| 1956 |
Born on October 17, in Decatur, Alabama. |
| 1973 |
Graduates from public school in Chicago.
Enters Stanford University at the age of 16. |
| 1977 |
Graduates with a B.S. degree in Chemical
Engineering and a B.A. degree in African and Afro-American
Studies. |
| 1977-1981 |
Attends Cornell Medical School. While there, she travels
to Cuba, Kenya, and Thailand to provide primary medical care. She
earns her Doctorate in Medicine in 1981. |
| 1983 |
Spends two years in the Peace Corps
as a Medical Officer for Sierra Leone and Liberia
in West Africa. |
| 1985 |
Works with CIGNA Health Plans of California as a
medical doctor. Begins graduate courses in engineering.
Applies to the NASA astronaut training program and is not accepted. |
| 1987 |
Accepted by NASA to be an astronaut candidate. |
| 1988 |
Finishes astronaut training and becomes the fifth
black astronaut and the first female astronaut. |
| 1992 |
Becomes the first woman of color to go into space.
While in space, she conducts experiments in life science and material
science. |
| 1993 |
Resigns from NASA and becomes a faculty member of Dartmouth
College in the environmental studies program. At Dartmouth, she is
also the Director of the Jemison Institute for Advancing Technology
in Developing Countries. |
