Dr. Mae Jemison The first African-American woman to travel in space was Dr. Mae Jemison. October 17,1956

Getting to know Dr. Mae Jemison  She was born in Decatur, Alabama.  She is the youngest of three children.

She moved to Chicago at age 3 Dr. Mae Jemison still considers Chicago her home town. She was quoted as saying, “One of the first sights I saw when I first went into orbit was the city of Chicago.”

Family  Her parents were Charlie and Dorothy Jemison.  Her father was a maintenance worker.  Her mother was a school teacher.  It was in Chicago that her uncle introduced her to the world of science.

Mae’s Dreams  Her Kindergarten teacher asked her what she wanted to be. She replied, “A scientist.” The teacher then replied, “Don’t you mean a nurse?” But Mae never gave up.  “Don’t be limited by others’ limited imaginations” Dr. Mae Jemison Dr. Mae Jemison

Education and Career  Mae entered Stanford University at the age of 16, and graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering and also a degree in African and Afro- American Studies. She attended Cornell Medical College and qualified as a medical doctor in  In 1987 she joined NASA for astronaut training, and performed scientific research work on Shuttle missions.  She continues to run research projects to help less fortunate countries.  Chemical engineer, scientist, physician, teacher and astronaut, Mae Jemison also has interests in jazz dance, photography, and languages. She also hosts the World of Wonders series on the Discovery Channel. She has also appeared in an episode of Star Trek: the Next Generation !

Hobbies  She was a very active student.  She loved dance, theater, and student politics. Mae also took several different languages such as Russian, Japanese, and Swahili.  She was an exceptional student in all subjects.  She also had a great sense of humor.

NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration  In 1987 she was one of fifteen people chosen from 2,000 to become an astronaut.  On September 12,1992 she flew on the space shuttle Endeavour.  On this mission she was the Science Mission Specialist.  She was an astronaut for NASA for six years.  While in space she worked on experiments on life and material sciences.

Endeavour Shuttle and Crew  The picture on the left is The Space Shuttle Endeavour.  The above picture is the crew of the Endeavour.

As Light As Air Experiment: Things You Will Need:  Four identical balloons  String  Long wooden dowel (about 36 inches)  Table that is narrower than the length of the wooden dowel  A pencil with flat sides  Two equal-sized cans or jars  Tape  Marking pen

Do This:  Mark the middle of a long wooden dowel.  Set two cans or jars of equal size on end about 6 inches apart on top of the table.  Rest a pencil across the bottoms of the two cans or jars.  Place the middle of the dowel across the pencil so that it is level. Secure the dowel to the pencil with a small piece of tape that still allows the dowel to seesaw.

Do This: continued  Blow up and tie off two balloons to equal sizes, the third balloon to a much larger size, and the fourth balloon to a much smaller size.  Tie a short piece (about 5 inches) of string to each balloon. Tie a loop in the free end of the string on each balloon.  Using the string loops, hook the two balloons of equal size onto the ends of the dowel. The balloons should have remained level.  Exchange one of the balloons for the smaller balloon. How does the level change?  Exchange the smaller balloon for the larger balloon. How does the level change?

What Should Have Happened?  Air takes up space and also has weight. Weight is a measure of the force of gravity on an object. If the two balloons were really equal in size and the dowel was positioned correctly, they should have remained at the same level. The larger balloon should have tipped the balance downward and the smaller balloon should have risen upward. This demonstrates that air does have weight.

Science Processes  Observation  Measurement  Communication  Relationship  Inferring  Operational Definition For more experiments on gravity click here. here.

Conclusion  “ Don’t let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity. It’s your place in the world, it’s your life. Go on and do all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live.” Dr. Mae Jemison If you would like to write to Mae or read trivia about her click here. here. This presentation was created by: Clare Michalek La Donna White Carolyn Clay Kenda Easterday

Bibliography  Internet Websites  Education:  Map:  Space Pictures:  NASA Info:  Experiment  Crew Photo:  Main Page to Crew Photo:  Good Quote:  Her Address: level2/jemison.html level2/jemison.htmlhttp://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/whos_who- level2/jemison.html  Picture & Hobbies  Junior Biography: