Continuing the tradition of celebrating great women in STEM, the Physics Department celebrated Mae Jemison’s 68th birthday on Thursday 17 October. Jemison is an American engineer, physician, and former NASA astronaut. In 1992, she made history by becoming the first African-American woman to travel into space as a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour.

During the celebration, we gathered in the hall to enjoy cake and doughnuts while watching a short video of Mae discussing her career path. This was followed by a viewing of her appearance on *Star Trek: The Next Generation*. Afterwards, we sang “Happy Birthday” to Mae, and Lilian from LV, who shares Mae’s birthday, blew out the candles on the cake. We then held a quiz with prizes for the top three participants.

It was a fun celebration of a true trailblazer who has inspired countless people in science, technology, medicine and beyond. Many thanks to the catering team for the delicious and beautiful cake! Happy 68th Birthday, Mae Jemison!

Dr MacTavish, Head of Physics