Dr. Aprille Ericsson-Jackson – Black History Month 2021 #BlackHistoryMonth
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.
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.”
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