Once asked by a newspaper reporter what her epitaph should ready, Dr. Mae Jemison replied: "Been there. Done that. Time to go." For a woman who's not even forty yet, Mae Jemison has packed a whole lot into her life. And she's done it with a sense of humor, style and purpose that is enviable.
Dr. Jemison's interest has always focused on integrating science and technology into our everyday lives - culture, health, environment and education - for the benefit of all on this planet. Her company The Jemison Group, Inc., is dedicated to research, develop and implement advanced technologies suited to the social, political, cultural and economic context of the individual. Company projects include ALAFIYA(TM), a satellite based telecommunications system to improve health care delivery in West Africa; solar energy project development; and The Earth We Share (TM), an international science camp to increase science literacy for students from 12 to 16 years of age that utilizes an experiential curriculum. The company also advises international space agencies.
Dr. Jemison is a professor of Environmental Studies at Dartmouth College and directs the Jemison Institute for Advancing Technology in Developing Countries at Dartmouth College. The institute promotes and implements sustainable technology for the developing world through collaborative projects with governments, private agencies, universities and private industry.
Determined to follow her own path and achieve her dreams, she entered Stanford University at the age of 16 and graduated with a BS in Chemical Engineering and AB in African and Afro-American Studies. She continued her academic career at Cornell University, earning her Medical Doctorate in 1981.
Prior to traveling ins pace, she worked in West Africa for two and a half years as Area Peace Corps Medical Officer for Sierra Leone and Liberia, and practiced medicine in Los Angeles. She served as a NASA astronaut for six years before resigning to start her own company.
Recognizing Dr. Jemison as a fierce advocate of public education, the Detroit public schools in 1992 named their science magnet school the Mae C. Jemison Academy. She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1993 and named one of Ebony Magazine's 50 most influential women. People magazine named her one of the "50 Most Beautiful People in the World in 1993". She was host and technical consultant of the Discovery channel's "World of Wonder," and has also hosted and been the subject of numerous other television programs. She is a recipient of many awards and honors including: CORE Outstanding Achievement Award, the Kilby Science Award Association of Space Explorers and the National Medical Associations Hall of Fame. She serves on the National Research Council's Space Station Review Committee, on the Board of Directors of Spellman College and Scholastic, Inc., and on the Secretary's Advisory Board of the United States Department of Energy.
An avid reader of history and science fiction novels, Dr. Jemison collects African art, is an accomplished dancer, has studied three foreign languages (Russian, Japanese, and Swahili), and has traveled extensively. She resides in Houston with her cats, Sneeze, Mac and Little Mama.
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