Dr. Mae Jemison, physician, entrepreneur, engineer and former astronaut, will give two addresses during the research colloquium and autograph copies of her book.

Dr. Mae Jemison is featured speaker
Africana research colloquium unites BGSU, area schools

Scholarship, service and culture will be highlighted during the Africana Studies Student Research Colloquium March 19. The Bowen-Thompson Student Union will be the site of simultaneous activities for students and faculty from the University and 13 area high schools.

“Perspectives on Race and Place in the African Diaspora” is the focus of the colloquium for undergraduate and graduate students and faculty. The daylong event will offer students the opportunity to take part in panel discussions and share their own research related to the theme. The colloquium is co-sponsored by the Africana Studies programs of BGSU and the University of Toledo.

About 300 high school students will attend “The Key of Africana Heritage: A Youth Mini-Festival” from 10:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Multi-purpose Room of the Bowen-Thompson Student Union. The theme for the festival is “Through the Arts, We Can Unite the World Community.” This activity is co-sponsored by Africana Studies and Education Transformation through Cultural Arts, a component of the Center for Innovative and Transformative Education at BGSU.

The campus community and high school students will hear separate talks by Dr. Mae Jemison, the first African-American female astronaut.

As the colloquium keynote speaker, Dr. Jemison will discuss her career as a physician, astronaut, chemical engineer, scientist and teacher. Her talk will take place during the luncheon from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Lenhart Grand Ballroom of the union. She will be signing copies of her book, Find Where the Wind Goes: Moments from My Life, from 11-11:30 a.m. outside the ballroom. The book is available in the University Bookstore.

At 2 p.m., she will address the high school students in the Multi-purpose Room of the union. The room will resonate with the sounds of African drumming and dancing when the students greet Dr. Jemison with the funga, a Yoruba welcome dance, and bid her farewell with the samba, both of which they have been practicing in preparation for her visit.

Dr. Jemison entered Stanford University at the age of 16, graduating in 1977 with a bachelor of arts degree in African and Afro-American studies and a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering. She earned her medical degree from Cornell University Medical College in 1981. Since then, she has followed a path of scientific and humanitarian achievement. She is well known for her contributions to Africana and other peoples through her research and international service, said Lillian Ashcraft-Eason, director of BGSU’s Africana Studies Program.

Dr. Jemison spent six years with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. As the science mission specialist on the STS-47 Spacelab J flight in 1992, she conducted experiments in life and material sciences and was co-investigator of a bone cell research experiment.

Today, she is founder and director of two entrepreneurial companies aimed at harnessing technology to improve the quality of life for people around the globe. She also founded a non-profit foundation that engages international students in the study of science through a hands-on curriculum she wrote.

The Babatunde Olatunji Drum Circle for World Peace, the University Dance Alliance and students from BGSU Greek and other organizations and from the Bowling Green and Toledo public schools also will provide entertainment and a show of appreciation for Dr. Jemison’s role in American history.

Participating high schools include Bowling Green, Central Catholic, Libbey, Rogers, Springfield, Scott, Waite, Woodward and Toledo School for the Arts. There also will be student representatives from East Toledo Junior High School, Ella P. Stewart Academy for Girls, Jones Junior High School, Dunbar Academy, Lake Erie Academy, Lincoln Academy and COSI,.