BHS Day 7: Dr. Shirley Jackson

Hi! Since last Monday I was doing the preview of this month's posts, I didn't get to start out with this Spotlight, but Mondays are for the technological pioneers in Black history. Hopefully you'll see a bit of everyone, from the astronauts to the scientists, the engineers to the inventors. This week we're giving our attention to the more scientific end of the technology field and a scientific pioneer who is still killing the game today. Let's get to today's Spotlight!

Source

Name: Dr. Shirley Jackson, 1946

Profession: Physicist, professor & researcher

Why is the Spotlight on her today? For her contributions to the technology industry and her accomplishments in the scientific world

Accomplishments:
--First Black woman in the States to receive a Doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
--Helped to advance telecommunications research and development through her work at Bell Laboratories 
--First Black female president of a prominent technological institute & research university
--First Black woman to be elected president and later Chair(wo)man of the American Association of the Advancement of Science
--Responsible for being part of the invention of several telecommunications staples, including fiber optic cables, portable fax abilities, and the touch tone telephone, to name a few 
--Former Chairperson of U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
--Former member of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology
--President of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 
--Recipient of the National Medal of Science
--First Black woman to be elected president of the National Academy of Engineering

Further reading links:
Black Inventor | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Black Past

I was waiting for the first woman we'd get to feature for this year's series of Spotlight posts; it just so happened that Dr. Jackson ended up closing out the first week. I've been trying to find more women for these posts, but I apologize ahead of time if the end result is a bit uneven in the male./female ratio.  Shirley Jackson has broken a number of barriers and serves as an inspiration on multiple levels. She has accomplished quite a lot and continues to make advancements in the telecommunications industry. I'm not even interested in these things, but reading her story and list of accomplishments was a huge motivator for me. I hope you enjoyed today's post and I'll see you tomorrow!