Woman of the Week: Dr. Mae Jemison
Written by Rachel W.
Dr. Mae Jemison was born on October 17, 1956 in Decatur, Alabama. She is a NASA astronaut (as well as an engineer and a physician), and is most well-known for being the first African-American woman to travel to space.
Jemison grew up in Chicago with dreams of becoming a scientist, even though many of her teachers were not accepting of her interests. She was also an avid dancer, almost going to college to pursue dance. However, Jemison graduated high school and enrolled at Stanford at sixteen, where she earned degrees in chemical engineering and African and Afro-American Studies. Then, she attended Cornell Medical College, eventually earning her Doctor of Medicine degree in 1981. After college, she went on to work in the Peace Corps, giving medical attention to volunteers in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
After seeing Sally Ride successfully fly for NASA, Jemison was inspired to apply to the astronaut program as well. She was also heavily influenced by Nichelle Nichols, an African American actress who portrayed Lieutenant Uhura on Star Trek. Though the Challenger disaster in 1986 slowed the astronaut program down, Jemison reapplied and was accepted to NASA in 1987. She was one of fifteen chosen out of about 2,000.
“Some people say they feel very small when they think about space. I felt more expansive, very connected to the universe.”
Before her own shuttle launch, she worked with launch support at Kennedy Space Center and on computer software for the shuttles there.
Jemison’s only space flight was a cooperative mission between the US and Japan that occurred September 12-20, 1992. She conducted experiments on motion sickness and weightlessness using herself and other crew members, as well as co-investigating two bone cell research experiments.
In 1993, Jemison decided to resign from NASA. She became a professor of Environmental Studies at Dartmouth and is currently a Professor-at-Large at Cornell. She founded the Jemison Group in 1993, which is a company that researches and develops new technologies for everyday life.
Jemison is an inspiration to many because she followed her dreams, no matter what discrimination or stigmas she faced. Her positive attitude and dedication to science led her to become the first African-American woman in space. She has received many awards through her lifetime, as well as many schools named in her honor. At age 60, she still advocates to get minorities interested in science and enjoys teaching about both science and the arts.
“The best way to make dreams come true is to wake up.”
Check out our last Woman of the Week post by clicking here!