Dr. Aomawa Shields.Steven Meckler Aomawa Shields is one of 26 Black women astrophysicists in America. She's long grappled with her two loves, acting and astronomy, spending 11 years acting before getting her Ph. D. in astrophysics. Shields said her acting experience helped her break free of the stereotypes she faced as a woman of color in science. This is an as-told-to essay based on a conversation with Dr.