Nancy B. Jackson
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Nancy Beth Jackson (March 1, 1956 – January 3, 2022) was an American chemist. She did energy research on heterogeneous catalysis and the development of alternative fuels. She also worked in the field of chemical nonproliferation, educating chemical professionals on the importance of safe and secure chemical practice in research, teaching and business, in an effort to prevent the misuse of chemicals as "weapons, poisons, explosives or environmental pollutants". She was the first implementer in developing the international Chemical Security Engagement Program. She was active in promoting diversity in STEM fields. She was president of the
American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all d ...
in 2011, leading the organization during the
International Year of Chemistry The International Year of Chemistry 2011 (IYC 2011) was a year-long commemorative event for the achievements of chemistry and its contributions to humankind.AAAS Award for Science Diplomacy The AAAS David and Betty Hamburg Award for Science Diplomacy (2022-) formerly the AAAS Award for Science Diplomacy (2010-2021) and Award for International Scientific Cooperation (1992-2009), is awarded by The American Association for the Advanceme ...
.


Early life and education

Jackson was born March 1, 1956, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, to a
Seneca Seneca may refer to: People and language * Seneca (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname * Seneca people, one of the six Iroquois tribes of North America ** Seneca language, the language of the Seneca people Places Extrat ...
father and a white mother. Both of her parents were ministers, and both of her grandmothers held master's degrees. One of her grandfathers came from the
Cattaraugus Reservation Cattaraugus Reservation is an Indian reservation of the federally recognized Seneca Nation of Indians, formerly part of the Iroquois Confederacy located in New York. As of the 2000 census, the Indian reservation had a total population of 2,412. Its ...
in upstate New York. Jackson initially studied
political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
at university, but became increasingly interested in science. She received a B.S. in chemistry from
George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...
in 1979. After working briefly in the education department of the American Chemical Society she decided to return to school at the
University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
. She received an M.S. in chemical engineering in 1986 and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering in 1990, working in the area of
catalysis Catalysis () is the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed in the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recyc ...
.


Career

Jackson joined the Catalysis and Chemical Technologies department of the Energy and Environment sector at Sandia National Laboratories in
Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...
, in 1991. There she worked as an energy researcher for many years, focusing on alternative energy sources such as
solar fuel A solar fuel is a synthetic chemical fuel produced from solar energy. Solar fuels can be produced through photochemical (i.e. activation of certain chemical reactions by photons), photobiological (i.e., artificial photosynthesis), thermochemical ( ...
. She has studied heterogeneous catalysis with an emphasis on identifying catalysts that can enable production of liquid fuels from non-petroleum sources. In addition, she became an associate research professor in the Department of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering of the
University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...
in 1999. Jackson was manager of the Chemical and Biological Imaging, Sensing and Analysis Department at Sandia from 2000–2004. Her work involved chemical imaging techniques including fluorescent and infrared imaging, point infrared spectroscopy, and analysis of hyperspectral images and materials. Applications included imaging of DNA microarrays, analysis of polymeric materials, and examination of the structure-property relationships of heterogeneous catalytic materials. She was deputy director of the International Security Center at Sandia from 2004–2006. In 2007, she became founder and manager of the International Chemical Threat Reduction Department in the Global Security Center at Sandia. Jackson was the first implementer to work with the
U.S. Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...
to develop the Chemical Security Engagement Program, an international program to raise awareness about chemical safety and security among chemical professionals throughout Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. As part of her work she has traveled extensively in these areas. Jackson was active in encouraging diversity in
STEM Stem or STEM may refer to: Plant structures * Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang * Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure * Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...
. She was Seneca, and was a member of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society. She has served as a tribal government liaison for Sandia, and worked with tribal colleges in developing the Science and Technology Alliance, a STEM program for underrepresented minorities. She is also an active advocate for women in STEM fields. Jackson was a Fellow of the
American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all d ...
, the
International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC ) is an international federation of National Adhering Organizations working for the advancement of the chemical sciences, especially by developing nomenclature and terminology. It is ...
, and the
American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...
. She was elected in 2009 to the presidential succession of the American Chemical Society, serving as president-elect in 2010, president during the United Nations'
International Year of Chemistry The International Year of Chemistry 2011 (IYC 2011) was a year-long commemorative event for the achievements of chemistry and its contributions to humankind.AAAS Award for Science Diplomacy The AAAS David and Betty Hamburg Award for Science Diplomacy (2022-) formerly the AAAS Award for Science Diplomacy (2010-2021) and Award for International Scientific Cooperation (1992-2009), is awarded by The American Association for the Advanceme ...
"for her ongoing commitment to international science cooperation to prevent the theft and diversion of chemicals through the establishment of the Chemical Security Engagement Program and for developing, nurturing, and advancing careers of scientists worldwide, with a special emphasis on women scientists in the Middle East and Southeast Asia." In 2014, she became the 174th Franklin Fellow at the U.S. Department of State.


Personal life and death

She died in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on January 3, 2022, at the age of 65. She was survived by her husband and their two sons.


Awards and honors

* 2014–15 Sylvia M. Stoesser Lecturer in Chemistry at the University of Illinois * 2012,
AAAS Award for Science Diplomacy The AAAS David and Betty Hamburg Award for Science Diplomacy (2022-) formerly the AAAS Award for Science Diplomacy (2010-2021) and Award for International Scientific Cooperation (1992-2009), is awarded by The American Association for the Advanceme ...
. * 2011, President of the American Chemical Society * 2011, Distinguished Women in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Award, International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry * 2009, Howard Fawcett Chemical Health & Safety Award * 2005,
American Indian Science and Engineering Society The American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit professional association with the goal of substantially increasing American Indian, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, First Nation and other ...
(AISES) Professional of the Year award. * 2005, Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award,
George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Nancy B. 1956 births 2022 deaths Seneca Nation of New York people Presidents of the American Chemical Society American women chemists People from Eau Claire, Wisconsin Scientists from Wisconsin Columbian College of Arts and Sciences alumni Cockrell School of Engineering alumni University of New Mexico faculty 20th-century chemists 21st-century chemists 20th-century American chemists 21st-century American scientists Sandia National Laboratories people Native American scientists 21st-century American women Native American women scientists 20th-century Native American women 20th-century Native Americans 21st-century Native American women 21st-century Native Americans Chemists from Wisconsin