Dr. Danielle Lee is an important American woman figure in the field of science. She is now an assistant professor at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where her research interests include animal behaviour based on evolution and ecology. She does however specialize in the fields of mammalogy, behavioural ecology and urban ecology.
She is originally from Memphis, Tennessee, where she received her bachelor’s degree in Animal Science. For this degree, she attended the Tennessee Technological University, and graduated in 1996. Following her bachelor’s degree, her original goal was to pursue veterinary medicine. However, she was denied entry into veterinary school on four different occasions. She then decided to explore other career options, and began learning about olfactory behaviours of meadow voles. It was then that Dr. Lee discovered her passion for academic research. She then pursued a master’s degree at the University of Memphis, and later earned her PhD at the University of Missouri-St. Louis in the field of Biology.
https://theexpertshow.com/blog/2018/4/5/more-about-dr-danielle-lee
Her current research interests, beginning in 2017, focus on the differences that exist in rodent behaviour when exposed to both rural and urban environments. She is particularly focused on the African giant pouched rat. She wishes to conclude if genetics play a role in these potential behavioural differences, for the African giant pouched rat in particular. In 2012, Lee travelled to Tanzania to learn more about her research subject for a different project. Therefore, she had already been exposed to this species prior to investigating her most recent research.
In addition, Dr. Lee has excellent science communication skills. She published a blog entitled Urban Science Adventures from the years of 2006-2011. She then joined the Scientific American Blog Network from 2011-2016. During this time period, she wrote The Urban Scientist Blog. In her blog posts, she discussed her experience as a member of the science community. She also focused on explaining scientific concepts in a clear and understandable manner to underrepresented individuals of society. These individuals happened to be members of, for the most part, the African American community.
Dr. Danielle Lee felt that women, particularly African American women, were underrepresented in the science community. She has since founded the National Science and Technology News Service, which is a media group that focuses on spreading information about scientific news and STEM fields to the African American community. This is meant to spark scientific interest throughout this community, and spread awareness of the various scientific career pathways available. However, she does admit that she had to work twice as hard as her male colleagues to get to where she is in her current career. Although this can be a common shared experience among female individuals in any male dominated field, Dr. Lee was able to overcome any obstacles she may have faced. She proved that anything is possible to those who work hard and preserver. Overall, this sends a positive message to young girls of any race. We definitely need more women like Dr. Lee in the science community.
Works Cited:
Danielle N. Lee. (2019, December 3). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danielle_N._Lee
Applied Plant Ecology Winter 2020 