Full Name
Stephen Alkins
Job Title
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Officer
Company
TERC
Speaker Bio
I am Stephen D. Alkins, a scientist, educator, and artist dedicated to championing and strategically co-developing equitable STEM learning environments and pathways through sustainable systemic transformation. As the Diversity, Equity, Access, Inclusion, and Belonging Officer (DEAIBO) at TERC, I help craft and implement the vision for DEAIB at TERC through collaboration on National Science Foundation (NSF) STEM education grant development across multiple learning environments. My role and responsibilities include recruitment and retention of a diverse research and infrastructure staff, internal policy review, development and analysis of inclusive educational opportunities and social programming, and establishment of equitable, reciprocal community partnerships. More specifically, I help research teams employ critical DEAIB frameworks/theories (e.g., Decolonization, Critical Race, Queer, Social Capital, Disability, etc.) to dismantle systemic inequities within STEM education research and practice, foster STEM identity development, and engage and include historically excluded/marginalized communities in authentic, collaborative research experiences. Further, I direct the TERC Scholars Program, an undergraduate internship, to mentor the next generation of STEM education researchers, advance social justice in STEM education, and broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in STEM fields. I serve as the Principal Investigator (research lead) for two NSF awards: (1) The Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) Equity Resource Center and (2) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site: STEM Education through a Social Justice Lens.
Beyond TERC, I serve as an advisory board member of the LEAH Project and The Pathway Initiative to diversify career paths and opportunities for underrepresented and historically excluded groups in STEM. I also serve as co-chair for the careers working group of Browning the Green Space, an initiative aimed at diversifying the field of clean energy. Finally, I am an alumnus of the Massachusetts Education Policy Fellowship Program through the Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy, and the MIT Impact Program.
I received my B.S. in Biology from Morehouse College and my Master’s and Ph.D. in Cellular Neuroscience from Brandeis University, under the mentorship of Leslie C. Griffith, M.D., Ph.D. I served as a mentor to other students in my thesis laboratory, and for the undergraduate POSSE Science program. I also participated in diversity recruitment efforts through minority student/professional societies (e.g., ABRCMS, SACNAS, etc.) and the Brandeis Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Steering Committee, chaired by Anita Hill. Further, I worked as a learning specialist in the Math and Science Academic Achievement Center at MassBay Community College, where I co-created the Achieve in Math (AIM) Program to support students placement into college-level mathematics. And, in 2020, I was featured by Cell Press and Cell Mentor on its “1000 Inspiring Black Scientists in America” list.
Finally, I am a national-performing Spoken Word/SLAM poet who uses art to diversify participation in and enhance understanding of STEM concepts (STEAM). Most recently, I was appointed to the Boston School Committee by Mayor Michelle Wu to help the Boston Public School system realize its vision of a quality guarantee for all students: to provide equitable educational environments and opportunities.
Beyond TERC, I serve as an advisory board member of the LEAH Project and The Pathway Initiative to diversify career paths and opportunities for underrepresented and historically excluded groups in STEM. I also serve as co-chair for the careers working group of Browning the Green Space, an initiative aimed at diversifying the field of clean energy. Finally, I am an alumnus of the Massachusetts Education Policy Fellowship Program through the Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy, and the MIT Impact Program.
I received my B.S. in Biology from Morehouse College and my Master’s and Ph.D. in Cellular Neuroscience from Brandeis University, under the mentorship of Leslie C. Griffith, M.D., Ph.D. I served as a mentor to other students in my thesis laboratory, and for the undergraduate POSSE Science program. I also participated in diversity recruitment efforts through minority student/professional societies (e.g., ABRCMS, SACNAS, etc.) and the Brandeis Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Steering Committee, chaired by Anita Hill. Further, I worked as a learning specialist in the Math and Science Academic Achievement Center at MassBay Community College, where I co-created the Achieve in Math (AIM) Program to support students placement into college-level mathematics. And, in 2020, I was featured by Cell Press and Cell Mentor on its “1000 Inspiring Black Scientists in America” list.
Finally, I am a national-performing Spoken Word/SLAM poet who uses art to diversify participation in and enhance understanding of STEM concepts (STEAM). Most recently, I was appointed to the Boston School Committee by Mayor Michelle Wu to help the Boston Public School system realize its vision of a quality guarantee for all students: to provide equitable educational environments and opportunities.
Speaking At
