Celebrating Black leaders in 中文无码
In 1944, Dr. became the first Black finalist in the Science Talent Search (STS), ranking in the top 10 scholarship winners that year. She followed in the footsteps of her father, Dr. Oswald Durant, one of the first Black doctors in Alexandria, Virginia, attending medical school and later becoming a renowned psychiatrist.
Since then, Black alumni of the 中文无码鈥檚 competitions have continued to break barriers across 中文无码 fields. Whether it鈥檚 being appointed to the Society鈥檚 National Leadership Council or receiving a MacArthur Fellowship, the Society鈥檚 Black alumni are leaders and change agents who are making the world a better place.
Robert 鈥楻a鈥� Bacchus
A Policy Specialist at Google, 2013-2014 ISEF alumnus and 2014 STS scholar Robert 鈥楻a鈥� Bacchus is passionate about the intersection of culture, society and technology. Before joining Google, Ra worked as a Policy Intern for the Office of Science & Technology Policy during the Obama Administration. He was also involved with the Oakland-based nonprofit , which aims to empower local youth and encourage entrepreneurship. Ra has a Bachelor of Arts in African American Studies and a Master of Arts in anthropology from Stanford University.
Harold Ekeh
STS scholar Harold Ekeh (2015) is the founding president of , a student-led, nonpartisan organization aiming to increase voter turnout and expand voter access across the country. At eight years old, Harold and his family immigrated to the United States from Nigeria. He received a Bachelor of Arts in political science and government from Yale in 2019 and is now a J.D. candidate at Harvard Law School.
Leah Guthrie
Currently a postdoctoral research fellow at the Stanford University School of Medicine, Leah Guthrie competed in ISEF 2006, 2007 and 2008. Leah was named a . As a microbiologist and immunologist, her research focuses on how gut microbes metabolize certain acids in foods and how the byproducts of those metabolized acids impact the gut microbiome and kidney disease.
Brian Hooker
After competing in the 1986 International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) and being named an STS finalist in 1988, Brian Hooker graduated with a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Stanford University. Brian is managing director for , a nonprofit based in Atlanta, Georgia which has provided 155,000 people with home computers, connected 165,000 people to low-cost internet and recycled more than eight million pounds of electronics.
Elle Lett
Cofounder of the , 2010 STS finalist Elle Lett聽is a in statistical epidemiology and M.D. candidate at the University of Pennsylvania. She recently won Cell Press鈥檚 2021 Rising Black Scientists Award, for her 鈥淪cience as a Tool for Justice鈥� essay, which you can read . Elle plans to use her research of health services and social epidemiology to motivate policy changes that will lead to health equity in the United States.
Emmanuelle St. Jean
Emmanuelle St. Jean competed in both ISEF and STS in 2000. She is now the Director of New York City Programs for the , a college-in-prison program that has issued around 550 degrees across six interconnected New York State prisons since 2005. Previously, Emmanuelle served as a Broad Resident at the Broad Center and as Senior Director of Shared Services and Enrichment at KIPP DC.
