Dr. Mae C. Jemison was the first Black American woman in space! She was admitted into NASA’s astronaut training program on June 4, 1987, & flew into space on September 12, 1992. Before becoming an astronaut, Dr. Jemison obtained a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering and a B.A. in African and Afro-American studies from Stanford and then an M.D. from Cornell Medical College. She then went to work as a general physician and in the Peace Corps before applying to become an astronaut. After her time in space, Jemison founded her own company, the Jemison Group, that works on researching and developing technology to help with daily life. Throughout her life, Dr. Jemison has been awarded nine honorary doctorates, as well as many awards, in recognition of her many accomplishments.

Dr. Jemison was a guest speaker at SIUE in 2017 and spoke on “Exploring the Frontiers of Science and Human Potential”.