BLACK HISTORY MONTH Uplifting & Honoring Black Americans in Downtown Troy, NY. Stay tuned this month for history, hilighting organizations & learning about Troy’s amazing individuals for an engaged, thriving Downtown community.

Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson is the 18th President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute & the 1st African-American woman to receive a doctorate from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - in any field – and has been a trailblazer throughout her career, including the first African American woman to lead a top-ranked research university. She was also the 2nd African-American woman in the United States to earn a Ph.D. in physics.

A physicist, Dr. Jackson has had an influential, decorated career that has helped pave the way for many of the technologies we use in the telecommunications world today. She conducted a number of successful theoretical physics experiments & made breakthrough scientific research that enabled others to invent the fax machine, touch-tone phone, fiber optic cells, solar cells and the technology behind caller ID & call waiting.

In 2014, Jackson was presented with the National Medal of Honor, which is the highest honor for scientific achievement bestowed by the U.S. government.

•Find out more about Dr. Jackson here: https://president.rpi.edu/president-biography

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