a wonderful thing to invest in.”® Today, UNCF supports more than 60,000 students at more than 1,100 colleges and universities. Learn more at UNCF.org or for continuous news and updates, follow UNCF on Twitter @UNCF.