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Physician, astronaut and engineer Dr. Mae Jemison says everybody needs to be "science literate" to think their way through the day, and be a contributing member of society. 

"People write laws and regulations, or don't write regulations, or want to reverse laws and regulations based on how they see the things," Jemison said during a discussion at the Commonwealth Club of California, December 13, 2016. Even if you aren't a scientist there's a good chance your decisions — when becoming active politically or within the career field you choose — could influence what kind of research that's being done and how it's used to better the world, she said.

The first African-American woman in space started her Stanford engineering degree at age 16, and she's on a mission to get more girls and women involved in science, technology and engineering. 

, the federal civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in education programs. 

Jemison received a BS in chemical engineering, and fulfilled the requirements for a B.A. in African and Afro-American Studies, from Stanford University in 1977, and a doctorate degree in medicine from Cornell University in 1981.

The talk was moderated by Kimberly Bryant, an electrical engineer and the founder of "Black Girls Code."

To listen to the program, click the audio player above.

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Physician, astronaut and engineer Dr. Mae Jemison says everybody needs to be "science literate" to think their way through the day, and be a contributing member of society.

Physician, astronaut and engineer Dr. Mae Jemison says everybody needs to be "science literate" to think their way through the day, and be a contributing member of society. The first African-American woman in space started her Stanford engineering degree at age 16, and she's on a mission to get more girls and women involved in science, technology and engineering.

Dr. Mae Jemison on the need for science literacy

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