atory . ▁ ▁Education ▁J ern igan ▁attended ▁Santa ▁Fe ▁High ▁School ▁in ▁Santa ▁Fe ▁Spr ings , ▁CA . ▁ ▁She ▁graduated ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 7 . ▁ ▁J ern igan ▁attended ▁Stan ford ▁University , ▁where ▁she ▁earned ▁a ▁B . S . ▁degree ▁in ▁physics ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 1 , ▁an ▁M . S . ▁in ▁engineering ▁science ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 3 . ▁ ▁At ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁California , ▁Ber keley , ▁she ▁received ▁an ▁M . S . ▁in ▁astronom y ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 5 . ▁In ▁ 1 9 8 8 ▁she ▁was ▁awarded ▁a ▁Ph . D . ▁in ▁space ▁physics ▁and ▁astronom y ▁from ▁R ice ▁University . ▁Her ▁research ▁focused ▁on ▁the ▁model ing ▁of ▁high - vel ocity ▁out flow s ▁in ▁regions ▁of ▁star ▁formation , ▁g amma - ray ▁burst ers , ▁and ▁the ▁study ▁of ▁radiation ▁produced ▁by ▁inter stell ar ▁shock ▁waves . ▁ ▁NASA ▁career ▁J ern igan ▁began ▁working ▁for ▁NASA ▁in ▁June ▁ 1 9 8 1 ▁at ▁the ▁Am es ▁Research ▁Center ▁while ▁ear ning ▁her ▁degrees ▁at ▁Stan ford ▁and ▁Ber keley . ▁She ▁worked ▁at ▁the ▁research ▁center ▁until ▁June ▁ 1 9 8 5 ▁when ▁she ▁was ▁selected ▁to ▁be ▁an ▁astr onaut . ▁She ▁entered ▁the ▁NASA ▁A str onaut ▁Corps ▁in ▁ 1 9 8 6 ▁and ▁retired ▁in ▁ 2 0 0 1 . ▁Her ▁first ▁trip ▁to ▁space ▁was ▁on