Mae Jemison promotes quality education both in science and the arts

By Lissa Harris

As a society, we need to make education in science and the arts a high priority, says Mae Jemison, former NASA astronaut and professor of environmental studies at Dartmouth College.

Cornell A.D. White Professor-at-Large Mae Jemison responds to a question from Joseph Esnard, a senior scientist with Cornell's Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, during her talk March 25 in Statler Auditorium. Frank DiMeo/University Photography

As part of a five-day visit to Cornell in her role as an A.D. White Professor-at-Large, Jemison gave a free public lecture in the Statler Auditorium, March 25, on "S.E.E.ing the Future: Science, Engineering and Education."

High-quality science education is important, said Jemison, not only for scientists but for all members of a democratic society.

"There needs to be an improvement in K-12 science education. It has to be experiential and hands-on -- not only for the next generation of scientists, but so that we can have people who can read an article in the newspaper and figure out how to vote on it; so that we can have people in our legislatures, in our leadership positions, who understand the importance of the science they are funding or not funding," she said.

Jemison's remarkable career as an astronaut, physician, educator, scientist and entrepreneur has made her one of Cornell's most distinguished alums. In 1992, as a science mission specialist, she became the first woman of color to travel in space, spending eight days in orbit aboard the space shuttle Endeavor, in a joint venture between the United States and Japan.

Jemison, who received an M.D. from Cornell Medical College (now Weill Cornell Medical College) in 1981, has earned many honors for her career in science and public service, including induction into the Women's Hall of Fame and the National Medical Association Hall of Fame. She was selected in 1998 by the White House Project as one of 20 women with the possibility of becoming U.S. president.

Her commitment to science education led Jemison in 1994 to found The Earth We Share International Science Camp, a residential science literacy program for 12- to 16-year-olds. The program is sponsored by her company, the Jemison Group.

It is hardly surprising that an eminent teacher and practitioner of science should be an advocate for improving science education. However, Jemison -- who as an undergraduate at Stanford University had to decide between medical school and pursuing a career as a professional dancer -- is equally concerned with advancing educational opportunities in the arts.

"When we look at education, fine arts are the first thing to go. And yet they are so important to developing who we are, to exercising our mind and our creativity," she said. "We need to balance and reconcile and reunify the arts and the sciences."

Jemison told her audience that she took with her on board the Endeavor objects representing both scientific and artistic achievement: a poster of dancer Judith Jamison, a Bundu statue from Sierra Leone and a certificate from Chicago schoolchildren pledging to improve their science and math skills. "Some folks asked me, why did I take up this eclectic collection of things? But I felt them very congruent. Because to me they all represented the same thing -- human creativity. The same creativity that is required to build and launch the space shuttle."

Jemison was appointed in 1999 to a six-year A.D. White professorship, endowed by the President's Council of Cornell Women.