University Park, Pa. -- Mae Jemison, the first African-American woman to go into space, is the next speaker in Penn State's Distinguished Speakers Series at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 22, in Schwab Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required.
Tickets will be available to students attending the University Park campus on Tuesday, April 15. Tickets will be available to faculty, staff and students from other Penn State campuses on Wednesday, April 16. The general public may pick up any remaining tickets beginning Thursday, April 17, on a first-come, first-served basis. The Eisenhower box office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Limited tickets might also be available the night of the speech.
Jemison blasted into orbit aboard the shuttle Endeavor on Sept. 12, 1992. A chemical engineer, scientist and physician, she was NASA's first astronaut to serve as science mission specialist on the STS-47 Spacelab J flight, a mission conducting experiments in life sciences, material sciences and the Bone Cell Research Experiment.
An advocate of science and technology, Jemison focuses on improving the status, quality and image of the scientist. In today's technological world, she says it is imperative that the scientist is concerned about social issues. With this in mind, she founded The Jemison Group, which researches, develops and markets advanced technologies suited to the social, political, cultural and economic context of the individual, especially for the developing world.
The Distinguished Speakers Series is sponsored by the University Park Allocation Committee, coordinated by the Distinguished Speakers Series Committee and the Office of Student Activities, and funded by student activity fees. For more information, contact the Office of Student Activities at (814) 863-3786.