Shirley Jackson (physicist)

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Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson

Shirley Ann Jackson (born August 5, 1946) is an African-American physicist, and 18th president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She received her Ph.D. in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1973, only the second African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. in physics in the United States.^[1] In 2004 it was reported that Dr. Jackson made $891,400 for her services as president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the highest among all American college and university presidents.^[2]

1 Early life
2 Scientific career
3 Honors and distinctions
- 3.1 Boards of directors
4 Personal
5 External links
6 References

[edit] Early life

Jackson was born on August 5, 1946, in Washington, DC. Her parents, Beatrice and George Jackson, strongly valued education and encouraged her in school. Her father spurred on her interest in science by helping her with projects for her science classes. At Roosevelt High School, Jackson attended accelerated programs in both math and science, and she graduated in 1964 as valedictorian. Her sister Alicia Jackson was also interested in science.

[edit] Scientific career

Jackson began classes at MIT in 1964, one of fewer than twenty African American students and the only one studying theoretical physics. While a student she did volunteer work at Boston City Hospital and tutored students at the Roxbury YMCA. She earned her bachelor's degree in 1968, writing her thesis on solid-state physics, a subject then in the forefront of theoretical physics.

Although accepted at Brown University, Harvard University, and the University of Chicago, Jackson elected to stay at MIT for her doctoral work, in part to encourage more African American students to attend the institution. She worked on elementary particle theory for her Ph.D., which she completed in 1973, the first African-American woman to earn a doctorate degree from MIT. Her research was directed by James Young, the first African American tenured full professor in MIT's physics department.

As a postdoctoral student of subatomic particles during the 1970s, Jackson studied and conducted research at a number of prestigious physics laboratories in both the United States and Europe. Her first position was as research associate at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois (known as Fermilab) where she studied hadrons. In 1974 she became visiting scientist at the accelerator lab at the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Switzerland. There she explored theories of strongly interacting elementary particles. In 1976 and 1977, she both lectured in physics at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center and became a visiting scientist at the Aspen Center for Physics.

At one time her research focused on Landau theories of charge density waves in one- and two-dimensions, and has also touched on two-dimensional Yang-Mills gauge theories and neutrino reactions.

Jackson has described her interests:

"I am interested in the electronic, optical, magnetic, and transport properties of novel semiconductor systems. Of special interest are the behavior of magnetic polarons in semimagnetic and dilute magnetic semiconductors, and the optical response properties of semiconductor quantum-wells and superlattices. My interests also include quantum dots, mesoscopic systems, and the role of antiferromagnetic fluctuations in correlated 2D electron systems."^[3]

Jackson's area of interest in physics is the study of the subatomic particles found within atoms, the tiny units of which all matter is made. Subatomic particles, which are usually very unstable and short-lived, can be studied in several ways. One method is using a particle accelerator, a device in which nuclei are accelerated to high speeds and then collided with a target to separate them into subatomic particles. Another way of studying them is by detecting their movements using certain kinds of nonconducting solids. When some solids are exposed to high-energy particles, the crystal lattice structure of the atoms is distorted, and this phenomenon leaves marks or tracks that can be seen with an electron microscope. Photographs of the tracks are then enhanced, and by examining these photographs physicists like Jackson can make predictions about what kinds of particles have caused the marks.

Jackson joined the Theoretical Physics Research Department at AT&T Bell Laboratories in 1976, examining the properties of various materials in an effort to discover useful applications. In 1978, Dr. Jackson became part of the Scattering and Low Energy Physics Research Department, and in 1988 she moved to the Solid State and Quantum Physics Research Department. At Bell Labs, Dr. Jackson researched theories of charge density waves and the reactions of neutrinos, among other things. In her research, Dr. Jackson has made contributions to the knowledge of charged density waves in layered compounds, polaronic aspects of electrons in the surface of liquid helium films, and optical and electronic properties of semiconductor strained-layer superlattices. On these topics and others she has prepared or collaborated on over 100 scientific articles.

Jackson was faculty at Rutgers University in Piscataway and New Brunswick, New Jersey from 1991 to 1995, in addition to continuing to consult with Bell Labs on semiconductor theory. Her research during this time focused on the electronic and optical properties of two-dimensional systems.

In 1995, President Clinton appointed Jackson to serve as Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), becoming the first woman and first African American to hold that position^[1]. At the NRC, she has "ultimate authority for all NRC functions pertaining to an emergency involving an NRC licensee."^[4]

On July 1, 1999, Jackson became the 18th president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the position she presently holds. She was the first woman and first African-American in this position as well. Jackson is leading a strategic initiative called The Rensselaer Plan and has enjoyed the ongoing support of the RPI Board of Trustees and much progress has been made under the plan. However, her direct leadership style may not sit well with all members of the Rensselaer community; on April 26, 2006, the faculty of RPI voted 155 to 149 against a vote of no-confidence in Jackson.^[5]

[edit] Honors and distinctions

Jackson has received many fellowships, including the Martin Marietta Aircraft Company Scholarship and Fellowship, the Prince Hall Masons Scholarship, the National Science Foundation Traineeship, and a Ford Foundation Advanced Study Fellowship.

She has been elected to numerous scientific societies, including the American Physical Society.

Her achievements in science and education have been recognized with multiple awards, including the CIBA-GEIGY Exceptional Black Scientist. In the early 1990s, Governor James Florio awarded her the Thomas Alva Edison Science Award for her contributions to physics and for the promotion of science. She has also received dozens of honorary doctorate degrees. ^[6]

She was inducted into National Women's Hall of Fame in 1998 for "her significant contributions as a distinguished scientist and advocate for education, science, and public policy". More recently she was named one of the 50 Most Important Women in Science by Discover magazine.^[7]

Jackson has also been active in professional associations and in serving society through public scientific commissions. In 1985, Governor Thomas Kean appointed her to the New Jersey Commission on Science and Technology. She is an active voice in numerous committees of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and the National Science Foundation, where her aim has been to actively promote women in science. In 2004 she became president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and chaired the AAAS board in 2005.

In 2007 she was awarded the Vannevar Bush Award for "a lifetime of achievements in scientific research, education and senior statesman-like contributions to public policy."^[8]

[edit] Boards of directors

Jackson serves on the boards of directors of many organizations ^[4]:

Chairperson of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Board of Directors
New York Stock Exchange
the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution
IBM Corporation
FedEx Corporation
Marathon Oil Corporation
Medtronic Inc.
Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated
Trustee of the Brookings Institution
Life Member of the MIT Corporation (MIT Board of Trustees)
Trustee of Georgetown University
Trustee of the Emma Willard School
Trustee of the Pingry School

[edit] Personal

Shirley Jackson is married to Dr. Morris A. Washington, a physics professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and has one son, Alan, a Dartmouth College alumnus.