News & Events

UNCG Chemistry & Biochemistry Graduate and New Adjunct Associate Professor Iris Wagstaff Wins Education Award

Posted on August 22, 2017

NOBCChE Board Member Dr. Iris Wagstaff has recently been awarded the Women of Color Magazine and Women of Color STEM Conference K-12 Promotion of Education Award. A subsidiary of Career Communications Group, INC, Women of Color magazine’s annual Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Conference is the forum of choice for recognizing the significant contributions by women in STEM fields. Dr. Wagstaff will be presented the award at the 22nd annual WoC STEM Conference in Detroit, MI on Oct. 7. 

Dr. Wagstaff is a STEM Program Director in the Education and Human Resources Department of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Most recently she served as 2015-2017 AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) in the Office of Investigative and Forensic Sciences. She has over 20 years of STEM outreach and advocacy in the community developing informal science programs, mentoring STEM majors, equipping parents with tools and resources to encourage their children in STEM, and providing culturally relevant science education pedagogy to teachers. She has advocated for students at the K-20 levels and built strategic partnerships between industry, educators, researchers, and community activists. She is a 25 year member of the National Organization of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE). She has served as the Delaware Valley Chapter (DVC) Vice President, the DVC Super Saturday Science Academy Coordinator, the National STEM Education Chair, the 2016 National Conference Chair, and currently serves on the NOBCChE Executive Board. She has received numerous awards for her STEM advocacy that include the 2017 Raleigh, NC Links Services to Youth in STEM Award, the 2016 Women of Color in STEM Trailblazer Award, the 2015 NOBCChEHenry McBay Outstanding Teaching Award, and a 2016 nomination for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Math, and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM). 

Congratulations Dr. Wagstaff! Continue to exemplify the mission of NOBCChE!