ScienceMakers Toolkit Manual - The History Makers

After his time in the Army ended, Antoine taught chemistry at the post-secondary level at Clark College in
Atlanta, Georgia, during the 1953 – 1954 school year, and later taught at Cleveland State University from 1963
until 1970. From 1954 until 1983, Antoine was employed at the NASA Lewis Research Center in Cleveland,
Ohio. His duties included research on jet and rocket propulsion, alternative fuels, energy research,
project management and technical management for contracts and grants. From 1983 to 1996, Antoine was
Senior Research Associate (College of Engineering) for Cleveland State University at NASA Lewis Research
Center.
Antoine was featured in Black Contributions to the Engineering and Science Fields at the NASA Lewis
Research Center, “Blacks in Science: Astrophysicist to Zoologist” by Hattie Carwell and American Men of
Science. Over the course of his career, Antoine’s professional activities included service on intergovernmental
technical review and technical evaluating committees, membership in the American Chemical Society, and
publishing and lecturing on his research.
Antoine also worked with many public service and nonprofi t organizations, including the Cleveland
International Program, the Council for Careers in Science, the Rotary Club and Creative Writing Workshop
Projects, which was founded by his wife, June Sallee Antoine.
Discussion Questions
Personal:
1. What did you like best about listening to Dr. Antoine?
2. Where was Dr. Antoine born? Locate it on a map. How far away is this from where you
live? What are the names of his parents? Where did Dr. Antoine attend high school? What
do you suppose high school was like for him?
3. How old are you? In what year was Dr. Antoine your age? What was happening in the
country that year? What was happening in the world that year? What do you suppose his life
was like when he was your age?
4. Dr. Antoine talks about his early interest in chemistry and physics. What was it that he liked? What are
some of your favorite subjects? Why? What are some of your least favorite subjects? Why? (See
Clip #1)
5. Did Dr. Antoine always know what he wanted to do as a career? What did most people expect him to
become with his chemistry studies? Why did he study chemistry? Is there a specifi c career path that
people you know expect you to follow? Do you know what you want to do for your career? What do
you think you need to do to prepare for that career? (See Clip #1)
6. Dr. Antoine has an interesting story about segregation. What is it? Can you imagine what life was like
back then? How have things changed? How have things stayed the same? (See Clip #2)
7. Dr. Antoine talks about his work at NACA. How does this relate to NASA? How did Dr. Antoine
contribute to the space program? (See Clip #3)
Science:
8. What do you think a chemist does? Would you like to be a chemist? Why?
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Chemistry