Mae-day, mae-day!

As far as role models go, Mae Jemison is definitely on my list. The first time I heard about her was in one of my favorite TV shows, One Strange Rock. The episode she was featured in was about the origin of life on Earth. I was immediately impressed by her as she spoke so well and intelligently on the subject. I think spending time as an astronaut gives people a new kind of wisdom and intelligence, which she definitely possessed. Not only was she the first African-American woman in space, but she is also a doctor and was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. She was also a Peace Corps medical officer, and is currently director of the Jemison Institute for Advancing Technology in developing countries.

I think that she could help me a lot in studying the effects of climate change on ecosystems, such as coral reefs. Her bachelor in Chemical Engineering could be useful in helping to find solutions to decrease CO2 production. She is also an activist for the fight against climate change, as she founded and began a term as chair of The Earth We Share (TEWS), an annual international science camp where students, aged 12 to 16, work together to solve current global dilemmas. (Which I totally want to attend!)

Throughout her life and experience, she has proved to possess many competencies, such as communication, citizenship, and critical thinking. For communication, I can personally vouch for her because I heard her speak on One Strange Rock and think that she communicated her point of view and knowledge extraordinarily well. Her citizenship skill can be seen through her background as a Peace Corps, and through her starting TEWS to help the future generation develop their critical thinking skills. Speaking of critical thinking, she shows this competency by having been a NASA astronaut. Being an astronaut requires lots of critical thinking because you need to be able to find solutions to problems all the time in space.

In conclusion, I think that Mae Jemison is the perfect choice to help me in my ecological concern.

Click here to read an article explaining why Mae Jemison is a great climate activist.
I strongly urge anyone to go watch One Strange Rock on Netflix!

Sources: The Guardian, NASA on Flickr, Wikipedia

Photo by NASA on The Commons on Flickr