Jackson Wins Vannevar Bush Award

Shirley Ann Jackson, president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has been selected by NSF's National Science Board (NSB) to receive the Vannevar Bush Award.

"I am thrilled and humbled to receive the Vannevar Bush Award," Jackson says. "It is an extraordinary honor, and one that motivates me to continue my efforts at Rensselaer preparing the next generation of scientific and technological leaders doing life-changing and life-sustaining work, and to remain engaged in public policy."

Jackson is being honored for her lifetime achievements in scientific research, education, and public policy. Her advocacy of global energy security, implementation of innovations as chairwoman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and transformation of Rensselaer are also being recognized.

"Jackson has been a leader on many fronts, and she has incorporated scientific approaches into all of her work, especially on policy issues of international importance and in reforming one of the nation's important educational institutions," NSB Chairman Steven C. Beering said in a press release.

Jackson earned a Ph.D. in physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1973—marking the first doctorate awarded to an African American woman in any field by MIT. During her career, she held positions at Fermilab, AT&T Bell Laboratories, and Rutgers University before joining Rensselaer.