Dr. Mae Jemison generously took the wooden chair instead of the comfortable arm chair as she sat down for an interview in her office in Steele Hall yesterday.
Jemison is a chemical engineer, scientist, physician, teacher and astronaut.
This accomplished individual has a philosophy to manage her busy life: "Goofiness is serious."
"Every second is yours and you have to choose how to fill it. One needs to do goofy things and important things and figure out how to balance," she said.
Her goofy side compels her to try some more outlandish activities.
Once, for fun, she had a role in an episode of "Star Trek, The Next Generation."
"It was a big kick. It is one of my favorite programs," she said.
A friend who works in the entertainment industry got her the part -- a transport officer. "The set is much more lifelike than I expected. I met everyone except Crusher and Picard," she said.
Her role on Star Trek was "an acknowledgment of how important fantasy is and how it affects reality," she said.
Space is boring
Jemison has made the fantasy of exploring outer space come true for her through her experiences with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
On September 12, 1992, Jemison became the first woman of color in space when the Endeavor space shuttled blasted off.
Asked how it felt to travel into space, Jemison replied, "It was boring." And then laughed.
"I was very excited, in awe and wonderment. I saw the earth from a new perspective. It's neat to see continents pass under your feet," sheexclaimed. "But, at the same time, I had lots and lots of work to do. I took advantage of the wonderful resource of space."
"I always wanted to go into space, ever since I was a little girl," she said.
Jemison said the astronaut training program allowed her to feel "very, very comfortable in space."
Jemison worked with NASA for six years and prepared shuttles for launch at the Kennedy Space Center.
While on STS-47 Spacelab J flight, a U.S....- Japan joint mission, Jemison served as a science missions specialist, acting as an advocate for the scientists on the ground.
She investigated semiconductor crystals, how to prevent deconditioning of the human cardiovascular system in space and intravenous fluid therapy in space. She was also on the National Space Station Review Committee.
Jemison resigned from NASA in March 1993.
Developing to full potential
Even as a young girl, Jemison was ambitious.
"As a little girl, I questioned and wondered why there were no women astronauts and no one could explain it to me because it's just nonsense," she said.
Jemison said she encourages more women and minorities to become involved in the sciences. She said the dearth of female and minority involvement is "starting to change, although there are still fewer women in physical sciences and leadership roles."
"It is important to allow individuals to develop to their full potential, which society hasn't always allowed," she said. "That's how you get the best results. With multiple perspectives, you optimize your solutions."
Jemison said she believes social sciences cannot be distinguished from natural and physical sciences because it is people who do research and people who influence the way the data is interpreted and technology is developed.
"It's very important that things are integrated. Fields are not separate. They meet constantly," she said.
"I've always been interested in sciences. It was an easy transition from being an astronaut to medicine," she said.
She entered Stanford University at 16 and majored in Chemical Engineering and African and Afro-American Studies. She earned her Doctorate in Medicine in 1981 at Cornell Medical School.
She spent two-and-a-half years working as an Area Peace Corps medical officer for Sierra Leone and Liberia, Africa. She took care of volunteers and embassy personnel and participated in evacuations on military planes to Germany.
In Africa, she said she was "struck by the level of happiness. Here, it seems to be external and material. In other places, happiness is internal. They are content with being human."
"I made the assumption that you can only use technology in certain areas. I needed to change my perspective. In developing countries, we can use solar energy, which is every advanced technology," she said.
She traveled to Cuba and Kenya and spent a medical clerkship in Thailand at a Cambodian Refugee Camp. She also worked as a general practitioner in Los Angeles.
Teaching at Dartmouth
Because of all Jemison's accomplishments and aspirations, Dartmouth invited her in 1993 to teach College Course 4: Space Age Technology in Developing Countries, while she was also a Montgomery fellow.
During summer of 1995, she co-taught Environmental Studies 82: Natural Resources, Development and the Environment with Environmental Studies Professor Carol Goldburg.
The next class she will teach will be an environmental studies seminar in the spring of 1997.
"I enjoy teaching. It's interesting, hard work, fun, stimulating," she said.
Jemison said she likes to have her classes in a project format in which her students have to integrate information.
"That's what I do. That's how the real world works. You have to work in teams," she said.
"At first, I was intimidated because I knew about her being an astronaut and having several degrees," said Angel Crain '97, who took Jemison's class last summer.
"She was very formal and expected a little more from us than we could give at first. But she made an effort to get to know the students," Crain said. "She commanded so much presence in the classroom because of her teaching style ... She is caring and brilliant."
Jemison's colleagues are enthusiastic about the contributions she makes to the College.
"I find her an exciting presence and I am very pleased to have her involved with teaching and research at the College," said John Walsh, associate dean of the sciences.
After her initial experiences working at the College, Jemison decided Dartmouth would be an advantageous place to start The Jemison Institute.
Jemison founded The Jemison Group, Inc. in Houston and The Jemison Institute to research and implement advanced technology, especially in developing countries.
Jemison said she began the institute at Dartmouth because of its size and the enthusiasm of the faculty and staff.
"I'm looking into areas that are not as defined. I need flexibility to explore and Dartmouth is a comfortable setting," she said.
The companies' current projects include Alifiya, a satellite-based telecommunication system to improve health care in West Africa and The Earth We Share, an international science camp for youth ages 12 to 16.
Ross Virginia, chair of the environmental studies department, said Jemison "contributes to the department in a number of ways, including interactions with students as a teacher and through internships at the Jemison Institute and her professional interests bring academic discussions to the College."
Most important measure is internal
A woman of so many achievements is bound to be the recipient of numerous awards and honors.
Jemison was inducted into the Women's Hall of Fame and received the Kilby Science Award of Dallas.
She received the Johnson Publications Black Achievement Trailblazers Award, which is for people who have "set the path for others," she said.
"Personally, I don't do that. You shouldn't worry about what people think of you. I was thrilled and honored to receive the award, but I can't make that my measure of myself. The most important measure is internal," Jemison said.
Mae C. Jemison Academy, an alternative public school which emphasizes the sciences, was named after her. She involves herself with the school as often as she can.
Her appearance on "Star Trek" was not the end of her television debut. She hosted and served as a technical consultant to "World of Wonder" series on the Discovery Channel. She was the subject of a PBS documentary, "The New Explores: Endeavor."
Jemison has also been honored for other attributes besides her knowledge of science and technology.
She was selected as one of "People Magazine's" 1993 World's 50 Most Beautiful People.
When asked about the honor, she shook her head and smiled as if she still did not know what to think of the award.
"It was surprising and strange. It took me a long time to decide if I should participate," she said. She said the award gives people a different image of who is involved in the sciences.
"More and more people are not going into the sciences because they don't think they're 'cool,'" she said.
Although extraordinary, Jemison still enjoys mundane, everyday activities as well.
"Just like everyone else," she said she enjoys dancing, traveling, television and cards.
She also likes gardening. "I'm really proud of my plants. They're not dying," she said.
"Probably it's because I'm watering them," she said, laughing.
Crain said Jemison is a "pretty normal person." For example, Crain said, Jemison and Goldburg used to rent Jean-Claude Van-Damme movies on the weekends last summer.
Although Jemison appears to always be busily engaged in projects, she also takes the time to enjoy life and slow down. She reflected on a letter her mother wrote to her while she was a junior at Stanford.
"Don't push the river, it flows by itself," she said her mother wrote.
"It took me a long time to understand what she meant. It means to go with the flow," Jemison said.
She lives in Houston with her three cats. She was born in Decatur, Alabama and raised in Chicago.
