About Aprille Ericsson
Aprille Joy Ericsson is an American aerospace engineer who had served as the assistant secretary of defense for science and technology. Ericsson is the first African-American woman to receive a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Howard University and the first African-American woman to receive a Ph.D. in engineering at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). She was then awarded a master's degree in engineering from Howard University in 1990, followed by a doctorate in mechanical engineering, the first African-American woman to do so.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.