Bozeman Magazine

Montana State University will host former astronaut Mae Jemison for a lecture on Nov. 14. “An Evening with Mae Jemison: First African American Woman in Space” will take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Strand Union Building ballrooms on MSU’s campus. The event is open to the public and will include opening remarks from MSU President Waded Cruzado.

Jemison served six years as a NASA astronaut and is an inductee into the National Women’s Hall of Fame and International Space Hall of Fame. Aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, a landmark mission in September 1992, she performed experiments in material science, life sciences and human adaptation to weightlessness.

Growing up, Jemison said, she was inspired by African American actress Nichelle Nichols, who played Lieutenant Uhura on “Star Trek” and who recently died. After her work with NASA, Jemison was asked to appear on an episode of “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” making Jemison the first real astronaut to appear on the show.

Jemison currently leads 100 Year Starship, a nonprofit initiative to assure that capabilities exist for human travel beyond our solar system to another star within the next century.

Her past endeavors include founding the Jemison Group Inc., a technology consulting firm that integrates 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.

In 1994, Jemison founded the international science camp The Earth We Share for students ages 12 to 16 from around the world. From 2011 to 2014, the Dorothy Jemison Foundation held The Earth We Share-Space Race in collaboration with the Los Angeles Unified School District, which trained hundreds of middle school teachers and thousands of middle school students in experiential science education.

“An inspiration for generations of Americans, we are thrilled to be able to offer our community a chance to hear from a leader who is heralded for her life story and her continued dedication to building a world of opportunity and equality,” said Carmen McSpadden, director of the MSU Leadership Institute. 

Tickets for Jemison’s MSU appearance, which was rescheduled from an earlier date, go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 16, at montanastate.evenue.net. General admission is $15 and student tickets are $8. All previously purchased tickets will be honored for the event.

Presented by the MSU Leadership Institute, the event is sponsored by the Office of the President, Office of the Provost, Associated Students of MSU, Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering, College of Letters and Science, Murdoch’s Ranch and Home Supply, Montana Space Grant Consortium, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Diversity and Inclusion Student Commons, Committee of MSU National Conference on Undergraduate Research, MSU Black Student Union and MSU Engineers Without Borders.