ASTRONAUT MAE JEMISON TO SHARE HER STORY DURING BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Mae C. Jemison, the first African American woman to travel in space, will share her story at 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, as part of Old Dominion University's President's Lecture Series.

The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will be held in the Mills Godwin Jr. Life Sciences Building auditorium. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

On Sept. 12, 1992, Jemison blasted into orbit aboard the space shuttle Endeavour, becoming the first woman of color from any nation to fly in space. However, her work as an astronaut is just part of her remarkable story.

A graduate of Stanford University, Jemison received her medical degree from Cornell University Medical College and worked in both engineering and medicine before joining NASA in 1987. After leaving NASA in 1993, she founded a small advanced technology company and worked as a college professor.

Her current work focuses on the beneficial integration of science and technology in everyday life. In pursuit of these ideals, she founded The Jemison Group Inc., whose projects have included consulting on the design and implementation of solar thermal electricity generation systems for developing countries.

Jemison launched The Earth We Share, an international science camp where youth from around the world collaborate to solve global dilemmas.

As director of the Jemison Institute for Advancing Technology in Developing Countries and professor of environmental studies at Dartmouth College, Jemison works on sustainable development.

A native of Decatur, Ala., Jemison's autobiography, "Find Where the Wind Goes: Moments from My Life," was published last year.

For more information call 683-3114.