Shirley Jackson grew up in Washington, D.C. in the 1950's and 1960's during times when prejudice and discrimination against African Americans was alive and well. But her parents knew the importance of a good education and they encouraged all of their children to aim high. Shirley had a natural curiosity about the world around her. She studied the behavior of bees on her own and went on to excel in school, nicknamed Brainiac, and went on to college at MIT where she faced discrimination and homesickness. Could anyone have predicted that this lovely young girl with a knack for leadership and organization would rise to study the tiny particles that make up matter and would go on to run the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and be chosen as the President of Renssalaer Polytechnic University? This is another biography in the Women's Adventures in Science series designed to encourage our girls to realized they too can succeed in the exciting frontiers of science. 128 pages Ages 9-14