Accomplishments
- First African-American woman to earn a doctorate from MIT, and one of the first two African-American women to earn a doctorate in physics in the U.S.
- The first African-American woman to serve as a Commissioner and Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
- She led international efforts to promote nuclear safety, including in South Africa and the former Soviet Union.
- She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1998.