GREAT WOMAN OF MATHEMATICS: DR. TRACHETTE JACKSON, born 1972. Trachette Jackson was an Air Force kid, moving all over the US and the world until she was 12, when the family settled in Arizona. She spent the summer after her junior year in an ASU program for minority students, 1/7 
where her talent in calculus began opening more doors for her. Jackson credits the program with providing confidence and an introduction to the world of higher education, teaching the "hidden curriculum" that first gen students so often have to figure out alone. #GWOM 2/7
She earned her undergraduate degree in mathematics from ASU, then MS and PhD degrees in mathematics from the Univ of Washington. During her studies, she became fascinated by mathematical biology and particularly the fight against cancer. Chemotherapy treatments are often able 3/7
to shrink tumors, but at the terribly high cost of destroying healthy tissue, as well, and damaging the immune system--which is why so many people die of their *second* cancer. Mathematical oncology (see pic) strives to understand models of tumor growth so that tumors can be 4/7
targeted specifically. Dr. Jackson cofounded the Mathematics Biology Research Group to promote the study of mathematical biology, and her Jackson Cancer Modeling Group conducts ongoing research into these approaches to fighting cancer. She was honored with a @SloanFoundation 5/7
Research Award in Mathematics in 2003, as well as the 21st Century Scientist Award from the McDonnell Foundation. Currently, she is a full professor at @UMich and the senior editor of "Cancer Research," an academic journal focused on scientific developments in the fight 6/7
against cancer. Dr. Jackson has pointed advice for a younger version of herself (pic) and serves as role model and mentor to younger mathematicians, particularly women and mathematicians of color. Her hopeful work may help us see a day when cancer is spoken of in past tense. 7/7
