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Spotlight: Dr. Mae Jemison 

photo of Dr. JemisonDr. Mae Jemison - a physician, engineer, educator, social scientist, entrepreneur and former NASA astronaut - who, on September 12, 1992, aboard the space shuttle Endeavour, became the first woman of color in space.

Born on October 17, 1956, in Decatur, Alabama, Jemison grew up in Chicago and attended Stanford University earning degrees in Chemical Engineering and African and Afro-American studies. Her medical degree is from Cornell University. In 1987, Jemison became the first African American woman to be admitted into NASA’s astronaut training program. 

Today, Dr. Jemison leads the 100 Year Starship® global initiative to ensure that the capabilities for human interstellar travel exists within the next 100-years while every step of the way enhancing life here on Earth. She founded two technology companies and the non-profit, Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence, which designed and implemented the international science camp The Earth We Share™ training hundreds of teachers and thousands of students nationally and world-wide. She was the Area Peace Corps Medical Officer for Sierra Leone and Liberia, and an Environmental Studies Professor at Dartmouth College. A member of National Academy of Medicine and the National Women’s Hall of Fame, she is the recipient of many awards and multiple honorary doctorates. Dr. Jemison speaks fluent Russian, Japanese, and Swahili.

Online Resources

Follow Dr. Jemison on twitter

Astronaut Friday: Mae Jemison from the Houston Space Center "1. She had a fear of heights  2. Before she was an astronaut, she was a dancer and a doctor. 3. She appeared on an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation"

Biographical Data sheet from NASA

A Conversation with Dr. Mae Jemison, February 3, 2021

Books at the SJR State Library

Children's Books at the SJR State Library