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(1956-)
Physician/Surgeon, Astronaut
Mae Jemison was born October 17, 1956, in Decatur, Alabama but her family moved to Chicago when she was three. She attended Stanford University on a National Achievement Scholarship and received a B.S. in chemical engineering and a B.A. in Afro-American studies in 1977. She then enrolled in Cornell University's medical school and graduated in 1981. Her medical internship was at the Los Angeles County/University of Southern California Medical Center in 1982. She was a general practitioner with the INA/Ross Loos Medical Group in Lost Angeles until 1983, followed by two years as a Peace Corps medical officer in Sierra Leone and Liberia. Returning to the United States in 1985, she began working for CIGNA Health Plans, a health maintenance organization in Los Angeles.
In 1987, Jemison was accepted in NASA's astronaut program. Her first assignment was representing the astronaut office at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. On September 12, 1992, when the space shuttle Endeavor lifted off, Jemison was aboard and became the first African American woman in space. She served aboard the Endeavor as a science specialist. Jemison resigned from NASA in 1993 to pursue personal goals related to science education and health care in West Africa. In 1994 Jemison founded the International Science Camp in Chicago to help young people become enthusiastic about science.
In 1988, Jemison won the Science and Technology Award given by Essence magazine and in 1990 she was Gamma Sigma Gamma's Woman of the Year. In 1991 she earned a Ph.D. from Lincoln University.
Below courtesy of NASA BIRTHPLACE: Born October 17, 1956, in Decatur, Alabama, but considers Chicago, Illinois, to be her hometown. Her parents, Charlie & Dorothy Jemison, reside in Chicago.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Black hair; brown eyes; 5 feet 9 inches; 140 pounds.
EDUCATION: Graduated from Morgan Park School, Chicago, Illinois, in 1973; received a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering (and fulfilled the requirements for B.A. in African and Afro-American Studies) form Stanford University in 1977, and doctorate degree in medicine form Cornell University in 1981.
MARTIAL STATUS: Single
RECREATIONAL INTERESTS: She enjoys traveling, graphic arts, photography, sewing skiing collecting African Art, languages (Russian, Swahili, Japanese), weight training, has an extensive dance and exercise background and is an avid reader.
ORGANIZATIONS: Members, American Chemical Society, Association for the Advancement of Science, Association of Space Explorers. Honorary Member, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. Board Member, World Sickle Cell Foundation, American Express Geography Competition. Honorary Board Member, Center for the Prevention of Childhood Malnutrition. Clinical Teaching Associate, University of Texas Medical Center.
SPECIAL HONORS: National Achievement Scholarship (1973-1977); Stanford representative to Carifesta 76 in Jamaica; 1979 CIBA Award for Student Involvement; American Medical Student Association (AMSA) study group to Cuba; Grant from International Travelers Institute for health studies in rural Kenya (1979); organized New York city-wide health and law fair for National Student Medical Association (1979); worked refugee camp in Thailand (1980). Recipient of Essence Award (1988), and Gamma Sigma Gamma Woman of the Year (1989). Honorary Doctorate of Sciences, Lincoln College, Pennsylvania (1991). Honorary Doctorate of Letters, Winston Salem College, North Carolina (1991). DuSable Museum Award (1992). The Mae C. Jemison Academy, an alternate public school established in 1992 in Detroit, Michigan. Montgomery Fellow 1993 Dartmouth College.
EXPERIENCE: Dr. Jemison has a background in both engineering and medical research. She has worked in the areas of computer programming, printed wiring board materials, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, computer magnetic disc production, and reproductive biology. Dr. Jemison completed her internship at Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center in July 1982 and worked as a General Practitioner with INA/Ross Loss Medical Group in Los Angeles until December 1982. From January 1983 through June 1985, Dr. Jemison was the Area Corps Medical Officer for Sierra Leone and Liberia in West Africa. Her task of managing the health care delivery system for the U.S. Peace Corps and U.S. Embassy personnel included provision of medical care, supervision of the pharmacy and laboratory, medical administrative issues, and supervision of medical staff. She developed curriculum and taught volunteer administrative issues for volunteer job placement and training sites. Dr. Jemison developed and participated in research projects oh Hepatitis B vaccine, schistosomaisis and rabies in conjunction with the National Institute of Health and the Center for Disease Control. On return to the United States, Dr. Jemison joined CIGNA Health Plans of California in October 1985 and was working as a General Practitioner and attending graduate engineering classes in Los Angeles selected to the Astronaut program.
NASA EXPERIENCE: Dr. Jemison was selected for the astronaut program in June 1987. Her assignments since then have 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. Dr. 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 8-day mission was accomplished in 127 orbits of the Earth, and included 44 Japanese and U.S. life science and materials processing experiments. Dr. Jemison was a co-investigator on the bone cell research experiment flown on the mission. STS-47 and her crew launched from and returned to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In completing her first space flight Dr. Jemison logged 190 hours 30 minutes 23 seconds in space.
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