American physicist From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Shirley Ann Jackson (born August 5, 1946) is an American physicist. She is President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. In 1973 she became the first African-American women to get a doctorate degree in nuclear physics.[1] She was also the first to get this degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[2]
In 1995, President Bill Clinton put her in charge of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. This group is in charge of nuclear power in the United States. She helped seal the leaks in the nuclear power plant of Chernobyl.
She was named one of the 50 Most Important Women in Science by Discover magazine.[3] In 2007 the National Science Board gave Jackson the Vannevar Bush Award for "a lifetime of achievements in scientific research, education and senior statesman-like contributions to public policy".[4]
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