Jaime Evanoff, Staff Writer

On Jan. 20, as part of the Women and STEAM Speaker Series, author Margot Lee Shetterly graced the stage at the Stanley Center for the Arts.

Shetterly is the author of the New York Times best seller “Hidden Figures,” which tells the story of African-American women mathematicians at NASA during the 1950s and 1960s. These women played major roles in some of the United States’ greatest space achievements during that time period.

According to some of those in attendance, Shetterly told the story beautifully.

“Through her story, you could see how she was personally inspired by these women,” Alumni and Parent Relations Director Mark Kovacs said.

Kim Landon, a former professor at UC, was equally impressed by Shetterly’s talk.

“Shetterly talked about the doors that were opened and the opportunities that these NASA women provided for future generations,” Landon said. “It is a shame that more people don’t know this story, because it truly is a win for women.”

“Hidden Figures” recently hit cinemas across the country, providing people with the opportunity to see the story retold.

Landon saw the movie before she went to see Shetterly

“She really added a great deal of information that wasn’t in the movie,” Landon said.

Margot’s father had a lifelong career at NASA, so she grew up witnessing the segregation that took place during that time. Because she was so close to it, she assumed that was just how the world operated. It wasn’t until years later that she realized she witnessed some of most powerful women in science and math breaking barriers consistently.

“How she discovered this story was truly a surprise to her,” Kovacs said.