Mary Jackson
An American mathematician and aerospace engineer at NASA, who became NASA's first black female engineer.
Most quoted
"We have to do something like this to get them interested in science. Sometimes they are not aware of the number of black scientists, and don't even know of the career opportunities until it is too late."
— from On community outreach, 1970
"I plan to be an engineer at NASA, but I have to take the graduate-level courses in math and physics to qualify, and they're only offered at a segregated high school."
— from Conversation with supervisor, 1958
"I changed my mind about what I wanted to be, and I changed my mind about what I wanted to do, and I changed my mind about what I wanted to be when I grew up."
— from Interview
All quotes by Mary Jackson (397)
Mathematics empowers the voiceless.
From wind tunnels to the stars, math leads the way.
Prejudice is a faulty algorithm; correct it with facts.
A slide rule and a dream can change history.
In equations, equality is absolute.
The joy of solving is in the journey of discovery.
Women in STEM: We're not exceptions; we're the rule.
My calculations broke the sound barrier of bias.
Legacy is measured in impacts, not accolades.
Aerodynamics: Where air meets ambition.
I never let race or gender define my potential.
Math is the great equalizer.
To engineer is to innovate against odds.
Success is a series of solved problems.
In the lab, merit trumps all variables.
The unknown is just an unsolved equation.
NASA's success is a symphony of calculations.
Barriers fall when minds rise.
My final computation: A life well-solved.
Why join the fight? Because math doesn't lie.
Contemporaries of Mary Jackson
Other Mathematicss born within 50 years of Mary Jackson (1921–2005).