DC Huskies
Alumna named to 2015 U.S. News STEM Leadership Hall of Fame
Shirley Malcom, ’67, has been honored by U.S. News & World Report for her work to improve girls’ and women’s access to education and careers in science and engineering. She is one of five leaders being inducted into U.S. News STEM Leadership Hall of Fame this year.
Currently serving as the head of Education and Human Resources Programs at American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Washington, D.C., Malcom works to enhance public science literacy and improve the quality of and access to education and careers in STEM fields. She is a trustee of Caltech, a regent of Morgan State University and a member of the SUNY Research Council. She has also served on the National Science Board, the policymaking body of the National Science Foundation, as well as on President Clinton’s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology.
Malcom received her bachelor’s degree with distinction in zoology from the UW in 1967. She holds advanced degrees in zoology and ecology from UCLA and the Pennsylvania State University as well as 16 honorary degrees.
She is a leader in efforts to increase the use of science and technology to empower women internationally and address problems they face in their daily lives. She serves as co-chair of the Gender Advisory Board of the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development and Gender InSITE, a global campaign to help improve the lives and status of girls and women through technology.
Malcom was named UW’s alumna of the year in 1998 and received the Alumna Summa Laude Dignata Award. In 2003, she was given the Public Welfare Medal of the National Academy of Sciences, the highest award given by the Academy.
In choosing STEM Leadership Hall of Fame honorees, U.S. News seeks leaders who have achieved measurable results in the science, technology, engineering and math fields; challenged established processes and conventional wisdom; inspired a shared vision and motivated legions of aspiring STEM professionals. Learn more.
