Roderick Mickens©AMNH

Creating after school programs, making DNA necklaces with visitors at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, and teaching in the classroom have been highlights of my time spent with people eager to learn. Engaging others in thinking about the common history of modern humans is very important to me. 

My career outreach goals are to increase science literacy, encourage participation in the fields of natural science, and to help all people become excited about learning. 

See below for examples of my outreach.

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Public Interaction

My outreach has included participation in museum activities like the "Scientist is In" and "Meet the Scientist". I have also guest lectured in college classrooms, at society and board meetings, and at several pop-sci events. I love participating in institution-wide celebrations to talk about primates, like "Asia Night", "Museum Member Family Night", and "National Fossil Day" (see image above). 

After-School Programming

 In the Spring of 2018, I co-created an after-school course for high school students focusing on the evolution of hominin bipedalism at the American Museum of Natural History. One highlight of the course was creating our own footprints in sand and manipulating digital renderings to learn how scientists study fossil trackways.  

Teacher Resources

By providing resources to teachers, scientists can ensure an impact on the researchers of tomorrow. I have provided artwork and artistic research skills to multiple projects disseminating biological anthropology concepts.

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Class Contributions

Aside from instructing several biological anthropology lab sections and gross anatomy, I have also assisted in the preparation and management of a faunal skeletal collection for use in the college classroom.