

JEMS has developed the Johnson Thermo-Electrochemical Converter System (JTEC) which Popular Mechanics listed as one of the top 10 inventions of 2009. Īs of 2017, Johnson has two technology-development companies, Excellatron Solid State, LLC and Johnson Electro-Mechanical Systems (JEMS), operating in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia. More recently, he teamed up with scientists from both Tulane University and Tuskegee University to develop a method of transforming heat into electricity to make green energy more affordable. In 1991, Johnson founded his own company, Johnson Research and Development Co., Inc., of which he is also the president. He also worked on the stealth bomber program.
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Career ĭuring his time at NASA (1979-1991), Johnson worked on a variety of projects, including the Air Force missions Lab, developing the nuclear power source for the Galileo mission to Jupiter, several weapons-related projects, as well as an engineer on the Mariner Mark ll Spacecraft series for the Comet Rendezvous and Saturn Orbiter Probe missions. Air Force, where he worked on the stealth bomber program, before eventually joining NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 1979. in mechanical engineering in 1973 and a master's degree in nuclear engineering in 1975. In 1969, shortly after graduating from high school, Johnson attended Tuskegee University, obtaining a B.S. There, he presented a robot he created, which he named "Linex," taking home the first-place prize. In 1968, Johnson represented his high school at a science fair in Alabama, where he was the only black student attending the fair This was a time when African Americans had very little presence in science.

He drew much of his inspiration from George Washington Carver.

Īs a teenager, Johnson attended Williamson High School, an all-black school in Mobile. He also tried to cook up rocket fuel in a saucepan but in doing so almost burned down the house. He once tore up his sister's doll to see what made the eyes close. Stating that he "always liked to tinker with things," Johnson earned the nickname "the Professor" from kids in the neighborhood. His father explained the basic principles of electricity to Johnson at an early age. His mother, who finished high school, worked as a nurse's aide and his father, who didn't finish high school, was a World War II veteran.
