Upcoming Events
Exploring the Chemistry Connections in African Rock Art and Black Heritage
Oct 15, 2021, 1:30 - 2:45 PM
If you would like to attend, contact Andre Clayborne, Assistant Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry for Zoom details.
Join us to hear Catherine Quinlan, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Howard University speak on "Exploring the Chemistry Connections in African Rock Art and Black Heritage."
Abstract: Many understandings have been derived from indigenous peoples that often go unacknowledged in science. Scientists have used African rock art as data and evidence to learn about the science and cultures behind African rock art. In this presentation you will learn about the cultural resources of people of Black African heritage, particularly African Americans and indigenous Africans. You will participate in a brief hands-on activity and come away with exemplary resources for understanding the chemistry and other connections to Black heritage. For the hands-on activity, have the following available if possible: foods or other materials with color (i.e., any syrup, sugar or chocolate syrup, apple sauce, sand, chalk, dirt, ketchup, etc.)
Biography: Dr. Catherine Quinlan is Assistant Professor in Science Education in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at Howard University School of Education. She completed her doctorate in Science Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is currently funded by the National Science Foundation to situate the lived experiences and narratives of Black heritage, particularly the African American Gullah Geechee peoples of the United States, in the science curriculum. Her first research publication from this project was published in the International Journal of Science Education. It is titled: “Emergent Themes and Pragmatic Research Methods for Meaningful Cultural Representation of Blacks in Multimedia Products for the Science Classroom.” Her drive for practical products that Black students can identify with led her to capitalize on her scientific, social, and cultural understandings in her newly launched chapter book series, titled Keystone Passage, which brings Black cultural representation into the formal and informal settings. Dr. Quinlan also continues her work on “Creating an Instrument to Measure Social and Cultural Self-efficacy Indicators for Persistence of HBCU Undergraduates in STEM,” as her article is titled.