Dr. Mae Jemison

Dr. Mae Jemison was the first African-American woman astronaut, leaving her mark on history among famous female scientists today. Jemison studied chemical engineering at Stanford and later pursued medicine at Cornell University Medical Center. After graduation, she worked with the Peace Corps as a medical officer and spent time in Sierra Leone and Liberia. It wasn’t until 1985 that she applied to NASA’s program. During her time as an astronaut, Jemison was a science mission specialist and handled all the team’s crew-related scientific experiments while in space. Since her flight, two more African-American women have traveled in space: just an example of how Jemison helped break many barriers for female black scientists.