Empowering Innovators: Celebrating Dr. Valerie Thomas

Image source: Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona

The start of the year has illuminated significant events across diverse global cultures. February was marked by the observance of Black History Month, honouring the invaluable contributions of Black individuals throughout history. Now, as March unfolds its embrace, our focus turns to the celebration of women on International Women’s Day, occurring on March 8th, 2024. As we commemorate this International Women’s Month.

In our industry, a pivotal factor in development and success is innovation. In light of this, we spotlight the remarkable Dr Valerie Thomas (American data scientist and inventor), an example of resilience and innovation. 

Valerie Thomas started at NASA in the mid-1960s. From her early days in data analytics to her contributions to image processing systems, Dr Thomas likened it to a rocket, launched into greatness and career success.

She is renowned for her patent of the 3D Illusion Transmitter (1980), an invention that revolutionised our interaction with 3D imagery. This ground breaking technology uses a video recorder to take a picture of a floating image and remains in use and development at NASA. Recent applications of the 3D Illusion Transmitter have been television technology and surgical imaging (SPIE, 2022). While advancing her career, she pursued further education, completing her Master’s in Engineering Administration from George Washington University (1985).

A curious mind from a young age, Valerie Thomas shared in an interview with Oprah Daily, how her early interest in electronics and mechanics received little attention from her father and encouraged her to redirect her focus towards sewing and hairdressing. This narrative persisted within the education system, where schools at the time did not accommodate STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) -related subjects for female students. Despite the odds stacked against her, her passion and curiosity propelled her towards pursuing a physics course at Morgan University, where she was one of only two female students in her class. 

Toyota Quest (2020) and Chicken Licken Sbu (2018)

Valerie Thomas's story resonates with us at Chocolate Tribe, and speaks to some of our core values of innovation, following one's passion, and carving out one's path. 

Within the South African landscape, the marginalisation of women and people of colour (POC) persists within our industry. A recent research study by Women in Animation and USC Annenberg (2021) highlights the limited representation of women in the animation and VFX industry and how women are predominantly awarded support and coordinator roles ultimately resulting in the lack of inclusion and upliftment within the technical and directorial roles in this space. 

Valerie Thomas serves as a reminder to women that our dreams and interests are valid despite societal structures. Chocolate Tribe is actively working towards changing preconceived notions within South Africa and Africa and creating opportunities for everyone.

With our collaborators such as Netflix, we continue to play a pivotal role in changing the film industry through our CSI Initiative AVIJOZI (Est. 2022) (Animation, Visual Effects, and Interactive Technology), which aims to cultivate more inventors, creators, and disruptors in the industry. Additionally, Chocolate Tribe’s internal internship and training programs aim to address the underrepresentation in technical, innovation, coding, and programming sectors of our industry, particularly with the rising demand for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) skills.

Leading up to International Women's Month, we invite more of these conversations and the active participation of industry professionals to catapult us into our potential as a creative economy and to continue to shine a light on those who have paved the way.