James Jackson Named National Academic All-America Again

2016 Jun 10

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) student-athlete James Jackson of Islesboro 04848 has been chosen to an Academic All-America Division III At-Large Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The senior earned Second Team recognition, after being chosen to the Third Team as a junior.

Jackson (Belfast Area), the only golfer in Rensselaer history to earn National Academic All-America accolades, was a biomedical engineering major with a 3.93 cumulative grade point average. While an undergraduate, he conducted extensive research, including in the Musculoskeletal Mechanics Laboratory at Rensselaer, where he developed a robust pressure chamber. The apparatus is currently being used to characterize passive, wireless pressure sensors being developed for monitoring intracompartmental and intracranial pressure. He also worked in the Musculoskeletal Tissue Regeneration Laboratory at Rutgers University, where he conducted a cell culture study. Jackson, who had multiple abstracts accepted for poster sessions at research conferences, interned on the medical devices team at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and has since accepted full-time employment with Regeneron.

Among the academic honors he earned throughout his tenure at RPI were Liberty League All-Academic three times, Dean's List eight times and CoSIDA Capital One Academic All-District First Team twice. He was awarded the prestigious Leopold L. Balleisen Prize, which was established by the Class of 1918 and honors a senior student-athlete who has won a varsity letter in at least one sport during two undergraduate years and who stands highest academically among those thus qualified, a Founders Award of Excellence and the Rensselaer Leadership Award.

A captain, Jackson was All-Liberty League and All-Region in 2015-16 after he averaged a team-best 76.7 strokes over 18 rounds. He had four top 10 finishes, including third overall at the NYU Spring Invitational, fifth at the ECAC Championship in the fall and eighth in the four-round Liberty League Championship. The Liberty League Performer of the Week once, his best rounds included a 70 at The Ranch on the second day of the ECAC Tournament, three 73s and three 74s.

In previous seasons he won five tournaments, earned numerous weekly conference awards, and was selected All-Liberty League, All-Region and National All-America.