Mission Specialist (MS) Mae Jemison poses in Spacelab-Japan (SLJ), facing forward. NASA Identifier: sts047-37-003

Wildcatter Profiles: Mae Jemison

An American engineer, physician and NASA astronaut who broke records and pushed boundaries.

 

Mae Jemison: American engineer, physician and NASA astronaut.

  • First African American woman to travel in space
  • At 16 years old, she entered Stanford where she earned a B.S. in chemical engineering
  • Served as head of the Black Students Union in college
  • Went on to study medicine at Cornell University Medical College
  • Served in Peace Corps for 2 years as a Medical Officer in Liberia and Sierra Leone
  • Now holds nine honorary doctorates in science, engineering, letters, and the humanities
  • Was a professor of Environmental Studies at Dartmouth College for 7 years
  • Has established 2 companies, the Jemison Group and BioSentient Corp.
  • In 2017, a “Women of NASA” LEGO set was released featuring mini-figurines of Jemison and others