In September, Dr. Mae Jemison will celebrate the 25th anniversary of her journey into space in 1992 - a trip she envisioned since her childhood. The voyage marked the first time an African-American woman left the earth's atmosphere. Jemison was in Seattle on Tuesday to speak at a conference. In light of her science literacy and education work - she created an international space camp for teens shortly after leaving NASA in 1994, and advocates for Bayer's Making Science Make Sense program - we asked her to talk about her passion for expanding opportunities in STEM for women and people of color. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

For many Americans, starting their own business is the manifestation of the American dream: Take a risk, work hard, get rich. So why don't more women do it? Women, despite being about half the labor force, own 36 percent of companies in the United States. Those who do own companies are half as likely as male founders to employ anyone other than themselves, and they generally earn less in revenue, according to census data analyzed in a new report by Third Way, a think tank. In technology, fewer than 10 percent of start-ups are owned by women, according to another new paper, by researchers at Harvard.

A link to the video where five female engineers discuss the sexism of the tech industry and why greater diversity and inclusion makes better products for everyone.

The Society of Women Engineers recently shared a trove of astonishing documents from the group's archives. They're letters, loads of them, all directed at women engineering students who had contacted various universities about their interest in connecting with other women studying engineering. Lou Alta Melton and Hilda Counts, both students at the University of Colorado in 1919, were trying to start their own professional society. Their letters - and the many responses they received - are part of the Society of Women Engineers sprawling archives, which are housed at Wayne State University in Detroit.

The artificial intelligence is eating the world, transforming virtually every industry and function. Meet the brilliant AI researchers and technologists driving the edge of innovation. Incredible breakthroughs occur when talented and diverse thinkers collaborate, pooling together unique backgrounds, disciplines, expertise, and perspectives. Holistic and inclusive thinking is even more important in the field of AI, where the inventions have pervasive and exponential impact. This list of 20+ leading women in AI research is not comprehensive. Far more talented people contribute to the field than we can quickly summarize in a single article. All of the women featured here overcame personal and professional challenges to achieve incredible impact and become leaders and role models for the industry.

WITI (Women in Technology International) and 451 Research partnered to better understand the impact of gender in the workplace, specifically in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. The survey was conducted in April/May 2016 and completed by 1,100 respondents, who are members of the WITI organization. Participants were asked about early life decisions and influences, mentoring and support, career choices and experiences, and opinions on the underrepresentation of women in STEM. Did you know that while 44% of women in STEM careers are looking for a leadership position, only 13% have actually achieved their goal by being promoted to one? This survey shines a light on this and other facts that show that women are still facing challenging road blocks in the workplace.

Shirley McCarty is an incredible woman and a pioneer in both computer and software development and technology management for the aerospace industry! Check out her inspiring career history in her 2003 WITI Hall of Fame induction video.

A study from the University of Washington's Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS) finds that, when exposed to a computer-programming activity, 6-year-old girls expressed greater interest in technology and more positive attitudes about their own skills and abilities.

Link to the interesting article, in which Will Marre talks about empowering women professionally and how to know when your boss is more than just a manager, but actually a true leader.

The Internet of Things is continually expanding at a fast pace, we expect it to revolutionize a broad range of sectors. Many women have reached the top of the industry, confronting the gender gap and showing that it can be made. The world is continually evolving, and technology plays a crucial role in this respect. The development of the IoT industry, known as the Internet of Things, is expected to impact the business realm, in a significant way. According to US Technology firm Gartner, the IoT is anticipated to reach 26 billion units installed, by 2020. That is translated in no less than $1.9 trillion in global economic value. At the moment, the IoT is revolutionizing all sectors. The transportation, hospitality and travel sectors, along with industrial manufacturing, represent industry areas that have invested heavily in IoT.Nonetheless, considering that the Internet of Things is continually expanding at a fast pace, we expect it to revolutionize a broad range of sectors. All this outlines one thing: the IoT is growing, and it is going to increase furthermore.