Mae Jemison

Dr. Mae C. Jemison leads 100 Year Starship, a nonprofit initiative focused on advancing the capabilities necessary for human travel beyond the solar system to another star within the next century. As principal of 100 Year Starship, Jemison builds a global community to foster the cultural, scientific, social and technical commitment, as well as the financial framework, required to achieve this vision in space exploration.

Jemison is a physician, engineer, educator and entrepreneur. She became the first woman of color to travel into space, serving as a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour. After six years as an astronaut, she left NASA. Before joining NASA, Jemison was the Area Peace Corps Medical Officer for Sierra Leone and Liberia and practiced general medicine in Los Angeles.

Jemison founded The Jemison Group, a technology consulting firm that integrates socio-cultural considerations into engineering and science projects. As an Environmental Studies professor at Dartmouth College, she taught and conducted research on technology design and sustainable development, with a focus on developing countries. Jemison is recognized for her work in STEM education and is the founder of the Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence. She established The Earth We Share, an international science literacy curriculum and program designed to build students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and to train middle and secondary school teachers in experiential education.

Jemison served as the founding chairman of the Texas Product Development and Small Business Incubator Board. She is a member of the National Academies of Science Institute of Medicine and has been inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame, the National Medical Association Hall of Fame and the Texas Science Hall of Fame. Her honors include the National Organization for Women's Intrepid Award and the Kilby Science Award.

Jemison is an author of both lay literature and technical articles and is frequently sought for commentary on space exploration, science education, diversity, sustainability and development. She is the first real-life astronaut to appear on an episode of the "Star Trek" TV franchise and is represented as a LEGO figurine in the LEGO Women of NASA kit. Jemison has been featured on Forbes magazine's "50 Over 50" list.

Jemison earned a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering and fulfilled requirements for a Bachelor of Arts in African and Afro-American studies from Stanford University. She received her Doctor of Medicine from Cornell University.