Pioneers in Tech: Fred Begay, the first Navajo to earn a PhD in physics
Native American Heritage Month, celebrated annually in November, provides an opportunity to examine and recognize the work of indigenous peoples in technology history. One of these Pioneers in Tech is Fred Begay, the first Navajo to earn a PhD in physics.
From Navajo roots to physics pioneer
But thankfully for physics, the universe had other plans. Federal education money had become available for Navajo veterans and tribal leaders identified Begay as a potential mechanical engineer. He hitchhiked to Albuquerque to enroll in the University of New Mexico, promising that he would attend high school classes at night. He quickly learned German and demonstrated an aptitude for science and math. Then, he changed his name to Fred Begay and changed his major to physics. He graduated in 1961, though he still hadn’t earned a high school diploma. By 1971, he headed to Los Alamos National Laboratory with a doctorate in physics.
Throughout his career, Begay was known for drawing parallels between science and his Navajo heritage. The prayers and songs his parents taught him as a young child rooted him in science. The Navajo culture incorporated abstract ideas, as well as concepts similar to radiation and lasers.
Begay passed away on April 30, 2013. In 1994 he received the National Science Foundation’s Distinguished Scientist Award.
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Photo: tiplyashin / Unsplash