National Harbor, MD • Nov. 11-13

Dr. Carter Clinton is a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Anthropology at Penn State, a recent graduate of Howard University, and former assistant curator of the W. Montague Cobb Research Laboratory. He is a genetic anthropologist, National Geographic Explorer, and Cosmos Foundation Scholar. Carter's research interests include studying understudied, unidentified African descended peoples (historical and contemporary) to fill in the missing genetic identity gaps created by the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. He has extensive experience working with historical populations of the African diaspora, most notably the New York African Burial Ground (17th–18th Century) and the Cobb Collection (19th–20th Century).

Carter is working to combat the paucity of African-descended representation and expand the presence of African-descended peoples in genomic databases. Ultimately, his research goals include exploring the genomic identities and evolutionary variation of African-descended peoples and uncovering implications for disease susceptibility (genetic and infectious) to provide an informed foundation for medical professionals to use for treatment as we move into the age of precision medicine.

Heidi Schweingruber, PhD

Heidi Schweingruber is director of the Board on Science Education at the National Research Council (NRC). She has been involved in many of the major projects of the board since it was formed in 2004. Heidi co-directed the study that resulted in the report A Framework for K–12 Science Education (2011), which is the first step in revising national standards for K–12 science education. She served as study director for a review of NASA’s pre-college education programs in 2008 and co-directed the study that produced the 2007 report Taking Science to School: Learning and Teaching Science in Grades K–8. Heidi was an editor on the NRC reports America’s Lab Report (2006), Mathematics Learning in Early Childhood (2009), Discipline-Based Education Research (2012), STEM Integration in K–12 Education (2014),,and Science Teachers' Learning (2016). She co- authored two award-winning books for practitioners that translate findings of NRC reports for a broader audience: Ready, Set, Science! Putting Research to Work in K–8 Science Classrooms (2008) and Surrounded by Science (2010). Prior to joining the NRC, Heidi worked as a senior research associate at the Institute of Education Sciences in the U.S. Department of Education.

Erika Shugart, PhD

Erika Shugart is executive director of the National Science Teaching Association. Before joining the association staff in March 2021, Erika served as chief executive officer and executive director of the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB), a Maryland-based professional society for more than 7,000 cell biologists worldwide. Prior to joining ASCB in 2016, she served as director of Communications and Marketing Strategy at the American Society for Microbiology.

Between 2003 and 2013, Erika oversaw the development of new digital media exhibitions, online experiences, and programs as deputy director of the Marian Koshland Science Museum of the National Academy of Sciences. She also directed the National Academy of Sciences’ Office on Public Understanding of Science, managing several projects, including the article series Beyond Discovery.

Erika has been recognized as a leader in the fields of informal science education and science communication. In 2010, she was elected as a AAAS Fellow for distinguished contributions and leadership in public understanding and engagement in science. She was a Noyce Leadership Fellow from 2012 to 2013. In 2007, the National Academy of Science awarded her with an Individual Distinguished Service Award and she shared Group Distinguished Service Awards in 2004 and 2011.

Jim Short

Jim Short is a program director within the Carnegie Corporation of New York's Education program, where he manages the Leadership and Teaching to Advance Learning portfolio. Jim oversees grantmaking aimed at preparing and supporting teachers and school and system leaders for learning environments that enable students to develop the knowledge, skills, and dispositions they need for future success.

Jasmine Sanders is a climate scientist, strategist, advocate, and native of Monroe, LA Growing up in Louisiana, she witnessed the impact of rising sea levels and underpriced fossil fuels that led to devastating oil spills, hurricane that exacerbated the existing stressors and social inequities, and that state washing away. Motivated by her love of science and passion for climate policy, she researched the effects of rising sea temperatures on corals in her graduate studies in the United Kingdom.

Jasmine is executive director of Our Climate, a climate change advocacy organization energized by its youth grassroots movement. Striving to raise awareness of the intersecting effects of climate change and the communities of color who are disproportionately affected, she utilizes the positivity that results from uplifting our youth to make a global impact.

Jasmine has written legislative briefs for the U.S. House of Representatives Science, Space and Technology Committee, and worked for Terpstra Associates, a DC lobbying firm where she advocated on Capitol Hill for agricultural and environmental issues.

She earned a graduate degree from the University of Essex with an MSc in Tropical Marine Biology. Jasmine is a graduate from the University of South Alabama with a BS in Biology and a minor in Spanish.