On April 28, 2022, the Department of Biology gathered on the UW Seattle campus to celebrate the career of Dr. Shirley Malcom and the endowment and scholars program created in her honor.
Professor Tom Daniel, Chair and Professor David Perkel, Dr. Tracy Johnson, President Ana Mari Cauce, Dr. Shirley Malcom, and Professor Trish Morse.
It was an event-filled day, starting off with a morning celebration program in the Walker-Ames Room at Kane Hall. The program’s welcome remarks were given by President Ana Mari Cauce. We also heard from Professors Tom Daniel and Trish Morse, who spearheaded the creation of the Shirley Malcom Fund. Dr. Malcom gave an inspiring speech, speaking about her background growing up in Birmingham, Alabama in the 1950s, her experience coming to the UW in the early 1960s as a young, Black woman in science, and why she does the work she does today with the AAAS and SEA Change to cultivate diverse communities in STEM that are truly equitable, accessible, and inclusive.
We were thrilled to have Dr. Tracy Johnson as our keynote speaker and inaugural Malcom Scholar. Dr. Johnson is the Maria Rowena Ross Chair in Cell Biology and Biochemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator. Dr. Johnson gave a moving presentation on the framework for understanding and building a culture of inclusion at an institutional level. She also presented some of the work she has been doing with RNA at UCLA and how thinking about inclusion has impacted her own research.
The day continued with a luncheon and meetings with department members, and concluded with a reception in the Life Sciences Building Greenhouse Classroom. The luncheon and meetings gave an opportunity for Biology graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, undergraduates, and faculty to meet and chat with Drs. Malcom and Johnson about diversification in science.
Dr. Tracy Johnson and Dr. Shirley Malcom.
“I think the notion of making sure we can SEE what we can BE is a really important one, and it has to start EARLY and it needs to be REINFORCED." – Dr. Shirley Malcom
The Shirley Mahaley Malcom Scholars Program
Established in 2021, the Malcom Fund provides broad-based support for justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in the Department of Biology. Specifically, the program aims to support activities by post-baccalaureate and graduate students, as well as postdocs and faculty members. An annual selection process will pick Malcom Scholars and their planned activities.
About Dr. Shirley Mahaley Malcom
Dr. Shirley Malcom entered the University of Washington in 1963. She was one of only two Black students in UW Zoology at the time, and always the only Black woman in any of her classes. Shirley struggled initially in her classes, but support from a fellow Black TA and from mentor Dr. Alan Kohn helped her realize that it was a lack of preparation and not her abilities that were causing her struggles. Dr. Kohn helped Shirley begin to realize her potential both as a scientist and as an advocate for change. After graduating from the UW with a B.S. degree in Zoology, Shirley earned her M.S. degree in Zoology from the University of California – Los Angeles and her Ph.D. in Ecology from the Pennsylvania State University.
After a year at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, Shirley joined the AAAS where she spearheaded major efforts in science education programs, with a focus on inclusion and equity. Shirley championed several major programs while at AAAS, including “Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action” (2009). This widely circulated publication inspired a major AAAS/NSF Conference and still serves as an important roadmap for the way biology is - or should be - taught today. Among her many other honors, Shirley was recognized by the UW as the Alumna Summa Laude Dignatus in 1998, the University’s highest honor. Her efforts with the AAAS continue today. Shirley has 16 Honorary Degrees, was appointed by President Clinton to the National Science Board, and was a seven-year member of the President’s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology.