Dr. Earyn McGee received her BS in Biology from Howard University and a MS and PhD in Natural Resources from the University of Arizona. Dr. McGee is passionate about field research, herpetology, and social justice. This is reflected in her research which focuses on how drought affects lizards in arid environments and also how to increase the representation of African American women in natural resources careers. She is a NSF Bridge to Doctorate Fellow and a NSF GRFP Fellow. She has served her community as a Doris Duke Conservation Scholars graduate mentor, the Co-chair of her department’s Inclusive Excellence committee, and as a science communicator.
You can find her on Twitter and Instagram at @Afro_Herper where she runs a popular social media game called #FindThatLizard. Every week she sends out a photo of a lizard camouflaged in its natural environment to her 47k+ followers on Twitter and almost 20k followers on Instagram. Players then have four hours to #FindThatLizard before the location is revealed. Earyn uses this game as an opportunity to teach people about lizards and help them build a greater appreciation for these cool animals. Dr. McGee was also one of the co-organizers for the 2020 social media phenomena #BlackBirdersWeek. She has been recognized for her efforts as a Forbes 30 under 30 lister in 2020. In the fall of 2019 Dr. McGee was named an AAAS IF/THEN STEM Ambassador. As a part of this program, she has been able to share her work with a national audience. Including inside Marie Claire Magazine, on Goldieblox's Fast Forward Girls, and soon an episode on CBS's Mission Unstoppable. Dr. McGee and the other 124 Ambassadors have been honored with life sized statues as part of the #IfThenSheCan- The Exhibit program. She spent the summer of 2020 working for the Las Vegas Review Journal as an AAAS Mass Media Fellow. Her greatest accomplishment in this program was having her work was featured on the front page of the newspaper. One day Dr. McGee hopes to host a natural history TV show about to teach people about animals and showcase Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color doing important conservation work. |