Tasha Inniss
Tasha Inniss
Inniss, Tasha is an affiliate member of the National Center of Excellence for Aviation Operations Reasearch (NEXTOR) and a visiting researcher for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). [0]She was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. [0]
Early Life and Education
Tasha was an intelligent girl as a child and recognized her love for mathematics at an early age. [2]As a fourth grader, Tasha saw math as a puzzle waiting for someone to put it together. In her eyes, all it needed was someone to find the right pieces. Although she realized her skill for math, it was not until college that Tasha decided that she wanted to be a math teacher. [2]She holds her Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics from the Xavier University of Louisiana. [2]
She learned this while helping her friends and classmates with their course work in college. [4]At this point in her life, Tasha knew that she wanted to pursue a career in mathematics, but she still had many obstacles to overcome before reaching her goal. [4]As a young African-American woman, Tasha faced adversity in the shape of discrimination. Tasha succeeded and went on to earn her Master's Degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and her Doctorate Degree from the University of Maryland. [4]
Career
Because of her grade point average and involvement in extracurricular activities, Inniss was offered many fellowships that focused on increasing the numbers of minorities in mathematics, science, and engineering. [6]She was offered fellowships from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation , the National Physical Science Consortium, and the National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science. [6]Tasha also received honorable mentions from the National Science Foundation's and the Ford Fellowship predoctoral Foundation programs. She decided to accept the offer from the Packard Foundation and became one of a small group of scholars from historically black colleges or universities (HBCUs) pursuing doctorates in mathematics, chemistry, and physics. In addition, Inniss received a dissertation fellowship from the Southern Regional Education Board. Thus, her whole graduate career was funded. [6]
Today, Dr. Inniss is a Clare Boothe Luce Professor of Mathematics at Trinity College in Washington, D.C. where she works sixty hours a week preparing, teaching and tutoring her students. [10]
When Dr. Inniss was asked for advice she would offer to those who expressed an interest in the mathematical sciences, she said:
"I tell them to always work hard, because math builds on itself and you need a good foundation.
Never get deterred from your dreams and ultimately, do what you love."