Raychelle Burks

Raychelle Burks is an Associate Professor of analytical chemistry at American University in Washington, D.C. and science communicator, who has regularly appeared on the Science Channel. She was awarded the 2020 American Chemical Society Grady-Stack award for her public engagement excellence.

Raychelle Burks
Burks speaks in 2019
Alma materNorthern Iowa University

Nebraska Wesleyan University

University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Scientific career
FieldsAnalytical chemistry
InstitutionsAmerican University, Associate Professor, 2020 – Present
St. Edward's University, Assistant Professor, 2016 – 2020
Doane College, Postdoctoral Research Associate, 2013 – 2015

Education

Burks earned her BS in chemistry at Northern Iowa University, her MSc in Forensic Science at Nebraska Wesleyan University, and her PhD in chemistry from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln, and was a postdoctoral research associate at the Doane College.[1]

Career and research

Burks became an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas in 2016, where she taught and conducted research until 2020. She then moved to Washington, D.C. to join the faculty at American University as an Associate Professor of Chemistry.[2]

Her current research centers on developing low-cost colorimetric sensors for detecting chemicals of forensic interest including explosives and illicit drugs.[3][4][5][6] To maximize portability in the field, her group focuses on transforming smart phones into detection devices.[5] Her research interests lie in the applied science domain, which she believes is well-suited to capturing and holding students' attention because they are working to solve real world problems.[7] She has spoken about her intersectional research approach to equipping students with the technical knowledge they need to work on these real-world challenges with the United States Department of Defense Science, Technology, and Innovation Exchange.[7][8]

Public engagement

Burks is a popular science communicator, using pop culture as an anchor to explore chemistry. She appeared on the Science Channel's Outrageous Acts of Science and Reactions, the video series for the American Chemical Society.[9][10] She has appeared on Mother Jones' Inquiring Minds podcast to share how chemistry can save you from a zombie apocalypse and on The Story Collider podcast with a story from her time working in a crime lab.[11][12] In early 2020, she appeared on the NPR Short Wave podcast on the episode "A Short Wave Guide to Good - and Bad - TV Forensics".[13] Her writing has been featured in Slate, The Washington Post, UNDARK, and Chemistry World.[14][15][16][17]

Burks is also an advocate for women and underrepresented groups in science, speaking from her experiences as a black woman in STEM.[18][19] She founded the DIYSciZone at GeekGirlCon, bringing scientists and science educators together to give convention attendees hands-on experiences with science experiments.[20] The citation for her American Chemical Society Grady-Stack award read, “Raychelle is a public-scientist extraordinaire... She inspires a love of chemistry by bringing chemistry directly to where her audience is. This direct engagement — her commitment to finding chemistry that can entertain and enlighten people who wouldn’t normally think of science — is nothing short of phenomenal".[21]

In 2020, Burks appeared in the Tribeca Film Festival in the film "Picture a Scientist."[22][23]

Awards and honors

Her awards and honors include;

References
  1. "Raychelle Burks". St. Edward's University. Retrieved 2018-06-14.
  2. "Associate Professor". American University. Retrieved 2020-06-11.
  3. Burks, Raychelle M.; Hage, David S. (2009-07-31). "Current trends in the detection of peroxide-based explosives". Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry. 395 (2): 301–313. doi:10.1007/s00216-009-2968-5. ISSN 1618-2642.
  4. Okuom, Macduff O.; Burks, Raychelle; Naylor, Crysta; Holmes, Andrea E. (2015). "Applied Circular Dichroism: A Facile Spectroscopic Tool for Configurational Assignment and Determination of Enantiopurity". Journal of Analytical Methods in Chemistry. 2015: 1–6. doi:10.1155/2015/865605. ISSN 2090-8865. PMC 4326340.
  5. Kangas, Michael J.; Burks, Raychelle M.; Atwater, Jordyn; Lukowicz, Rachel M.; Williams, Pat; Holmes, Andrea E. (2017-03-04). "Colorimetric Sensor Arrays for the Detection and Identification of Chemical Weapons and Explosives". Critical Reviews in Analytical Chemistry. 47 (2): 138–153. doi:10.1080/10408347.2016.1233805. PMC 5351797. PMID 27636675.
  6. Burks, Raychelle M.; Pacquette, Shari E.; Guericke, Mike A.; Wilson, Mark V.; Symonsbergen, David J.; Lucas, Kerry A.; Holmes, Andrea E. (May 2010). "DETECHIP®: A Sensor for Drugs of Abuse". Journal of Forensic Sciences. 55 (3): 723–727. doi:10.1111/j.1556-4029.2010.01323.x. ISSN 0022-1198.
  7. DoD Science, Technology, & Innovation Exchange (2017-10-06), Dr. Raychelle Burks, "Catching Students at STEM Intersections", retrieved 2018-06-15CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. "Basic Research | DoD STEM". dodstem.us. Retrieved 2018-06-16.
  9. "Raychelle Burks – Outrageous Acts of Science Cast | Science". www.sciencechannel.com. Retrieved 2018-06-14.
  10. "Reactions". YouTube. Retrieved 2018-06-15.
  11. "How chemistry can save you from the zombie apocalypse". Mother Jones. Retrieved 2018-06-16.
  12. "Death: Stories about untimely ends". The Story Collider. Retrieved 2018-06-16.
  13. "A Short Wave Guide To Good — And Bad — TV Forensics : Short Wave". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
  14. "Raychelle Burks". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2018-06-14.
  15. Burks, Raychelle (2014-10-13). "Pumpkin spice latte, hint-of-lime chips and other chemically enhanced foods you should stop worrying about". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2018-06-14.
  16. "Raychelle Burks | Author | Chemistry World". www.chemistryworld.com. Retrieved 2018-06-14.
  17. "Flourish or Perish: A Grad-School Novel Hits Almost Too Close to Home". Undark. Retrieved 2018-06-14.
  18. Moosa, Tauriq (2014-07-17). "Girls Love Science. We Tell Them Not To". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2018-06-14.
  19. Mandelbaum, Ryan F. "Scientists React to New Ruling Requiring NSF-Funded Institutions to Report Sexual Harassment". Gizmodo. Retrieved 2018-06-15.
  20. "DIY Science '15: Return of the Zone! | GeekGirlCon". geekgirlcon.com. Retrieved 2018-06-16.
  21. "Raychelle Burks Wins ACS' Grady-Stack Award for Science Communication | St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas". www.stedwards.edu. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  22. "Picture a Scientist". Picture a Scientist. Retrieved 2020-06-26.
  23. Witze, Alexandra (2020-06-24). "Three extraordinary women run the gauntlet of science — a documentary". Nature. 583: 25–26. doi:10.1038/d41586-020-01912-6.
  24. "St. Edward's Raychelle Burks Selected as AAAS IF/THEN Ambassador | St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas". www.stedwards.edu. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
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