She earned her B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Louisiana State University in 2002. She earned her PhD in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Alabama in 2011.
Dr. K. Renee Horton has always been passionate about STEM and NASA. Today, she is the Space Launch Systems Quality Engineer in the NASA Residential Management Office at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, Louisiana.
In 2002, Dr. Horton earned her B.S. in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Math from Louisiana State University after a 10-year gap in her studies. In 2011, she earned her PhD in Materials Science and Engineering with a concentration in Physics from the University of Alabama, where she was the first Black student to graduate in her discipline.
The Advocacy Work of Dr. K. Renee Horton
Representation is something that matters a lot to Dr. Horton. As a person with a hearing impairment, she does a lot of work to advocate for persons with disabilities. She also advocates for Black women in STEM. Dr. Horton was the second woman elected as the President of the National Society of Black Physicists in 2016. In 2017, she became a Fellow of the National Society of Black Physicists. That is the highest honor that can be awarded to members. She serves on boards in organizations which are dedicated to increasing diversity and inclusion in physics.
Dr. K. Renee Horton has been invited to speak at the first International Women and Girls Day at the United Nations, Essence Power Stage, March for Science – New Orleans, and the Louisiana State University Engineering Spring Commencement. She is also a children’s book author, as she wrote the books Dr. H Explores the Universe, Dr. H and Her Friends, and Dr. H Explores the ABC’s.
Dream like Dr. Horton! Where will your dreams take you?
About the Author
Allison Osmanson is a Materials Science and Engineering PhD student and Semiconductor Research Corporation/Texas Instruments Fellow at the University of Texas at Arlington. She holds a Master’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of North Texas (2018) and she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering from Washington State University (2016). She plans to graduate in December 2021, after which, she will be a Microelectronics Packaging Engineer at Texas Instruments in Dallas, Texas.
