Shirley Malcom Building Dedication
Dr. Shirley Malcom will be honored during a building dedication at the University Park campus in April. Innovation Park’s 329 Building will be named to honor Malcom, a noted scientist and leading advocate for representation in the sciences for women and girls of color.
The work of a pioneer requires blazing a trail that has not yet been cultivated, pushing forward into the new and unfamiliar. It takes knowledge, ingenuity, and fearlessness — traits personified by Malcom. Over the course of her illustrious and influential career, Malcom has opened doors into the sciences for women and girls, particularly women and girls of color. Malcom is an alumna of The Pennsylvania State University, and the University is proud to recognize the significant impact she has made as a nationally recognized leader in science education advocacy. Her life's work represents an unfaltering and demonstrated commitment to equity and inclusion in the sciences.
Malcom earned her doctoral degree in ecology from Penn State in 1974. In 1976, she co-published the landmark report The Double Bind: The Price of Being a Minority Woman in Science, bringing attention to the challenges of intersectionality, specifically the challenges of being a Black woman in the sciences.
Malcom has served in leadership positions for the National Science Foundation’s science education directorate and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). She was appointed to the National Science Board by President Bill Clinton in 1993 and served as a member of the President’s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology from 1994 to 2001.
Malcom’s work and impact is profiled on PBS's The History Makers: The Nation’s Largest African American Video Oral Library. During this interview, she stated, “I served on the National Science Board, the policymaking body of the National Science Foundation, and participated in their efforts around strategic planning, [and] around the systemic initiatives that they undertook. I instigated the activity to try to get people to focus on the fact that it was great to be able to do your research but maybe we should be able to expect that you would do things to support education, do things to support diversity, do things to support other kinds of worthy efforts and initiatives within the sciences and engineering.”
This quote exemplifies Malcom’s absolute commitment to diversity in the sciences, equating it in importance to the research itself. Her voice amplified the importance of inclusion in fields where it has historically been neglected. To this day, Malcom actively seeks to create environments that provide girls exposure to the sciences, with the goal of granting them the foundational knowledge they will need to thrive in higher education. We value and share this commitment, recognizing how profoundly Malcom’s advocacy strengthens the sciences over the long term.
Malcom’s decades of work have been recognized by several notable science organizations and associations. She has been awarded the Public Welfare Medal, the greatest honor given by the National Academy of Sciences in celebration of leaders who use science for the public good. Thanks to Malcom’s work as head of education and human resources programs for the AAAS, there are programs and activities available to engage students from traditionally underrepresented populations.
Malcom received a Distinguished Alumni Award from Penn State and also served on the Penn State Graduate School Diversity Review Team. She has also served as the commencement speaker for the Penn State Eberly College of Science and as a featured speaker for the Penn State Forum, which exclusively highlights experts with demonstrated, multifaceted impact.
Penn State is committed to embracing individual uniqueness, fostering a culture of inclusion that supports diversity initiatives, leveraging the educational and institutional benefits of diversity, and engaging all individuals to help them thrive. Accordingly, the University deeply appreciates Malcom's lifetime of contributions to the sciences through her dedication to issues of equity and inclusion.
Penn State is proud to honor this truly extraordinary alumna and the importance, reach, and impact of her life's work.