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In this installment of #BOOSTXL, Hakeem and host Lauren Maillian discuss the pursuit of big dreams, being a successful fish out of water, how to educate stakeholders and consumers, developing and maintaining a personal brand, and how scientific research carves the path toward consumer facing technology experiences.
About this event
Join us on April 22nd at 12pm PT.
Speaker
Hakeem Oluseyi
NASA
Astrophysicist and Space Science Education Lead, STEM Educator, Author
Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi is an internationally-recognized astrophysicist, science TV personality, and global education advocate who has had a long, distinguished career in academia and scientific research. Since 2007, he has been a professor of Aerospace, Physics, and Space Sciences at the Florida Institute of Technology. Currently, he is stationed at NASA Headquarters, where he serves as an Astrophysi…
Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi is an internationally-recognized astrophysicist, science TV personality, and global education advocate who has had a long, distinguished career in academia and scientific research. Since 2007, he has been a professor of Aerospace, Physics, and Space Sciences at the Florida Institute of Technology. Currently, he is stationed at NASA Headquarters, where he serves as an Astrophysicist and Space Science Education Lead for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. A former TED fellow, Dr. Oluseyi holds three degrees, eight U.S. patents, four E.U. patents, and co-hosts several shows on Science Channel and Discovery International, including Outrageous Acts of Science, How the Universe Works, Space's Deepest Secrets, Strange Evidence, You Have Been Warned, and Strip the Cosmos. Dr. Oluseyi’s success is even more impressive given his incredible personal background and story. Hakeem grew up in some of the roughest neighborhood’s in this country; he changed schools roughly 10 times in seven years. Living in chaotic circumstances led him to spend most of his time indoors reading and watching PBS nature shows. Discovering a love of science and a fascination with Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, Hakeem decided to teach himself these principles of science. He became determined to become a scientist and overcame incredible odds to earn 3 degrees: a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Mathematics from Tougaloo College, and a Masters and Ph.D. in Physics from Stanford University. After finishing up with school, Hakeem worked at one of Silicon Valley’s most successful companies and did research on manufacturing computer chips. Hakeem’s inventions can be found in the computer chips you use every day. Sharing his roller-coaster ride of success and the setbacks he faced along the way, Hakeem inspires audiences around the world to chase their dreams no matter how unlikely they may seem.Today, as NASA’s Space Education Lead, he is responsible for co-managing 27 SMD Science Activation cooperative agreements totaling more than $40M. He also provides strategic and scientific advising for SMD investments in STEM Education, Citizen Science, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and Strategic Communications. Currently, his scientific research is based on "hacking stars" to develop innovative new technologies and better understand our universe. Leveraging techniques for interpreting electromagnetic radiation, laboratory plasma physics, computational modeling, machine learning, time-domain informatics, big data analytics, and high-performance computing, his work has resulted in 12 patents, and ~80 publications covering contributions to astrophysics, cosmology, semiconductor manufacturing, and ion propulsion. His science education research has resulted in highly effective and efficient, divergent techniques for teaching mathematics and physics to learners of all ages.
Lauren Maillian is a change agent committed to diversity, innovation and inclusion. She brings her unparalleled energy, creativity and problem-solving skills to her role as CEO of digitalundivided, the social startup that leverages data and advocacy to catalyze economic growth and create pathways for Black and Latinx women entrepreneurs.Lauren is a consumer brand strategist, an award-winning marketer, a chief operating officer, and a technology startup investor and advisor. Lauren was invited by Walmart’s CEO to join the Board of Disruptors, their first-ever Innovation Council. A pioneer in the tech space, Lauren was the first Black woman to start an early-stage venture capital fund, as a founding partner and managing director at Gen Y Capital Partners. She has advised and invested in over 40 startups, which have generated over $700 million in revenue. Lauren has long been committed to empowering and advocating for women, lending her expertise and sharing her own experience. She serves as an advisor to Pipeline Angels, a social enterprise that trains executive women to become angel investors. She is the founder of Straight Up and Successful, a community and personal and professional development company, and is the Founder and Creator of The Collab, an arts and culture club committed to championing artists of color and diversifying the face of future collectors. She has distilled what she’s learned about entrepreneurship in her best-selling memoir, The Path Redefined: Getting To the Top On Your Own Terms, and she’s shared her passion for innovation as the Master Marketer and co-star of the Oxygen startup-focused docu-series Quit Your Day Job.Lauren began her entrepreneurial journey at age 19, co-founding a boutique winery, Sugarleaf Vineyards, which quickly became an internationally recognized, award-winning brand. Lauren was the youngest self-made winery owner in the country; she served as Chief Operating Officer from inception through the brand’s acquisition in 2011.Lauren serves on the Board of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Advisory Committee on Cultural Engagement. She is Vice-Chair of The Apollo Theater Foundation Young Patrons Steering Committee, a member of New York Urban League’s Development Committee, a founding member of the Young Entrepreneur Council, and a Lifetime Member of the Children’s Aid Society. Lauren is the creator and co-founder of the exclusive art series The Collab, which brings together artists and their supporters to uplift the work of artists of color. In 2014, the New York Urban League’s Young Professionals named Lauren Philanthropist of the Year.Lauren holds a Bachelor of Science, Magna Cum Laude, in International Trade and Marketing from the Fashion Institute of Technology. She lives in New York City with her two children and her husband.
