Speaker: Alexis Campbell, Iowa State University Science Bound director; associate graduate faculty in the School of Education and Roy J. Carver Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology (She received her Ph.D. in plant biology in the Roy J. Carver Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology at Iowa State University in 2011 and her B.S. in biology from ISU in 2004.) 

Title: "Empowering students of color to pursue ASTEM through ISU’s 32-year pre-college through college program"

Alexis Campbell, director of the Science Bound program, has been with Iowa State since 2000, when she began her academic journey. A Research Experience for Undergraduates (NSF-REU) with Dr. Basil Nikolau launched her path into investigating plant lipids for her Ph.D. and fostered her interest in blending research with teaching at the pre-college and undergraduate levels. During her time with Dr. Nikolau, she progressed from student to scientist to graduate faculty within the Roy J. Carver Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology, mentoring more than 70 (under)graduate students along the way. Campbell's research interests include 1) the biochemistry of plant fats, 2) longitudinal work on support structures for ethnically and racially minoritized students in ASTEM, and 3) STEM identity. Additionally, she served as Iowa State's Director of Teaching-as-Research prior to joining the Science Bound team in 2017.  

Science Bound is Iowa State University's premier pre-college through college program to empower ethnically and racially minoritized students in Iowa to pursue degrees and careers in agriculture, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (ASTEM) fields, and education. We engage middle and high school students from Des Moines, Denison, Marshalltown, Osceola (Clarke County), Iowa. Students begin the nine-year program during the summer before eighth grade and continue through to college graduation. This program is not possible without our program champions, which include faculty from all of the undergraduate colleges offering experiential learning opportunities and engaging with youth as they explore ASTEM-focused careers. Since 2018 the program has grown from 3 to 4 school districts across Iowa thanks to increased support from corporate/industry, nonprofit, and federal (NSF & USDA) partners. During the academic year 2021-2022, more than 500 pre-college Science Bound students (8^th -12^th grade) and 160 Iowa State Scholars earned the full-tuition merit scholarship.

Host: GDCB Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee

Aug. 30, 2022, GDCB Seminar flyer: Alexis Campbell of Science Bound