Mae Jemison

Mae Jemison - Black Women, Family and Childhood

Violet FieldHome › AmericanMae JemisonOctober 17, 19561,347 views

0 based on 0 rates
Mae Jemison Biography Stories 

Mae Jemison's Personal Details

Mae Carol Jemison is a famous American astronaut who became the first African American astronaut to travel to space

InformationDetail
BirthdayOctober 17, 1956
NationalityAmerican
FamousAfrican American Scientists, Black Scientists, Cornell University, Stanford University, Physicians, Miscellaneous, Astronauts, Black Women, First African American Woman to Travel to Space
HobbiesStudying Foreign Languages, Photography, Skiing
City/StateAlabama
Known asDr. Mae Jemison, Mae Carol Jemison, Dr. Mae C. Jemison
Universities
  • Cornell University,Stanford University
  • 1973 - Morgan Park High School
  • 1981 - Cornell University
  • 1977 - Stanford University
Notable Alumnis
  • Cornell University
  • Stanford University
Birth PlaceDecatur
Height175
GenderFemale
FatherCharlie Jemison
MotherDorothy Green
Net Worth$2 Million as of March 16,2017
Sun SignLibra
Born inDecatur
Famous asFirst African American Woman To Travel To Space

// Famous Black Women

Zahara Jolie-Pitt

Zahara Jolie-Pitt

Zahara Jolie-Pitt is the adopted daughter of former celebrity couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. Check out this biography to know about her childhood, family life and fun facts about her.

Harris Faulkner

Harris Faulkner

Harris Faulkner is a new anchor and television presenter for Fox News Channel. Check out this biography to know about her childhood, family life, achievements and fun facts about her life.

Serena Williams

Serena Williams

Serena Williams is an all-time great women's tennis player. Check out this biography to know about her childhood, family life, achievements and fun facts about her.

Mae Jemison's photo

Who is Mae Jemison?

Mae Carol Jemison is an American physician and former astronaut for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). She holds the distinction of being the first African American woman to travel to space. She has stated that as a child she always knew she would fly amongst the stars. In her mind, travel to space would be as common as going to work. With a personality geared toward learning, she is the recipient of nine honorary doctorates in the fields of science, engineering, letters and the humanities. She also has a great sense of self-assurance and empathy. Once while serving in the Peace Corps, she overrode another doctor’s diagnosis and called in an airlift for a patient at the cost of $80,000. When told she didn’t have the authority, she responded that she didn’t need it. Her diagnosis proved correct and the patient survived. This sense of confidence helped to catapult Mae far in the fields of science and technology. Since her time in space, Jemison has worked tirelessly to expand technology as well as educate the next generation of scientists. She has created multiple corporations and camps aimed at accomplishing this goal. Her continued ambitions play an important part in technological advancement. To know more about her life and works read on.

Childhood & Early Life

Mae Jemison was born on October 17, 1956 in Decatur, Alabama. She’s the youngest child of Charlie, a maintenance supervisor, and Dorothy, a teacher. She has two siblings; sister Alda and brother Charles.

The family moved to Chicago, when Mae was three, for the superior educational systems. She considers Chicago her hometown.

Always studious, she spent hours in the library studying various areas of science. She also loved to experiment. Once, after receiving an infection from a splinter, she performed an in-depth study on pus.

Jemison graduated at 16 from ‘Morgan Park High’ in 1973. That same year, she enrolled at ‘Stanford University’ on a National Achievement Scholarship.

She kept a full schedule at Stanford; not only did she pursue a double major, she was also involved in dance and theater and headed the ‘Black Student Union’.

In 1977, she graduated with a B.S. in chemical engineering and a B.A. in African and Afro-American studies. From there she went on to the prestigious ‘Cornell Medical College’.

At Cornell, she studied in both Cuba and Kenya and volunteered at a Cambodian refugee camp. In 1981 she received her Doctor of Medicine degree.

Career

Jemison interned at the ‘LA County USC Medical Center’. After this, she spent time working as a general practitioner.

She spent 1983-1985 serving as a medical officer for the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone and Liberia. She oversaw the care of volunteers and embassy personnel and helped the CDC on research projects. She also wrote manuals on self-care and initiated guidelines for health and safety.

Returning to the U.S. she decided to follow her dream of becoming an astronaut. She applied to NASA’s training program but the explosion of the ‘Challenger’ delayed the process. On June 4, 1987 she became the first African American woman accepted into the program. She was one of 15 chosen from a field of 2000.

She completed her training in 1988 and began working as an astronaut office representative with ‘Kennedy Space Center’. Her duties included processing the shuttles for launch and working with the computer software in the ‘Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory’.

On September 12, 1992, she went to space aboard the ‘Endeavour.’ Deemed ‘Mission STS47’ this was the 50th mission for the space shuttle program. Jemison performed experiments regarding weightlessness and motion sickness. She also conducted an experiment to determine how tadpoles develop in zero gravity. She spent 190 hours in space before returning to Earth on September 20th.

In 1993, this renowned astronaut resigned from NASA. Afterward she formed the ‘Jemison Group’, a company that develops advanced technologies geared toward daily living.

Between 1995 and 2002 she served as a professor at ‘Dartmouth College’. She also started the ‘Jemison Institute for Advancing Technology in Developing Countries’.

In 1999 she started the medical devices company ‘BioSentient Corp’. They have done such things as work to develop a device that monitors the involuntary nervous system.

As head of the ‘Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence’, she won the bid for the ‘DARPA 100 Year Starship’ project in 2012. This grant helps organizations further the research of interstellar travel.

Major Works

In 2001, Mae published her autobiography, ‘Find Where the Wind Goes: Moments from My Life.’ Aimed at young readers, it traces her humble beginnings through her arrival in space.

Awards & Achievements

In 1988, she was awarded the ‘Essence’ Science and Technology Award.

In 1990, she was named the Gamma Sigma Gamma Woman of the Year. The next year ‘McCall’s’ included her in their ‘10 Outstanding Women for the 90’s.’

In 1992 she won the ‘Ebony’ magazine’s ‘Black Achievement Award’. She was also awarded the ‘Montgomery Fellowship’ from Dartmouth.

She was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1993. She joined distinguished women such as Amelia Earhart and Rosa Parks.

Personal Life & Legacy

Creator of the international science camp ‘The Earth We Share.’ This camp strives to improve problem-solving skills by having students work on global issues.

From 1990-1992 she served on the board for the ‘World Sickle Cell Foundation’. They work to find a cure and to help those suffering from the disease.

This pioneering astronaut is the eponym for the Mae C. Jemison Academy in Detroit.

She took part in a PBS mini-series that traced her family history. She was astonished to find her genetic makeup is 13% East Asian.

Trivia

She appeared in an episode of ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation.’ She was the first real astronaut to do so.

She has practiced medicine on three continents. These include North America, Asia and Africa.

// Famous African American Scientists

Marjorie Lee Browne

Marjorie Lee Browne

Marjorie Lee Browne was an eminent African-American mathematician & educator. This biography profiles her childhood, life, career and timeline.

Ben Carson

Ben Carson

Ben Carson is the first neurosurgeon to have successfully separated conjoined twins joined at the head. This biography of Ben Carson provides detailed information about his childhood, life, achievements, works & timeline.

Neil deGrasse Tyson

Neil deGrasse Tyson

Neil deGrasse Tyson is an eminent astrophysicist and a popular science communicator. This biography of Neil deGrasse Tyson provides detailed information about his childhood, life, achievements, works & timeline.

Mae Jemison biography timelines

  • // 17th Oct 1956
    Mae Jemison was born on October 17, 1956 in Decatur, Alabama. She’s the youngest child of Charlie, a maintenance supervisor, and Dorothy, a teacher. She has two siblings; sister Alda and brother Charles.
  • // 1973
    Jemison graduated at 16 from ‘Morgan Park High’ in 1973. That same year, she enrolled at ‘Stanford University’ on a National Achievement Scholarship.
  • // 1977
    In 1977, she graduated with a B.S. in chemical engineering and a B.A. in African and Afro-American studies. From there she went on to the prestigious ‘Cornell Medical College’.
  • // 1981
    At Cornell, she studied in both Cuba and Kenya and volunteered at a Cambodian refugee camp. In 1981 she received her Doctor of Medicine degree.
  • // 1983 To 1985
    She spent 1983-1985 serving as a medical officer for the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone and Liberia. She oversaw the care of volunteers and embassy personnel and helped the CDC on research projects. She also wrote manuals on self-care and initiated guidelines for health and safety.
  • // 4th Jun 1987 To 2000
    Returning to the U.S. she decided to follow her dream of becoming an astronaut. She applied to NASA’s training program but the explosion of the ‘Challenger’ delayed the process. On June 4, 1987 she became the first African American woman accepted into the program. She was one of 15 chosen from a field of 2000.
  • // 1988
    She completed her training in 1988 and began working as an astronaut office representative with ‘Kennedy Space Center’. Her duties included processing the shuttles for launch and working with the computer software in the ‘Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory’.
  • // 1988
    In 1988, she was awarded the ‘Essence’ Science and Technology Award.
  • // 1990
    In 1990, she was named the Gamma Sigma Gamma Woman of the Year. The next year ‘McCall’s’ included her in their ‘10 Outstanding Women for the 90’s.’
  • // 1990 To 1992
    From 1990-1992 she served on the board for the ‘World Sickle Cell Foundation’. They work to find a cure and to help those suffering from the disease.
  • // 1992
    In 1992 she won the ‘Ebony’ magazine’s ‘Black Achievement Award’. She was also awarded the ‘Montgomery Fellowship’ from Dartmouth.
  • // 12th Sep 1992
    On September 12, 1992, she went to space aboard the ‘Endeavour.’ Deemed ‘Mission STS47’ this was the 50th mission for the space shuttle program. Jemison performed experiments regarding weightlessness and motion sickness. She also conducted an experiment to determine how tadpoles develop in zero gravity. She spent 190 hours in space before returning to Earth on September 20th.
  • // 1993
    In 1993, this renowned astronaut resigned from NASA. Afterward she formed the ‘Jemison Group’, a company that develops advanced technologies geared toward daily living.
  • // 1993
    She was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1993. She joined distinguished women such as Amelia Earhart and Rosa Parks.
  • // 1995 To 2002
    Between 1995 and 2002 she served as a professor at ‘Dartmouth College’. She also started the ‘Jemison Institute for Advancing Technology in Developing Countries’.
  • // 1999
    In 1999 she started the medical devices company ‘BioSentient Corp’. They have done such things as work to develop a device that monitors the involuntary nervous system.
  • // 2001
    In 2001, Mae published her autobiography, ‘Find Where the Wind Goes: Moments from My Life.’ Aimed at young readers, it traces her humble beginnings through her arrival in space.
  • // 2012
    As head of the ‘Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence’, she won the bid for the ‘DARPA 100 Year Starship’ project in 2012. This grant helps organizations further the research of interstellar travel.

// Famous Stanford University

Jawed Karim

Jawed Karim

Jawed Karim is a German-American internet entrepreneur, technologist and co-founder of the video-sharing website, YouTube. Check out this biography to know about his childhood, family, personal life, achievements, age, etc.

Andre Braugher

Andre Braugher

Andre Braugher is an American actor. Check out this biography to know about his childhood, family life, achievements and fun facts about him.

Reese Witherspoon

Reese Witherspoon

http://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-celebrities/actors/reese-witherspoon-net-worth/ , http://www.britannica.com/biography/Reese-Witherspoon , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reese_Witherspoon#Arrest

Ted Danson

Ted Danson

Ted Danson is an American actor, producer and environmental activist. Read this biography to learn more about his childhood, profile, life and timeline.

John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck

John Steinbeck was a celebrated American writer famous for his novel, ‘The Grapes of Wrath’. Read on for detailed information about his childhood, profile, career and timeline

Jennifer Connelly

Jennifer Connelly

Jennifer Connelly is an Academy Award winner American actress who started out as a child artist and reached the epitome of her film career with the movie ‘A Beautiful Mind’.

Mae Jemison's FAQ

  • What is Mae Jemison birthday?

    Mae Jemison was born at 1956-10-17

  • Where is Mae Jemison's birth place?

    Mae Jemison was born in Decatur

  • What is Mae Jemison nationalities?

    Mae Jemison's nationalities is American

  • What is Mae Jemison hobbies?

    Mae Jemison's hobbies is Studying Foreign Languages, Photography, Skiing

  • What was Mae Jemison universities?

    Mae Jemison studied at Cornell University,Stanford University, 1973 - Morgan Park High School, 1981 - Cornell University, 1977 - Stanford University

  • What was Mae Jemison notable alumnis?

    Mae Jemison's notable alumnis is Cornell University, Stanford University

  • How tall is Mae Jemison?

    Mae Jemison's height is 175

  • Who is Mae Jemison's father?

    Mae Jemison's father is Charlie Jemison

  • Who is Mae Jemison's mother?

    Mae Jemison's mother is Dorothy Green

  • What is Mae Jemison's sun sign?

    Mae Jemison is Libra

  • How famous is Mae Jemison?

    Mae Jemison is famouse as First African American Woman To Travel To Space