DID YOU KNOW? for June 3 – June 16, 2025

Bessie Coleman, (January 26, 1892 – April 30, 1926) was the first American woman to obtain an international pilot's license. Because Colemanwas born in Texas during the discriminatory Jim Crow era and was of African American and Native American descent, she had to go to France to attend aviation school. Coleman returned to the United States after completing her studies and became a stunt pilot. Tragically, she was killed in 1926 during an aerial show rehearsal. Learn more about Bessie Coleman here.

DID YOU KNOW? for May 20 – June 2, 2025

DID YOU KNOW that Maydm is one of the local community programs that PLATO's Education Fund supports? This funding supports Maydm's ability to host immersive after school programs and workshops designed to enhance the STEM skills of middle and high school students in Madison. Inspiring and equipping students with the skills, confidence, and opportunities they need to succeed n science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to make strides toward a more inclusive and innovative STEM field!

During the past six months, Maydm has served more than 250 students, 93% students of color and 38% from low-income households, through 10 engaging STEM programs, including 700+ hours of hands-on learning. Many of these sessions were delivered in partnership with local schools and community groups, providing students with consistent opportunities to grow their technical skills.

Spring also marked a big milestone: 35 high school students began paid internships with 16 industry partners across fields like IT, aviation, and lab research. These placements offer real-world experience and meaningful exposure to future careers.

Learn more about Maydm here.

Learn more about PLATO's Education Fund here.

DID YOU KNOW for May 6 – 19, 2025

Aileen Cole Stewart (c.1893 – c.1997) passed her nursing exams in Maryland during the same year that the United States entered World War I. Though the army was in desperate need for nurses, it wasn’t until the1918 influenza epidemic that African American nurses were assigned to active duty. Stewart began her service in the Army Nurse Corps at Camp Sherman on December 1, 1918, where the African American nurses lived in segregated areas. They were only allowed to take care of German prisoners of war and African American soldiers.

Learn more about Aileen Cole Stewart and her remarkable story here.

DID YOU KNOW? for April 22 – May 5, 2025

Did you know that one of the local community programs that PLATO's Education Fund supports is Lussier Community Education Center? PLATO's annual donation supports educational programming for elementary and middle school students to help prepare them for success. Drawing in generations of community members from all walks of life to take care of one another and create a more just, healthy, and vibrant community. 

Learn more about the Lussier Community Education Center here.

Learn more about PLATO’s Education Fund here.

DID YOU KNOW? for April 8 – 21, 2025

Dr. Patricia Bath (Nov. 4, 1942 – May 30, 2019) was a pioneer in the field of ophthalmology. Dr. Bath is recognized as the first Black woman physician to receive a medical patent as the inventor of the Laserphaco Probe, a device and technique to remove cataracts. It performed all steps of cataract removal: making the incision, destroying the lens and vacuuming out the fractured pieces. 

Learn more about Dr. Patricia Bath here.

DID YOU KNOW? for March 25 – April 7, 2025

Did you know that one of the local community programs that PLATO's Education Fund supports is CLIMB USA? PLATO's annual donation supports expanding the participation of Madison Area Students in The CLIMB Youth Leadership and Summer Stock Market Experience Programs.

CLIMB USA’s mission is to help teens and young adults improve their financial capability through education and capital market engagement. CLIMB USA is developing a community of youth and families that are  learning new ways of thinking about economics through a focus on youth development, building wealth through investment clubs, entrepreneurial training, and thought leadership.

Learn more about CLIMB USA here and PLATO's Education Fund here.

DID YOU KNOW? for March 11 – 24, 2025

DID YOU KNOW? for February 25 – March 10, 2025 

Did you know that one local program that PLATO's Education Fund supports is Literacy Network? PLATO's annual donation supports the program resources budget which includes textbooks and online resources for English language learning. Literacy Network provides free literacy, English, and high school completion services to Dane County adults. They serve over 1,500 people each year with personalized educational programs that help them build their skills and reach their goals. Students celebrate getting new jobs, earning GEDs, becoming citizens, and communicating more effectively around our community. In January, Literacy Network merged with Omega School to enhance and expand their high school completion programming. Learn more about Literacy Network’s work and volunteer opportunities at litnetwork.org.

DID YOU KNOW? for February 10 – 24, 2025 

J. Ernest Wilkins Jr. (1923-2011) was a pioneering African American mathematician, physicist, and educator who worked at the University of Chicago Met Lab during the Manhattan Project. Wilkins was a child prodigy who completed his mathematics undergrad degree at 17 years old and his master's degree just one year later. Later in his career he researched methods for producing fissionable nuclear materials – plutonium-239 in particular. He did not learn the purpose of his research until after the atomic bomb was dropped over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945.

Learn more about J. Ernest Wilkins Jr. here.

DID YOU KNOW? for January 28 – February 10, 2025 

Julia Parsons (b. March 2, 1924) World War II Code Breaker and Navy WAVE 

"After working a few months in the summer of 1942 in an army ordnance lab checking gauges on shells made in Pittsburgh’s steel mills, Julie Parsons read a newspaper article about the Navy accepting women into service as commissioned officers for the first time. College graduates could earn commissions by going through an officer candidate program. She signed up right away and became a Navy WAVE­­ Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service. During training someone came in and asked, “Does anyone here speak German?” she raised her hand because she’d taken two years of it in high school. They shot her off to the Enigma section immediately, where she began learning how to de­code German U­boat message traffic on the job, day one." 

Learn more about her fascinating wartime story here, as told by Todd DePastino.