Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson

Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson is a remarkable individual whose achievements have had a significant impact on the field of physics and the broader scientific community. She is best known as the first African American woman to receive a doctorate from MIT in any subject, and the second African American woman to receive a doctorate in physics in the United States. But her contributions to the field of physics and the broader scientific community go well beyond her academic achievements.

Early Life and Inspiration

Shirley Ann Jackson was born on August 5, 1946, to parents George Hiter Jackson and Beatrice Cosby Jackson. She was raised in Washington, D.C. and inspired by science from an early age. Her mother would read her the biography of Benjamin Banneker, an African American mathematician and scientist who aided in the development and building of Washington, D.C., and her father helped her with school projects. Jackson was also a curious child who collected bumblebees from her backyard in jars and documented her observations of their interactions and behaviors.

Two monumental events further spurred Shirley’s interest in science. The first was the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision in 1954, which allowed for integration of all public schools and created new educational opportunities in advanced and science programs that previously would not have been possible for Shirley to participate in. The second was the launch of Sputnik in 1957, which marked the start of the Space Race and brought the spotlight directly over the importance of science and mathematics.

Education and Early Career

Shirley attended Roosevelt High School in Washington, D.C., where she graduated as valedictorian in 1964. She was encouraged by the assistant principal FOR BOYS to apply to MIT, because he knew that she was an excellent student and had the potential to succeed at the prestigious university. She was accepted to MIT, where at the time of her attendance, she was one of the first African American students and one of two women in her class. People often refused or were unwilling to work with her or even sit with her, but Shirley’s love for science and nature continued to inspire her, and she earned her B.S. in theoretical physics in 1968.

After obtaining her bachelor’s degree, she stayed at MIT to pursue and obtain her Ph.D. in nuclear physics. She conducted her research in the MIT Center for Theoretical Physics under the guidance of James Young, the first African American to receive full tenureship at MIT. Her thesis, “The Study of a Multiperipheral Model with Continued Cross-Channel Unitarity,” was published in the Annals of Physics in 1975.

After obtaining her doctoral degree, Shirley went on to work as a research associate at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, where her primary area of interest was on hadrons, and she would work with Landau and Tang-Mills theories. She also served as a visiting science associate in Switzerland at the European Organization for Nuclear Research in 1975. Upon her return to the United States, in 1975, Shirley returned to Fermilab and was also elected to the MIT Corporation’s board of Trustees.

As an African American woman in the field of physics, Shirley faced many challenges and obstacles. She often had to work twice as hard as her colleagues to prove herself, and many times she was the only woman or person of color in the room. But her determination and dedication to her work paid off, and she quickly became a respected and admired member of the scientific community.

Contributions to Science

Dr. Shirley Jackson is truly an inspiration and a trailblazer in the fields of physics and academia. Despite facing discrimination and exclusion as an African American woman in a predominantly white, male-dominated field, she persevered and became the first African American woman to receive a doctorate from MIT in any subject, as well as the second African American woman to receive a doctorate in physics in the US.

Her love for science and nature, inspired by her parents and the events of Brown v. Board of Education and the launch of Sputnik, drove her to pursue a career in physics. Even when faced with adversity, she continued to excel academically and professionally, earning her BS, MS, and PhD degrees from MIT, and going on to conduct research at Fermilab and Bell Laboratories.

In addition to her impressive scientific accomplishments, Dr. Jackson has also been a leader in academia and government. She has served as the president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the chair of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and a member of numerous prestigious boards and committees.

Throughout her career, Dr. Jackson has been a vocal advocate for diversity and inclusion in STEM fields, and has worked tirelessly to create opportunities for women and underrepresented minorities in these areas. Her contributions to the scientific community and to society as a whole are immeasurable, and her legacy will undoubtedly continue to inspire future generations of scientists and leaders.

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Queen Tiye

Queen Tiye of the Land of Kmt was a remarkable woman who is remembered as the matriarch of the Amarna Dynasty. Her many titles, including Lady of The Two Lands, Great of Praises, and Mistress of Upper and Lower Egypt, indicate the immense influence and power she wielded during her lifetime. Despite not being of royal birth, Tiye grew up in the royal palace, as her father was a provincial priest or a Master of the Horse of the Royal Court, and her mother was a servant of the queen mother Mutemwiya. Her parents enjoyed a relatively elevated status compared to typical servants of their time.

Tiye’s importance to Egyptian history is underscored by her marriage to Amenhotep III, who was probably a prince when they wed. Tiye would have been about 11 or 12 at the time. Together, they had at least 2 sons and several daughters, including Crown Prince Thutmose, Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten), and Beketaten.

Amenhotep III constructed a number of shrines in Tiye’s honor and dedicated a temple in Nubia to her, where she was worshipped as a form of the goddess Hathor-Tefnut. Tiye’s portraiture often featured new elements, such as cows’ horns and sun disks on her headdress, and her representation in the form of a sphinx, emphasizing her role as the king’s divine and earthly partner. Amenhotep III also built the largest known dyad statue of the two of them, and Tiye is of the same height as her husband, suggesting that she was his equal both domestically and publicly.

Tiye had tremendous influence at court, becoming her husband’s trusted confidante and advisor. She was extremely involved in foreign affairs, well-respected by dignitaries, and was the first Egyptian queen to be on the official record for her various duties and responsibilities. She worked with scribes and officials to oversee various administrative affairs of the Egyptian kingdom. Due to foreign kings wanting to marry their daughters, it was tremendously important for royal marriages to be well thought out, as their children would be in line to the Egyptian throne after all.

After Amenhotep III died in his 38th or 39th regnal year (approximately 1353 or 1350 BC), Tiye likely continued to advise pharaoh Akhenaten, her son formerly known as Amenhotep IV. Her influence continued to be documented in the Amarna letters, including one letter from a king of Mittani who corresponded directly with her. She also likely supported his efforts to embrace more of a monotheistic religion, even if she didn’t necessarily lean this way. More than likely, Tiye saw this as an opportunity to decrease the influence and wealth of the priests of Amun and promote the pharaoh’s power.

During her son’s reign, Tiye was often depicted as a doting and loving grandmother, seated with grandchildren in official artwork. She helped pave the way for Nefertiti, her daughter-in-law, to be as influential and powerful at court.

Tiye’s death is shrouded in mystery. The last official mention of her on record was in 1338 BC, and she was likely 48 or 49 years old. After her death, Akhenaten seemingly lost interest or abandoned much of his foreign policy dealings, losing several important territories and marking the eventual decline of the Amarna Period.

Tiye was likely originally buried at the Royal tomb in Amarna. However, when the capital moved back to Thebes, she and other mummies were transferred to the Valley of Kings. Tiye’s mummy was somewhat lost to time until three mummies were discovered in a side chamber of Amenhotep II’s tomb in 1898. She was identified first in 1976, then definitively confirmed as Queen Tiye in 2010 with DNA testing.

Her mummy now resides in the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.

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