Sibrina Speaks

As the year 2019, comes to a close, I am reflecting on some important milestones for the year. I began 2019 with an interview in the journal Nature , where  I talked openly about moving forward after being denied tenure in academia. Believe me, I do not plan to give more interviews about this difficult experience, but I really believe we each have a responsibility to share parts of our testimony (journey) to help other people going through painful struggles or life experiences. Honestly, I simply wanted to share part of my journey to help someone else. I once read that it is fine to sometimes revisit the past, but you need to make sure you surround yourself with truly supportive friends and family, who will not allow you to live in the past. I am thankful. I had the absolute honor of serving as a keynote speaker this year, where I shared my journey with the next generation of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) leaders at both the University of Detroit-M...

Several years ago as a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Chemistry at Louisiana State University, I read the American Chemical Society's (ACS) publication, Careers for Chemists: A World Outside the Lab, which absolutely changed my life. Prior to reading the book, I assumed that the best career option for me was to be a chemistry professor. This book provided engaging narratives about many career pathways for chemists including, patent law, forensic science, business and science journalism. Thus, after my postdoc, I decided to pursue an opportunity as an editor and writer for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Needless to say, the opportunity with AAAS is the reason that I enjoy writing to this very day! (Honestly, every STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) major needs effective writing skills. You could make remarkable achievements and discoveries in the laboratory, but if you can't communicate your results, what i...

The New Year began with great excitement for me. I had the opportunity to be  interviewed by Scholastic's Science World about our contribution focused on  Black Panther, Vibranium and the Periodic Table . Scholastic's Science World is read by over a million students worldwide, so this is just awesome! In addition to the interview article, there are lesson plans aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), which allow students to focus on where to classify the fictional vibranium (Vb) metal based on evidence, draw conclusions and then share their ideas. Thus, our work is being used to help students learn to engage in arguments from evidence, which is an important skill all students need to develop. As an educator, I have always used pop culture, history, and music to make connections to classroom content. Several years ago, I published a short paper focused on using  iPods to teach electrochemistry  concepts for a general chemistry class, which w...