Dr. Mae Carol Jemison

October 17, 1956

Engineer and Physician;

First African American Female Astronaut

Founder of BioSentient Corp and obtained the license to commercialize A.F.T.E.

Born in Decatur, Ala., on Oct. 17, 1956, Mae Carol Jemison moved to Chicago Illinois., at the age of 3 and considers the city her hometown. The youngest of three children born to a maintenance worker and an elementary school teacher, she had a fascination with all things science from an early age. Once, after receiving an infection, she performed an extended experiment on pus. Jemison’s parents supported her desire to be a scientist. Chemical engineer, scientist, physician, teacher and astronaut, Dr. Mae Jemison has a wide range of experience in technology, engineering, and medical research. In addition to her extensive background in science, she is well-versed in African and African-American Studies, speaks fluent Russian, Japanese, and Swahili, as well as English and is trained in dance and choreography. After graduating from Morgan Park High School in 1973 at the age of 16, Dr. Mae Jemison earned a BS in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University, while also fulfilling the requirements for a BA in African-American Studies.

Dr. Mae Jemison receiving award from University

After earning these degrees in 1977, she attended Cornell University and received a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1981. During medical school she traveled to Cuba, Kenya and Thailand, providing primary medical care to people living there. Demonstrating her compassion, Dr. Mae Jemison served in the Peace Corps, from January 1983 to June 1985. She shared her abilities in Sierra Leone and Liberia, West Africa as the area Peace Corps medical officer. Among her duties, she supervised the pharmacy, laboratory, and medical staff as well as provided medical care, wrote self-care manuals, developed and implemented guidelines for health and safety issues. Also working in conjunction with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) she helped with research for various vaccines. Upon completion of her Peace Corps duties, Dr. Mae Jemison returned to the US, accepting a position with the CIGNA Health Plans of California as a general practitioner in Los Angeles, California. Having a desire to do more with her life, she enrolled in graduate classes in engineering and applied to NASA for admission to the astronaut program. She was turned down on her first application, but persevered and in 1987 was accepted on her second application. She became one of the fifteen candidates accepted from over 2,000 applicants. When Dr. Mae Jemison successfully completed her astronaut training program in August 1988, she became the fifth black astronaut and the first black female astronaut in NASA history. Her technical assignments included: launch support activities at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida; verification of Shuttle computer software in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL), Science Support Group activities.

American engineer and astronaut Mae Jemison works in zero gravity in the center aisle of the Spacelab Japan (SLJ) science module aboard OV-105, the Space Shuttle Endeavour, during NASA’s STS-47 mission, September 20. 1992. | Source: Space Frontiers / Getty

Dr. Mae Jemison was the science mission specialist on STS-47 Spacelab-J (September 12-20, 1992). STS-47 was a cooperative mission between the United States and Japan. The eight-day mission was accomplished in 127 orbits of the Earth, and included 44 Japanese and U.S. life science and materials processing experiments. Dr. Mae Jemison was a co-investigator on the bone cell research experiment flown on the mission. The Endeavour and her crew launched from and returned to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In completing her first space flight, Dr. Mae Jemison logged 190 hours, 30 minutes, 23 seconds in space, making her the first African-American woman in space.

Dr.Mae Jemison has received many awards for her amazing and inspirational achievement of becoming the first African-American Astronaut including: 1998 Essence science and technology award, The Legacy award,The Ebony Black achievement award, Gamma Sigma women of the year and has the Mae Jemison academy (An alternate public school).

She says, “I had to learn very early not to limit myself due to others’ limited imaginations. I have learned these days never to limit anyone else due to my limited imagination.” Dr. Mae C Jemison Website In 1993, Dr. Mae Jemison resigned from NASA and founded the Jemison Group, Inc. to research, develop and implement advanced technologies suited to the social, political, cultural and economic context of the individual, especially for the developing world. Current projects include: Alpha, (TM) a satellite based telecommunication system to improve health care in West Africa; and The Earth We Share, (TM) an international science camp for students ages 12 to 16 that utilizes an experiential curriculum. Among her current projects are several that focus on improving healthcare in Africa. She is also a professor of environmental studies at Dartmouth College. Dr. Mae Jemison is the host and a technical consultant to “World of Wonders” series produced by GRB Entertainment and seen weekly on the Discovery Channel. She feels much honored by the establishment (1992) of the MAE C. JEMISON ACADEMY, an alternative public school in Detroit. She has also written several books, including “Find Where the Wind Goes” in 2001 and “A True Book” series in 2013, which is a children’s book series about astronomy.

Dr. Mae C. Jemison preparing for her 1992 mission aboard the space shuttle Endeavor.


Dr. Mae C. Jemison leads 100 Year Starship (100YSS), a bold, far reaching nonprofit initiative to assure the capabilities exist for human travel beyond our solar system to another star within the next 100 years. Jemison is building a multi-faceted global community to foster the cultural, scientific, social and technical commitment, support and financial framework to accomplish the 100YSS vision — An Inclusive, Audacious Journey (that) Transforms Life Here on Earth and Beyond. 100YSS programs include: Annual public conference NEXUS- Pathway to the Stars: Footprints on Earth; the Canopus Awards for Excellence in Interstellar Writing; the 100YSS Crucibles-Invitation only, transdisciplinary workshops to generate new disciplines to disrupt technological and systemic hurdles; and 100YSS True Books to engage elementary students. The 100YSS Way Research Institute seeks to generate the radical leaps that accelerate knowledge, technology, design, and thinking not just for space travel, but to enhance life on Earth. Jemison led the team that won the competitive, single awardee seed funding grant in February 2012 from premiere research agency DARPA.

Dr. Mae C. Jemison, the 2021 Sylvanus Thayer Award recipient, to the Corps of Cadets on October 7, 2021, Lieutenant General Darryl Williams ’83, the 60th U.S. Military Academy Superintendent

Awards and honors
1988 Essence Award
1989 Gamma Sigma Gamma Women of the Year
1991 McCall’s 10 Outstanding Women for the 90’s
1991 Pumpkin Magazine’s (a Japanese Monthly) One of the Women for the Coming
New Century
1992 Johnson Publications Black Achievement Trailblazers Award

Mae C. Jemison Science and Space Museum, Wright Jr. College, Chicago,
1993 Ebony’s 50 Most Influential women
1993 Turner Trumpet Award
Montgomery Fellow, Dartmouth
Kilby Science Award
Induction into the National Women’s Hall of Fame
CORE Outstanding Achievement Award; National Medical Association Hall of Fame
1997 Chicagto History Museum “Making History Award” for Distinction in Science Medicine and
Technology.
2002 listed among the 100 Greatest African Americans according to Molefi Kete Asante
2003 Intrepid Award by the National Organization For Girls
2004 International Space Hall Of Fame
2005 The National Audubon Society,

Memberships
The Association for the Advancement of Science
The Association of Space Explorers
Honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Board of Directors of Scholastic, Inc.
Board of Directors of Houston’s UNICEF
Board of Trustees Spellman College
Board of Directors Aspen Institute

Board of Directors Keystone Center
Board of Directors for the National Research Council Space Station Review Committee.

Honorary Degrees
1991 Doctor of Letters, Winston-Salem College, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Honorary Doctorate of Science, Lincoln College
), 2000 Doctor of Humanities, Princeton University
2005 Doctor of Science,Wilson College
2006 Doctor of Science, Dartmouth College
2007 Doctor of Engineering,Harvey Mudd College
Doctor of Engineering, Renesselaer Polytechnic Institute
2008 Doctor of Humanities, DePaul University
2009 Doctor of Engineering, Polytechnic Institute NYU

Dr. Jemison a person that followed her dreams. She continues with all the full force
as a role modle. As she states Martin Luther did not just say it He went and did
and accomplished it. And so has the honorary Dr. Jemison.

Source.

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