Shirley Ann Jackson, Ph.D

Shirley Ann Jackson, Ph.D

    Shirley Ann Jackson was the first African American woman to receive a doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and one of the first two African American women to earn this doctorate in the entire United States. She used theoretical physics to make breakthroughs in telecommunications. Her findings led to creations like the portable fax machine, caller ID, fiber optic cables, solar cells, and call waiting. When asked what began Shirley's interest in science, she said that Bumblebees and how they acted got her interested in how the world worked. She also said her father, who was an esteemed mechanic, also formed her interest. She also mentioned that her educational advancement started when schools were desegregated, and she was able to get a better education in primary school. When going to MIT, there were only a few African-American students attending the school. This made her social life harder on campus since she was a so-called outsider to the regular community at this school. However, she and the other small population of African American students at MIT started a task force to increase the number of African American students at MIT by providing them with opportunities to come to the school. To further combat racial bias in technology today, we can keep creating these opportunities for minority students in colleges. By providing these opportunities in school, we can get geniuses like Shirley Ann Jackson who otherwise may not have had the chance to make it in school. Here is a link to a program you can donate to that helps students today. Click here!

Sources used:https://www.fcc.gov/sites/default/files/ocbo-black-history-month-2023-shirley-ann-jackson.pdf, https://news.mit.edu/2017/shirley-jackson-speaks-about-her-career-and-being-change-agent0929#:~:text=Hammond%20began%20her%20line%20of,in%20an%20accelerated%20honors%20track., https://www.engineersrising.com/blog/8-inspiring-black-women-engineers