KINGSTON, R.I. – Sept. 14, 2026 – Dr. Mae Jemison has spent her entire aerospace career integrating the physical and social sciences with art and culture to spark innovation and build meaningful solutions to critical problems facing the world.

Jemison is an American engineer, physician, and former NASA astronaut whose work on improving science literacy, and achieving diversity and inclusion within STEM disciplines is recognized globally. In her Sept. 22 talk, “An Inclusive, Audacious Journey Transforms Life Here on Earth and Beyond,” as part of the University of Rhode Island Honors Colloquium, Jemison will consider ways to generate, activate and execute practical steps to achieving the extraordinary. 

Hosted by the Honors Program, URI’s premier lecture series examines the science of outer space. After meeting with students and faculty, Jemison will bring her case to the public at 5:30 p.m. in Edwards Hall on the Kingston Campus as part of the fall colloquium series, “Interstellar Exploration: Journey Beyond Your Limits.” Her appearance will also be livestreamed on the colloquium’s website. 

Registration is required to attend.

Jemison, the world’s first woman of color to go into space, was a NASA astronaut for six years and flew as the science mission specialist aboard the joint mission NASA-Japanese space agency space shuttle Spacelab J. Jemison is also a fellow and visiting scholar at EnMed, Texas A&M University’s engineering medicine program, researching pathways to transform scientific insight into operational therapy and optimizing biomedical instrumentation in clinical settings.

Jemison also founded the Jemison Group Inc., a technology consulting firm that purposefully considers and integrates critical socio-cultural issues when designing engineering and science projects. She also founded The Earth We Share, a national program that designed and implemented STEM experiences impacting many teachers and students around the world.

Jemison has received several accolades for her work, including being named to the Forbes 50 Over 50 list in 2023, the 2023 Prix Galien Roy Vandelos Pro Bono Humanum Award for Global Health Equity, the African Union Ambassador’s inaugural Mickey Leland Award for global leadership. She was also inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame, Texas Science Hall of Fame, and the National Medical Association and International Space halls of fame.

Jemison’s lecture will be followed on Sept. 29 by Robert Zubrin, founder of the Mars Society and president of Pioneer Astronautics. A full roster of colloquium speakers and sponsors can be found on the Honors Colloquium website.

This year’s URI Honors Colloquium is led by the Department of Physics, bringing forth thought-provoking conversations that bridges cutting-edge science and the boundless imagination of science fiction. The series concludes in December with a lecture on achieving the impossible with outer space.

Hosted by the University’s Honors Program, the annual URI Honors Colloquium is free and open to the public. To see recordings of last year’s speakers, or past colloquiums, visit the Honors Colloquium Archives. Sign up here for more information and reminders for colloquium events or by emailing urihonors@etal.uri.edu.