Maynard Okereke, better known as the Hip Hop M.D.,  graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in Civil Engineering.  He is an award winning Science Communicator, having received both the Asteroid Award for "Best Streaming Content" and the People of Change Award for his community outreach efforts.  He's been featured on Netflix's "Ada Twist Scientist", The Science Channel, Curiosity Stream, and his STEM outreach work has been published in "Scientific American". 

 

He is also a professional speaker and worked with companies like Blue Origin, 3M, Microsoft, NVIDIA, and spoken to dozens of students at K-12 schools & universities along with educators all across the globe.

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Noticing a lack of minority involvement in the S.T.E.M. fields, he created Hip Hop Science with the goal of encouraging minorities and youth to pursue more advanced career paths.  His background in engineering, acting, business, and credible work within the music industry as an artist, make him uniquely qualified to engage on a wide variety of topics from an entertaining perspective.  This is highly reflected in his daily social media posts which provide both humorous and informative SciComm content.

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With the impact of science being felt in every aspect of life and new technological trends paving the way, it's important to be able to communicate scientific topics in an easily palatable format for aspiring students and general audiences.  Maynard's distinct personality, energy, and enthusiasm for science have made him a key contributor to the educational understanding of a wide range of communities.

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His creative storytelling and ability to host, speak, and engage with audiences has sparked collaborations with many high profile organizations, brands, and institutions that trust his authentic voice and expertise.

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Also having success as an entrepreneur on Shark Tank, he looks to continue his work of changing the stereotype of "what a scientist looks like" by sparking curiosity about the opportunities in STEM to help propel the next generation into the scientific frontier.