“Change minds, change hearts, change behavior, achieve transformation.” That’s bio-cultural anthropologist Dr. Irma McClaurin’s motto and through writing and science communication, she’s been able to achieve that. STPF alum Saira Mehmood and current STPF fellow Meryleen Mena, both anthropologists, have a conversation with Irma McClaurin, who is also an STPF alum, about her time in the fellowship and her dynamic career as an engaged anthropologist in both government and academia. The three also chat about the power of the pen and Dr. McClaurin’s public writing, which has appeared in numerous publications, such as Ms. Magazine.

Dr. McClaurin is a Black feminist trailblazer and founder of the Irma McClaurin Black Feminist Archives at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, was recently featured in the PBS documentary "Zora Neale Hurston: Claiming A Space," and is a champion of science communication. She regularly leverages her expertise in the social construction of inequality to share knowledge to academic and non-academic audiences, and she currently sits on the board of the Op-Ed project.

Guest

Irma McClaurin, Ph.D., Bio Cultural Anthropologist
2000-01 Executive Branch Fellow at U.S. Agency for International Development

Host

Saira Mehmood, Ph.D., Medical Anthropologist
2021-23 Executive Branch Fellow at the National Institutes of Health
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Meryleen Mena, Ph.D., Socio-Cultural Anthropologist
2022-24 Executive Branch Fellow at the National Science Foundation
LinkedIn

Executive Producer

José Hurtado, Ph.D., Computer Scientist
2022-24 Executive Branch Fellow at the National Science Foundation
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Meryleen Mena, Ph.D., Socio-Cultural Anthropologist
2022-24 Executive Branch Fellow at the National Science Foundation

Image: AAAS STPF