Mae Jemison

When I took AP U.S. History in high school, we did a project called "Historical Character Day" after completing the lengthy coursework and dreaded AP exam. We could chose to be any significant person in American history and had to pretend to be that person, introducing ourselves to the entire class and then interacting with other important, well-known people of history. So, as you might have already guessed, I chose to be Mae Jemison. 

The following is the information I collected as I prepared for Historical Character Day so that I would be able to fully know my person inside and out:

Name:  Mae Jemison

Born:  October 17, 1956

Contribution to History: the first black female astronaut

Significance to America:

• First African American woman admitted to the space program and in space
• Science Mission Specialist
• Advocate for women’s and civil rights
• Area Peace Corps medical officer for Sierra Leone & Liberia
• Awards:
• 1988 - Essence Science and Technology Award
• 1992 - Ebony Black Achievement Award
• 1993 - Montgomery Fellowship from Dartmouth College
• 1990 - Gamma Sigma Gamma Woman of the Year
• 1992 - public school in Detroit named after her
• 2004 - International Space Hall of Fame
• 1993 - National Women’s Hall of Fame
• Organizations:
• American Medical Association
• American Chemical Society
• American Association for the Advancement of Science
• World Sickle Cell Foundation
• American Express Geography Competition
• Center for Prevention of Childhood Malnutrition
• Established Jemison Group, a company for research, development, and marketing of advanced technologies
• Established The Earth We Share, a science camp to encourage (especially girls) to learn about science & global issues

Fun Facts:

• She can speak Russian, Japanese, and Swahili
• She started college at Stanford University at 16 years old and then went on to med school at Cornell
• She worked in Cambodian refugee camps
• Her space shuttle, Endeavour, was the only one named by children
• Was featuered in LEGO's "Women of NASA" set [read my post about it here]
• Made an appearance in Star Trek: The Next Generation
• Is an advocate for peace and equality
• Favorite Hobby: theater/dance
• Favorite Music: modern jazz, African dance, West Side Story
• Favorite Book: A Wrinkle in Time & The Arm of the Starfish [because they each feature female scientists heroines]
• Favorite Subject in School: science and technology, but also loved art just as much
• Other Interests:
• cooking
• watching movies
• weight lifting
• gardening
• traveling
• photography
• skiing
• volleyball

As part of the project, I had to describe the type of person I'd see myself (Mae Jemison) getting along with the best:

Someone who supports human rights and has a heart for all people no matter their race, gender, social standing, etc. Someone who is interested in science and technology, but also has an appreciation for the arts. Someone who loves learning and new experiences and is always up for an adventure and likes nature and serving others. Someone who will support me on all my endeavors (no pun intended).

We also had to bring in a food that the person liked/would have eaten in that time. I spent a long time looking for different 'space food' recipes and came across a video of Chris Hadfield making a sandwich out of a tortilla with peanut butter and honey. They use tortillas in space instead of bread because it doesn't make crumbs and it is more compact, thus avoiding bread crumbs from floating around in zero gravity. So I brought in these 'Space Shuttle Sandwiches' or what I liked to call PB&Jems.

On Historic Character Day, I wore a NASA tee shirt and I even spoke a little bit of Swahili ... or what I was able to learn from Google Translate ;)

Unaweza Daima Ngoma Kama Wewe Ni Daktari Lakini Huwezi Daktari Kama Wewe Ni Damfe  -- “You can always dance if you’re a doctor, but you can’t doctor if you’re a dancer”

Some of the amazing people I (as Mae Jemison) had the opportunity to interact with included: Thomas Edison, Grace Hopper, Elizabeth Blackwell, Louis Armstrong, Sally Ride, Maya Angelou, Eleanor Roosevelt, JFK, and Amelia Earhart ... all of whom were fellow scientists, aviators/astronauts, feminists, and African Americans from various time periods.

Finally, here are a few other quotes from Mae Jemison that I came across in my research that I enjoyed:

“Some of the most fun people I know are scientists” 

“I stayed in the astronaut program until 1993. People ask me why I left. I thought I had a lot of things to contribute that would be difficult to do if I stayed. I thought I could have a stronger voice as an advocate for space exploration. So I ended up starting my own technology consulting company”

“What we find is that if you have a goal that is very, very far out, and you approach it in little steps, you start to get there faster. Your mind opens you to the possibility."

                                                      ♡ 

‘Women of NASA’ LEGO collection finally released

LEGO took a huge step away from your typical Star Wars, Batman, and Harry Potter sets, turning the spotlight to Women of NASA. On Wednesday, November 1st, the ‘Women of NASA’ LEGO Ideas set was officially released for purchase, consisting of four pioneering women in the space program. The idea was proposed by science editor and writer Maia Weinstock, who helped design the collection. These were “some of the most influential women who ever worked for NASA” (Nerdist).

Here's a look at what each women did, their legacies now able to be passed down to encourage and inspire young girls:  (info came from the building instructions booklet that comes with the set)

Sally Ride- was selected out of 8,000 applicants for NASA's astronaut training and became the first American woman in space in 1983. She founded Sally Ride Science and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Mae Jemison- was selected out of 2,000 applicants for NASA's astronaut training and became the first woman of color in space in 1992. Her work in the Peace Corps, at NASA, and in the creation of technology companies (among many other accomplishments) have led her to receive countless awards and honors such as the Women's and the International Space Hall of Fame.

(make sure to watch out for an upcoming feature on Mae Jemison)

Margaret Hamilton- an MIT computer scientist and NASA's head developer of flight software for Apollo 11, the mission whose crew were the first to walk on the Moon. She founded Hamilton Technologies and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and NASA's Exceptional Space Act Award.

Nancy Grace Roman- this activist for women in science started an astronomy club in 1936 at age eleven, was educated in the field, and became NASA's first female executive as the first ever Chief of Astronomy. As "Mother of Hubble", she is honored in various ways through NASA and she was awarded with the NASA Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal.

A fifth woman, Katherine Johnson, whose story is the focus of the film Hidden Figures, was unfortunately not approved to be included. The two other major parts of this set are the Hubble Space Telescope (developed by Nancy Grace Roman) and the Space Shuttle Challenger (Sally Ride). Children who play with this LEGO series will see that women have gained acceptance in STEM fields and will begin to view these women as role models and examples for what they can and will accomplish.

follow the Women of NASA Lego on Twitter @LegoNASAWomen

Works Cited

Pattillo , Mia. “New Lego Set Celebrates Women in NASA.” The Brown Daily Herald, Brown 
       Daily Herald, 31 Oct. 2017, 

Walsh, Michael. “LEGO Will Honor Women of NASA in Newest Set.” Nerdist, Chris Hardwick,
       28 Feb. 2017