I apologize for lack of post on badass female scientist. I really have no excuse besides the fact that I’ve been a lazy lump for the past couple of months. But, I’m back on it and proud to dedicate today’s short and sweet blog to one serious badass: Dr. Mae Jemison.

Many of you should know how Dr. Mae Jemison is. Whether you’ve seen her on Star Trek: The Next Generation or actually in space as the first female African-American astronaut, she has definitely had a deep and positive impact on the scientific community.

Born in Decatur, Alabama to a maintenance supervisor and a school teacher, Mae Carol Jemison dreamed of being in space since she was a little girl. She grew up passionate about the basic sciences, but was also a talented dancer. At 16 years old she enrolled into Stanford University and received her B.S. in chemical engineering 4 years later, as well as a B.A. in African and Afro-American Studies. Throughout her education, she found that being both African American and female made it difficult for her male peers and teachers to treat her as an equal to her classmates. Luckily, she was able to persevere and entered Cornell Medical College, where she later earned her M.D. During medical school, Jemison also taught and choreographed many modern jazz and African dance shows from her home.

After residency, Jemison joined the Peace Corps where she served as a medical officer for 2 years in both Liberia and Sierra Leon. She was, however, inspired by Sally Ride (the first American woman in space) in 1983 and decided upon leaving the Peace Corps to apply to NASA’s astronaut program. She became the first African-American woman in space, serving as Mission Specialist from September 12 to 20, 1992 on the Endeavor. While in space, Jemison was co-investigator of two bone cell researches, and she also ran experiments testing weightlessness and motion sickness on her and her fellow astronauts. In total, Jemison logged 190 hours, 30 minutes, and 23 seconds in space. The following year Jemison left NASA to pursue research in the social sciences, showing just how interdisciplinary she was. She became a professor of Environmental Engineering at Dartmouth College from 1995 to 2002 and is still currently a professor at Cornell University. She has also founded two companies: the Jemison Group and BioSentient Corp.

While her many academic accolades are to be applauded, Jemison was also known for her deep love for all things Star Trek related. Against NASA protocol, she started each day in space saying “hailing frequencies open” as a salute to all the trekkies out there. Her love for Star Trek did not go unnoticed, and she was asked to appear on an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, making her the first and only real astronaut to be in the series. Besides her short gig on Star Trek, Jemison has used her role as an astronaut as a platform for promoting science and technology to underrepresented minorities. She even started a camp for young children called The Earth We Share that allows them to explore global issues and work together to solve them.

So, obviously Dr Mae Jemison is nothing short of a badass. She proves that neither gender nor ethnicity should stop you from achieving your dreams, whether they be flying up in space, opening up your own company, or being on your favorite TV show. Three cheers for Dr. Mae Jemison. May we always look up to her as a shining example of what endless possibilities can be attained through hard work and giant hearts.