Who is Mae C. Jemison?
Mae C. Jemison is an American astronaut and physician who, on June 4, 1987, became the first African-American woman to be admitted to NASA’s astronaut training program. On September 12, 1992, Jemison finally flew into space with six other astronauts aboard the Endeavor on the STS47 mission, becoming the first African-American woman in space. In recognition of her achievements, Jemison has received several awards and honorary doctorates.
Early age and education
Jemison was born on October 17, 1956 in Decatur, Alabama. She is the youngest daughter of Charlie Jemison, a roofer and carpenter, and Dorothy (Green) Jemison, an elementary school teacher. Her sister, Ada Jemison Bullock, became a child psychiatrist and her brother, Charles Jemison, is a real estate broker.
The Jemison family moved to Chicago, Illinois, when Jemison was three years old to take advantage of better educational opportunities, and it is that city that she calls her hometown.
Throughout his early school years, Jemison’s parents supported and encouraged his talents and abilities, and he spent a considerable amount of time in his school library reading about all aspects of science, especially astronomy.
During his time at Morgan Park High School, he became convinced that he wanted to pursue a career in biomedical engineering. When she graduated in 1973 as a continuing honor student, she entered Stanford University on a National Achievement Scholarship.
Having been in high school, Jemison was heavily involved in extracurricular activities at Stanford, including dance and drama productions, and served as head of the Black Student Union. He received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the university in 1977. After graduation, he entered Cornell University School of Medicine and, during his years there, found time to broaden his horizons by studying in Cuba and Kenya and working at a center of Cambodian refugees. camp in Thailand.
Career as a doctor
After Jemison earned his MD in 1981, he interned at the University of Southern California/Los Angeles County Medical Center and later worked as a general practitioner. For the next two and a half years, she was the area Peace Corps medical officer for Sierra Leone and Liberia, where she also taught and did medical research.
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After returning to the United States in 1985, Jemison made a career change and decided to follow a long-cherished dream: In October, he applied to NASA’s astronaut training program. The Challenger The January 1986 disaster delayed the selection process, but when she reapplied a year later, Jemison was one of 15 candidates chosen from a field of approximately 2,000.
Mae C Jemison
Photo: Courtesy of NASA, [Public Domain] via Wikimedia Commons
First African American female astronaut
On June 4, 1987, Jemison became the first African-American woman to be admitted to NASA’s astronaut training program. After more than a year of training, she became the first African-American female astronaut and earned the title of science mission specialist, a job that would make her responsible for conducting crew-related science experiments on the space shuttle.
When Jemison finally flew into space on September 12, 1992, with six other astronauts aboard the Endeavor on STS47, she became the first African-American woman in space.
During her eight days in space, Jemison conducted experiments on weightlessness and motion sickness on the crew and herself. In total, she spent more than 190 hours in space before returning to Earth on September 20, 1992. After her historic flight, Jemison said society should recognize how much women and members of other minority groups can contribute. if given the chance.
Honors
In recognition of her achievements, Jemison received various accolades, including several honorary doctorates, the 1988 Essence Science and Technology Award, the 1992 Ebony Black Achievement Award, and a 1993 Dartmouth College Montgomery Scholarship. She was also named a Gamma Sigma Gamma Woman. of the year in 1990. In 1992, Mae C. Jemison Academy, an alternative public school in Detroit, Michigan, was named after her.
Jemison has been a member of several prominent organizations, including the American Medical Association, the American Chemical Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and served on the board of directors of the World Sickle Cell Foundation from 1990 to 1992. She he has also served as an advisory committee member for the American Express Geography Quiz and an honorary board member for the Center for the Prevention of Child Malnutrition.
Career after NASA
After leaving the Astronaut Corps in March 1993, Jemison accepted a teaching fellowship at Dartmouth. He also established the Jemison Group, a company that seeks to research, develop and commercialize advanced technologies.