Dr. Mae C. Jemison – physician, NASA astronaut, advocate and scientist with nine honorary doctorates – is dedicated to inspiring the next generation of innovators.
As the longstanding chief ambassador and national advocate for Bayer’s Making Science Make Sense science literacy initiative, Dr. Jemison is celebrating the program’s 20th anniversary this September by announcing plans to provide one million hands-on science learning experiences for kids by 2020, beginning with the launch of a national “Thank You” campaign to applaud mentors who’ve fostered kids’ scientific imaginations.
In addition, Dr. Jemison is unveiling the results of the Facts of Science Education survey, which examines the important issue of STEM education in the U.S. and offers insights into the need to accelerate student interest in science learning.
Dr. Jemison talks about Bayer’s Making Science Make Sense science literacy initiative, and how its hands on learning approach is making an impact on science education. Dr. Jemison also shares her personal stories of what it was like to go into space, and talks about the mentors who helped make it possible.
About: Dr. Mae C. Jemison, the first woman of color in the world to go into space, served six years as a NASA astronaut. Aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, STS-47 Spacelab J mission in September 1992, she performed experiments in material science, life sciences and human adaptation to weightlessness. Dr. Jemison is currently leading 100 Year Starship (100YSS), a bold, far reaching new initiative to assure the capabilities exist for human travel beyond our solar system to another star within the next 100 years.
Dr. Jemison is the founder of The Jemison Group, Inc. a technology consulting firm integrating critical socio-cultural issues into the design of engineering and science projects, such as satellite technology for health care delivery and solar dish Stirling engine electricity in developing countries. Dr. Jemison serves as Bayer Corporation USA’s national science literacy advocate. She is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine and is an inductee of the National Women’s Hall of Fame, the National Medical Association Hall of Fame and Texas Science Hall of Fame as well as a recipient of the National Organization for Women’s Intrepid Award and the Kilby Science Award among many honors. In 1994 Jemison started the international science camp The Earth We Share™ (TEWS) for students 12-16 years old. TEWS is a program of the Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence non-profit which launched TEWS Space Race in 2011 in collaboration with the Los Angeles Unified School District; over four years it will impact up to 10,000 middle school students and train hundreds of teachers. Before joining NASA she was the Area Peace Corps Medical Officer for Sierra Leona and Liberia and a general practice physician in Los Angeles.
To kick off the five-year commitment and celebrate mentors who have helped foster curiosity around science, Bayer is launching the “Thank You” (“Tk U”) campaign. From today through Oct. 30, Bayer is encouraging people of all ages to share a “thank you” message at SayTkU.com or via social with #SayTKU, acknowledging someone who has inspired scientific imagination and helped to make science make sense in their lives. This can be a teacher who had a knack for making science lessons exciting, an encouraging parent who nailed the role of science project helper or a professional who inspired a scientific career path. For each “thank you” message shared, Bayer will provide free admission to a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) venue for a child (up to 25,000) through a new partnership with Tickets for Kids® Charities.
This interview is provided by Bayer.
