Today we celebrate Dr. Aprille J. Ericsson-Jackson, an American aerospace engineer and the first African-American woman to receive a Ph.D in mechanical engineering from Howard University and the first African-American woman to receive a Ph.D. in Engineering at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.
Here’s more from the USA Science and Engineering Festival:
In her lofty career as an aerospace engineer and instrument manager at NASA’s prestigious Goddard Space Flight Center, Aprille Joy Ericsson has played a key role in designing spacecraft and instruments that contribute to our greater understanding of the Sun-Earth connection, space science and Earth itself. But her inspiration to pursue a life of science and engineering began as a youngster while viewing milestone NASA spacecraft launches on TV as well as participating in unforgettable science outreach experiences as a student.
Says Aprille: “There were several instances that fostered my interest during childhood: The first was watching the Apollo missions on TV in school in first grade; the second was me winning second place in the 8th grade science fair where I built my first science instrument, and third, attending the MIT UNITE science outreach program for minority students (now called Minority Introduction to Engineering & Science, or MITES) which I participated in during the summer of my junior year in high school.”