It’s known that Alexander Graham Bell pioneered the telephone, and Steve Jobs paved the way for touchscreen phones.
While both of those men contributed a great amount to telecommunications, there’s a lesser-known woman, Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, who contributed just as much to mobile technology.
In her childhood years, Jackson piqued an interest in mathematics and science, conducting small experiments such as honeybees’ eating habits.
However, her interest in STEM was not just a childhood hobby.
In 1964, Jackson became one of the first African American students to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and she became the first woman in the institute’s history to graduate with a Ph.D. in theoretical elementary particle physics.
Over a decade later, in 1976, the physicist began her career as a part of AT&T’s Bell Laboratories Theoretical Physics Research Department, where her main areas of expertise lay in theoretical physics, solid-state physics, quantum physics, and optical physics.
One might ask, what does any of that have to do with telecommunication advancement? Surprisingly, a whole lot.
“Dr. Jackson’s groundbreaking research in theoretical physics and breakthrough advances would serve as the foundation of caller ID and call waiting,” an article in Somos states. “In fact, her groundbreaking research on materials used in the semiconductor industry laid the foundation for the development of other communication tools such as the touch- tone telephone and the fax machine. Further yet, her exploration of optical physics contributed to the development of fiber optic cables, which now serve as the backbone of high-speed internet and telecom networks.”
While Jackson did not necessarily invent caller ID, she pioneered the advancements to make it happen.
If you thought Jackson’s achievements stopped there, you’d be mistaken.
From 1995 to 1999 Jackson, was appointed as the chair of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
“At the NRC, Dr. Jackson conceived and promulgated risk-informed, performance-based regulation, and created a new planning, budgeting, and performance management process,” an article in NTI states. “Under Dr. Jackson’s leadership, the NRC authored and advanced the Convention on Nuclear Safety, which was signed by over 170 countries and remains in force today. During her tenure at the NRC, Dr. Jackson spearheaded the formation of the International Nuclear Regulators Association and served as its Chair from 1997 to 1999.”
For 23 years, she served as the 18th president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, which is the oldest technology research university in the U.S.
She also served as the co-chair of former president Barack Obama’s Intelligence Advisory Board from 2014 to 2017.
Jackson holds numerous accolades such as, being named the 2021 recipient of the American Association of Physics Teachers Oersted Medal, 2021 recipient of the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award, 2019 recipient of the American Physical Society Joseph A. Burton Forum Award, as well as the W.E.B. DuBois Medal from the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University.
Jackson has also been presented with 57 honorary doctoral degrees.
And the list keeps going, as Jackson is a Life Member Emerita of the MIT Corporation and currently serves on the board of corporations for Kyndryl.
Thanks to Jackson pioneering the science behind caller ID, we’re no longer left wondering who the caller could be.