Aug 23, 2006 - Claremont, Calif. -

Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman to go into space, will give a speech based on her book Find Where the Wind Goes: Moments from My Life on Monday, Nov. 13, at 8 p.m., at Harvey Mudd College.

The lecture, part of the Sojourner Truth Lecture Series, is sponsored by the Claremont Colleges Intercollegiate Department of Black Studies and will be held in Galileo Hall, 240 Platt Blvd., Claremont. There is no charge to attend.

Mae C. Jemison, M.D., blasted into orbit aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on September 12, 1992, as the first woman of color to go into space. The space flight was just one in a series of accomplishments for this dynamic woman. Born in Decatur, Alabama, and raised in Chicago, she graduated from Stanford University with a B.S. in chemical engineering and an A.B. in African and Afro-American Studies. She earned her M.D. at Cornell University Medical College. Jemison served as a NASA astronaut for six years as science mission specialist, conducted experiments in life sciences and material sciences, and was a co-investigator of the Bone Cell Research experiment.

Prior to joining NASA in 1987, Jemison worked in both engineering and medicine. She was a general practitioner in Los Angeles, spent two and one half years (1983-1985) as an area Peace Corps medical officer for Sierra Leone and Liberia, and later worked as a general practitioner with CIGNA Health Plans of California.

In 1993, Jemison founded The Jemison Group, Inc., to focus on the integration of science and technology into our everyday lives. Company projects have included solar thermal electricity generation systems for developing countries and the use of satellite-based telecommunications to facilitate health care delivery in West Africa.

In 1994, Jemison founded The Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence, a non-profit organization that hosts an annual international science camp for youths. Currently, Jemison is building a new business, BioSentient Corporation, a medical technology company that develops and markets mobile equipment that monitors vital signs and trains people to respond favorably in stressful situations.

Jemison is a fierce advocate of a liberal arts education with an emphasis on the sciences. She is a former professor of environmental studies at Dartmouth College and currently the A.D. White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University. She has received numerous awards and honors, including a doctor of humanities from Princeton University. She was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame, given the Kilby Science Award and selected as one of the People magazine’s 1993 "World’s 50 Most Beautiful People." She has served as host and technical consultant for the Discovery Channel’s "World of Wonder" series, appeared in an episode of Star Trek: the Next Generation and was the subject of the PBS documentary The New Explorers.

Jemison shares her inspiring experiences through autobiographical anecdotes in her first book, Find Where the Wind Goes: Moments from My Life, published in spring 2001. In her speeches, Jemison inspires and encourages audiences. She takes them on an exciting and diverse voyage which mirrors her life, encompassing a journey from Africa to outer space – focusing on exploration of the frontiers of science and human potential.

The Sojourner Truth Lectureship, established in 1983, honors the achievements and contributions of outstanding African-American women in the United States. Conceived and administered by faculty in the Intercollegiate Department of Black Studies, the lectureship is sponsored by five of The Claremont Colleges: Scripps, Pomona, Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd and Pitzer. Past recipients of the Sojourner Truth Lectureship have included Maya Angelou, Octavia Butler, Elizabeth Catlett, Samella Lewis and Agnes Moreland Jackson.

Established in 1969, the Intercollegiate Department of Black Studies offers a rich program of multidisciplinary teaching and scholarship to all students at The Claremont Colleges. Its mission is to examine through various academic disciplines the experiences of people of African heritage worldwide.

For more information on this lecture, call the Intercollegiate Department of Black Studies at (909) 607-3070.