Wonderful Scientist Wednesday
Shirley Ann Jackson
Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, a renowned particle physicist, has been breaking down barriers her whole life.
Shirley was born August 5th, 1946 in Washington D.C. to two supportive parents. Beatrice and George Jackson helped their daughter complete science projects and schoolwork — always encouraging their daughter to study hard!
Shirley was also a naturally curious young girl. She explored the natural world from her D.C. neighborhood — observing pollinators like bees and collecting plants for fun! Although she might not have been surrounded by pristine natural landscapes, Shirley was surveying an urban ecosystem. While older generations might think of this practice as a normal afterschool activity, it would not be until many decades later that biologists began to recognize the importance of studying the landscapes within cities and the plants and animals that inhabit that space!
Shirley graduated high school in 1964 as valedictorian! She then went on to pursue an undergraduate degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in physics. Back then Shirley was one of only a handful of black students enrolled at the school. Although she was an exceptional math student and she offered to help her fellow classmates with their homework, many white students turned Shirley away. Throughout her undergraduate time at MIT Shirley was bullied and excluded because of the color of her skin.
After completing her first degree in physics at MIT, Shirley decided to stay at the university to complete a Phd. While we may look back on this decision as a seemingly normal one, it must have felt like a serious choice for Shirley. When she decided to pursue a Phd at MIT — a degree that takes many years to earn — MIT had never awarded one to a woman of color. But Shirley was driven and a truly exceptional student, the color of her skin had nothing to do with the power of her mind and her intellectual prowess.
After the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968, Shirley, still a Phd student at MIT, realized she needed to use her position for good. She worked with the university and built on some of the groundwork she had done in her undergrad. Shirley established the first Black Student Union at MIT, worked with the admissions department to recruit more students of color, and led peaceful sit-ins to raise awareness. In 1973 she went on to be the first woman of color to receive a Phd from MIT in any field.
Shirley Ann Jackson has led an impressive life as a scientist, all of her activism aside. In addition to receiving her Phd from MIT in nuclear physics, Shirley has studied particle colliders at CERN, developed systems for monitoring nuclear power plants, and more. Her work has helped keep people safer from nuclear energy in California to broken down plants in the Ukraine. Shirley’s masterful understanding of particles and their movements has undoubtedly saved lives!
Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson now serves as the president of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a science-focused university in New York. Since she took on the position in the 1990s, Shirley has continued to push for increased outreach into minority communities. Her focus on making science accessible is a noble and important one. As she has recognized many of our most important scientific advances have come from immigrants and people of color, so she has worked to open doors in the field. Shirley has recognized the importance of making science and advanced study accessible to minority students, especially while they are young.
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