Darlene Cavalier

Darlene Cavalier is an advocate for public participation in science and science policy, a writer, and an entrepreneur. She is the founder of Science Cheerleader, an organization of more than 300 current and former NFL and NBA cheerleaders pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and math. They playfully challenge stereotypes, inspire young women to consider STEM careers, and help people from all walks of life get involved in science. The organization plays on her former position as a cheerleader for the Philadelphia 76ers basketball team. The Science Cheerleaders have been featured on national and international media outlets and serve as PIs in research projects including Project MERCCURI, a study of microbes on the International Space Station. With a grant from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Science Cheerleader published a free eBook, The Science of Cheerleading, available on iTunes.
She is also the founder of SciStarter, an online citizen science hotspot that connects people to Citizen science projects around the world, and is a cofounder of ECAST (Expert and Citizen Assessment of Science and Technology) along with the Boston Museum of Science, Arizona State University, the Loka Institute and the Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars.
She is a senior advisor and contributor to Discover Magazine. She served on the steering committee of Science Debate 2008, an organization that in 2008 got Senators McCain and Obama to debate the "Top 14 Science Questions Facing America," and made more than 800 million media impressions. Obama's answers formed the basis of the Obama science policy.
In addition to Discover, her writing has appeared in science publications such as the New York Academy of Sciences Magazine and Science Progress . Her work has been featured on the Today Show, CNN, Fox National Headline News, the Washington Post, and countless other media outlets.
Cavalier earned a bachelor's degree from Temple University and a master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania where she studied the role of citizens in science. She is a Professor of Practice at Arizona State University's Consortium for Science, Policy, & Outcomes, and the Center for Engagement and Training in Science and Society. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and four children.