Danielle Lee is an assistant professor of biology at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and self-described hip-hop maven and outreach scientist who blogs about urban ecology and biology that you can see right in your own backyard. She uses hip-hop to connect the dots between culture and science in order to reach underrepresented communities like inner-city youth and open up the doors for them to pursue a career in science. In an interview with science reporter Véronique LaCapra at KWMU, Lee said, “There aren’t a lot of role models, so that’s why I do my outreach, to let folks see, one, a different face of science, and to see different avenues into science.”
In 2017, Lee traveled to Tanzania to research the behavior and biology of landmine-sniffing African giant pouched rats in her position as the National Geographic Emerging Explorer. Check out her TED talk on the subject.
Assistant Professor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Areas of Expertise: Biology, Urban Ecology, Evolution, Animal Behavior, STEM, Diversity, Science Outreach, Hip-Hop
Location: Edwardsville, Illinois
Contact Info:
Mobile: (314) 283-2959
Work: (618) 650-3405
Email: Dnlee5@ymail.com, danilee@siue.edu
Twitter: @DNLee5
Heard on St. Louis Public Radio:
St. Louis blogger helps inner-city youth find “on ramp” to science
Added January 2013. Last verified January 2021.