Mae Jemison to speak at Keuka College
Doctor, former astronaut to speak at Keuka College
By GINA MUSCATO
Times Staff Writer
gmuscato@fltimes.com
KEUKA PARK — Dr. Mae C. Jemison blasted into orbit aboard the Endeavor space shuttle in 1992, becoming the first woman of color to travel into space.
However, that was just one of many accomplishments for Jemison, who will talk about her experiences during this year’s Fribolin Lecture at Keuka College.
The lecture, in its 17th year, is one of the highlights of the college’s May Day weekend. It will be at 6:30 p.m. April 29 in Norton Chapel.
The series is named for Geneva resident Carl Fribolin and his late wife, Fanny, who have been generous to the college over the years. Carl Fribolin is an emeritus member of the college’s board of trustees and holds an honorary doctorate of humane letters from the school.
Past speakers in the series include Hamilton Jordan, former White House Chief of Staff under Jimmy Carter; Marv Levy, former Buffalo Bills head coach; Robert Novak, syndicated columnist and CNN co-host; and Gen. Barry McCaffrey.
Jemison, 48, earned a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from Stanford University in 1977 before receiving a doctor of medicine degree from Cornell University in 1981.
Following medical school, Jemison served in the Peace Corps from January 1983 to June 1985, serving in Sierra Leone and Liberia, West Africa, as a medical officer.
After returning, Jemison secured a position with the CIGNA Health Plans of California as a general practitioner in Los Angeles. There, she began attending graduate classes in engineering and applied to NASA for admission to the astronaut program.
In August 1988, Jemison successfully completed the astronaut training program, becoming the fifth black astronaut and the first black female astronaut in NASA history. In 1992, Jemison became the first black woman in space as part of the SPACELAB J project, a joint U.S. and Japanese mission. On the trip, she conducted experiments in life sciences, material sciences and was a co-investigator of the Bone Cell Research experiment.
After resigning from NASA in 1993, Jemison founded The Jemison Group Inc., which focuses on the beneficial integration of science and technology into our everyday lives. Company projects have included consulting on the design and implementation of solar thermal electricity generation systems for developing countries and remote areas and the use of satellite-based telecommunications to facilitate health care delivery in West Africa.
In 1994, Jemison founded — and still chairs — The Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence, a non-profit organization named after her mother. A program of the foundation, The Earth We Share, is an annual international science camp for students 12 to 16 from around the world.
Jemison is also creating a new business, BioSentient Corp., a medical technology company focused on developing and marketing mobile equipment worn to monitor the body’s vital signs and train people to respond favorably in stressful situations.
She is Bayer Corp.’s national science literacy advocate and a member of the board of directors for Scholastic Inc. and Valspar Corp. She sits on the Texas Governor’s State Council for Science and BioTechnology Development.
“She’s done so much in her career. She seems to be at the forefront of a lot of things going on,” said Doug Lippincott, college director of communications.
Jemison has received numerous awards and honors, including induction into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and the National Medical Association Hall of Fame. She was selected as one of People magazines’ 50 Most Beautiful People in 1993.
Jemison has also made presentations to the United Nations on the uses of space technology, appeared weekly as the host and technical consultant of the “World of Wonder” series on the Discovery channel, appeared in an episode of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and was the subject of the PBS documentary “The New Explorers.”
“It’s seldom to find someone with so much depth and breadth of experience and accomplishments. We think she’ll appeal to a wide audience, and we’re excited to have her,” Lippincott said.
Born in Decatur, Ala., Jemison was raised in Chicago, Ill. She lives in Houston, Texas.
