In the words of the Reverend Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr.
The ultimate measure of a man is not
where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he
stands at times of challenge and controversy.....
Our lives begin to end the day we
become silent about things that matter.....
The legacy of Dr. King beats within all
of us. It lives within the hearts, minds, and souls of those that
truly embrace, reference, and follow in his wake. One cannot be a
leader unless they are able to follow in the footsteps of those
before them. Dr. King's words are remnants of his civil rights work
in the global sphere.....
A modern legacy is born every moment...
One such soul is Dr. Shirley A. Jackson... She will be honored by
President Obama in January 2016 with the nation's highest honor in
science and technology.
December 22, 2015
Schenectady,
NY
TROY, NY — Shirley Ann Jackson,
president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, will receive
the National Medal of Science, the highest scientific achievement
given out by the U.S. government.
President Barack Obama will honor
Jackson with the award at a ceremony in January 2016. The award recognizes scientists
“deserving of special recognition by reason of their outstanding
contributions to knowledge in the physical, biological, mathematical
or engineering sciences.”
Jackson was the first black woman to
earn a doctorate from the fabled Massachusetts Institute of
Technology. She worked as a researcher in some of the most famous
labs across the globe, including the Fermi National Accelerator
Laboratory and Bell Labs. She later became the first woman to head
the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, under President Bill Clinton.
“I’m not done yet,” Jackson said
at event in Troy earlier this month when asked about the biggest
accomplishment in her career. “There are different phases in your
career, and you try to leave something behind and do something
meaningful in each phase.”
Jackson became the 18th president of
RPI in 1999, again the first woman and African-American to hold the
position. As president, she has led major fundraising initiatives and
has expanded the campus’ physical footprint. She has also turned
the school’s academic focus to merging disparate scientific fields.
During a talk with the Troy-area
Chamber of Commerce this month, she discussed the school’s focus on
bringing students and researchers across disciplines together to
address large challenges. She also stressed the importance of a
well-rounded education for budding doctors, engineers and scientists.
“With today’s problems there is no
progress if one doesn’t bring people together from all disciplines
...” she said. “You can’t do anything if you don’t know
anything, so we make sure our students have strong roots.”
The National Medal of Science was
established by Congress in 1959 and has been awarded to 487
scientists and engineers since. Each year a panel of 12 scientists
appointed by the president evaluate nominees for the award.
Jackson is no stranger to the White
House. From 2009 to 2014, she served on the President’s Council of
Advisors on Science and Technology. In 2014, Obama appointed her to
co-chair his Intelligence Advisory Board, which assesses the nation’s
intelligence activities.
But she still calls Troy home and seems
intent on continuing the work of strengthening RPI’s reputation as
one of the nation’s elite schools for science and engineering.
“If you can educate those who are
going to erect our future and support those who through their
discoveries and innovations will also create our future, then that’s
a privilege,” she said at the chamber event.
Shared from
The Daily Gazette
Schenectady,
NY
