PANEL 1: CHICAGO TO STANFORD (1956–1977)
ORIGINS
DREAMS BEYOND HORIZONS!
Growing up in Chicago, young Mae spent hours in the library reading about science, astronomy, and nature—while dancing ballet!
POLYMATH!
"At Stanford (BS Chemical Engineering & BA African Studies), I danced, studied science, and entered Cornell Medical School at age 20!"
- DR. MAE JEMISON
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Degrees from Stanford (BS Chem Engineering & BA) and Cornell (MD).
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Trained in modern dance and choreographed world-class productions.
CHAPTER 01
PANEL 2: WEST AFRICA (1983–1985)
HEALER
GLOBAL HEALTH GUARDIAN!
As a Peace Corps Medical Officer in Liberia & Sierra Leone, Dr. Jemison managed healthcare, vaccines, and emergency medevac rescues!
MEDEVAC HERO!
"I took courage to override bureaucracy when a patient had severe hepatitis. I ordered an emergency airlift that saved his life!"
- SIERRA LEONE FIELD LOG
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Managed health of Peace Corps & US Embassy personnel across West Africa.
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Developed medical guidelines, pharmacy protocols, and rabies vaccine research.
CHAPTER 02
PANEL 3: NASA SELECTION (1987)
SELECTION
1 IN 2,000 APPLICANTS!
Inspired by Sally Ride and Nichelle Nichols' Star Trek portrayal of Lt. Uhura, Mae applied to NASA!
ASTRONAUT GROUP 12
"I called NASA and told them I wanted to apply. Out of 2,000 candidates, I was one of 15 selected!"
- NASA HISTORICAL RECORD
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Selected in NASA Astronaut Group 12 (the first group after Challenger).
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Rigorous training: shuttle systems, launch survival, weightlessness, microgravity science.
CHAPTER 03
PANEL 4: HISTORIC LAUNCH (SEPTEMBER 12, 1992)
HISTORIC
LIFT OFF! STS-47!
Aboard Shuttle Endeavour, Dr. Jemison became the FIRST African American woman in space!
BOOM! 190 HOURS IN SPACE!
"Hailing the Earth on shuttle communication: 'Hailing frequencies open!' — carrying modern dance posters & African artifacts into orbit!"
- STS-47 MISSION LOG
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Science Mission Specialist on joint NASA/NASDA (Japan) mission.
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Logged 190 hours, 30 minutes, 23 seconds and 126 Earth orbits.
CHAPTER 04
PANEL 5: MICROGRAVITY LAB (44 EXPERIMENTS)
RESEARCH
44 ZERO-G EXPERIMENTS!
As Science Specialist, Dr. Jemison tested bone cell loss, frog development, biofeedback, and fluid physics in weightlessness!
EUREKA!
"I co-investigated biofeedback research to help astronauts overcome motion sickness without heavy medication."
- NASA RESEARCH SUMMARY
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Investigated human bone cell calcium loss in weightlessness.
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Studied female frog fertilization and tadpole growth in space.
CHAPTER 05
PANEL 6: THE STEAM CHAMPION
ADVOCACY
ART + SCIENCE = INNOVATION!
Championing "STEAM" (Science, Tech, Engineering, ARTS, Math) to bridge creative intuition and scientific precision.
CREATIVE REVOLUTION!
"Science and art are not separate disciplines; they are manifestations of the same human creativity!"
- KEYNOTE SPEECH
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Broke down academic silos by showing how art enhances engineering design.
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Founded Dorothy Jemison Foundation & "The Earth We Share" (TEWS) science camp.
CHAPTER 06
PANEL 7: BIOSENTIENT & TECH INNOVATION
INNOVATOR
SPACE TECH FOR EARTH!
Founded BioSentient Corp to license NASA wireless biofeedback tech to monitor health & stress on Earth!
PATENTED BIOTECH!
"Technology must advance daily life for everyone, especially in developing regions and healthcare!"
- THE JEMISON GROUP
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Founded The Jemison Group, Inc. to integrate tech with socio-economic context.
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BioSentient commercialized wearable health devices based on NASA space research.
CHAPTER 07
PANEL 8: 100 YEAR STARSHIP (FUTURE & BEYOND)
FUTURE
DESTINATION: INTERSTELLAR!
Leading DARPA-funded 100 Year Starship initiative to ensure human travel to another star system within 100 years!
NEXT CENTURY!
"The pursuit of interstellar flight forces us to solve Earth's energy, sustainability, and human collaboration challenges today!"
- 100 YEAR STARSHIP VISION
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Leading multi-disciplinary global research into propulsion, social structures, & life support.
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LOOK UP initiative promoting planetary citizenship and Earth stewardship.
CHAPTER 08
STORYBOOK MODE
CHAPTER 1: DREAMS BEYOND HORIZONS
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