Christopher Emdin

Professor of Science Education & Author, and Minorities in Energy Ambassador for the Department of Energy

Christopher Emdin

Professor of Science Education & Author, and Minorities in Energy Ambassador for the Department of Energy

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Biography

Christopher Emdin is the Robert A. Naslund Endowed Chair in Curriculum Theory and Professor of Education at the University of Southern California; where he also serves as Director of youth engagement and community partnerships at the USC Race and Equity Center.

He previously served as Director of the Science Education program at Teachers College, Columbia University and alumni fellow at the Hip-hop archive and Hutchins Center at Harvard University. He has served as STEAM Ambassador for the U.S. Department of State and Minorities in Energy Ambassador for the U.S. Department of Energy.

Dr. Emdin holds a Ph.D in Urban Education with a concentration in Mathematics, Science, and Technology; Masters degrees in both Natural Sciences and Education, and Bachelors degrees in Physical Anthropology, Biology, and Chemistry.

He is the creator of the #HipHopEd social media movement and Science Genius BATTLES. He was recently named one of the 27 people bridging divides in the United States by Time magazine.

He is the author of numerous award winning works including the award-winning book, Urban Science Education for the Hip-hop Generation and the New York Times bestseller, For White Folks Who Teach In the Hood and the Rest of Ya’ll too. His latest books Ratchetdemic: Reimagining Academic Excellence and STEM, STEAM Make Dream are currently available wherever books are sold.

Speaker Videos

Teach Teachers How to Create Magic

TEDx: Teaching & Being Rachetdemic

TEDxNYED Talk

TEDxTeachersCollege: Reality Pedagogy

Hip-Hop and the Remix of Science Education

Convocation 2014

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Speech Topics

The Crisis of Urban Education

In this presentation, Dr. Christopher Emdin lays out the current and ever-evolving sociopolitical and “in the trenches” landscape of urban education, outlines the reasons for our current national challenges, and offers research-based but often underexplored solutions. This speech explores the public/private battle in urban education, challenges of teacher training and recruitment, national policy, the newly developed common core learning standards, and new possibilities.

Teaching & Learning from the Student's Standpoint

In an age where terms like “multiculturalism” and “cultural relevance” have been littered across the educational landscape, teachers and administrators still have a challenging time implementing instructional approaches/tools that meet the needs of a diverse student population. Education speaker Christopher Emdin explores the current educational buzz words, bridges the divides between theory and practice, and provides tangible tools for educators on improving their practice.

Hip-Hop & Education

Keynote speaker Christopher Emdin explores the concept of hip-hop education and discusses what works and what doesn’t in this growing field. He outlines research-based ways that hip-hop culture can be used in education and discusses the pitfalls of hip-hop education that are rarely discussed by scholars, researchers, and a growing “hip-hop intellectual” audience. In this speech, Dr. Emdin critiques hip-hop while discussing its immense political and social potential.

Rethinking STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics)

Dr. Christopher Emdin explores participation and engagement in STEM fields and the ways that the education culture tracks students out of success in these disciplines. He uncovers reasons for youth disinterest in school and the STEM disciplines and how we can look for new educational approaches that foster participation and engagement in STEM without sacrificing rigor and content. This speech discusses what it takes to be a scientist; how educators, parents, and the general public can hone those skills in youth; and why we have no choice but to re-focus on creating a new STEM generation.

Testimonials

"If you're looking for a powerful, inspiring, challenging, entertaining, and extremely impactful keynote look no further than Dr. Chris Emdin. Not only was our audience entertained throughout the day with Chris, but they shared that they were walking away re-energized, re-connected to why they do this work, and equipped with a set of new tools to improve their practice. Chris is the ultimate professional who you will definitely want to work with. I can't recommend Chris more highly."

- University of San Diego

"I would like to extend a thank you for your role in making our first Capital Region Urban Schools Conference such a success. I have been receiving wonderful feedback and want you to realize the significance of your role and contribution in the success of this important event."

- Schenectady City School District

"I think that the statement that one of our 26-year veterans of the district says it all: she relayed that Dr. Emdin was absolutely the best speaker we have had in her tenure with the district. Our staff was fully engaged while Dr. Emdin was speaking; they asked great questions and participated in breakout sessions in the afternoon that Dr. Emdin helped us design. It was a pleasure working with him and we would love to have him back. Your team was also wonderful—APB did a great job of supporting us. We would definitely work with you again. Many thanks!"

- Montclair Public Schools

"Dr. Emdin was amazing! One of our math professors said her students are still talking about his presentation. He did an excellent job conveying the importance of thinking about arts (STEM to STEAM) when teaching science. This is especially important for us since we are a liberal arts institution. I know the Dean of Science and Social Science was at the evening presentation and I think that really hit him. My students (mainly education and psychology majors) continue to ask the question of how this type of teaching can be incorporated more. They all identified with his method of teaching based on their experience in school. He was inspiring to so many of them."

- Chief Officer for Diversity and Multiculturalism, Keene State College

"Chris was terrific. He did a great job at all of the events we had scheduled for him—nice interaction with a variety of folks—students, teachers, faculty, community members. It was all that we could have hoped for. Thanks again for everything. It was a pleasure to work with your organization—negotiating the price, being flexible about the signed contract, handling updates on logistical arrangements—all of these are things that can cause lots of stress and you-all did it well. Not everyone does. We appreciate it."

- University of Wyoming

"Chris is AMAZING. He engaged our student group (so many students showed up that we packed our space and had to add more chairs!) and more than half of them stayed after just to talk with him. He was hands down one of the best speakers I have hosted yet. Chris is a genuine, brilliant, and engaging person. He connected with EVERY student who showed up. Everyone I have seen today just raved about him. Thank you and APB for all of your work in coordinating his visit."

- Bates College

"He was great and the students/faculty loved him. He was reading a few of the tweets from students in the car on the way back from the airport: 'This was the best presentation I have ever been to...' 'You totally inspired me to change career directions and want to teach.' Thank you so much for recommending him, he delivered ten-fold"

- University of New England

"We're still trying to recover from the immense positive reaction! He was amazing—he has created a buzz on campus. He was the first UVU convocation speaker to get sporadic, unscripted applause AND a standing ovation. He was worth the year's wait!"

- Utah Valley University

"He was absolutely the best presenter we have had on campus! He loved our Mazza Museum on campus and was very personable with our students. He seemed to really enjoy his time here and truly had an impact. I would love to bring him back to campus next year for a longer period of time."

- University of Findlay

"We had a wonderful time with Chris, he really knows how to engage an audience, both in the public presentation and the informal small group session. Several participants in the public event were visibly moved by his talk. Chris was very gracious talking and taking selfies with members of the audience during the reception after his presentation."

- Drexel University

"My mind is still abuzz from the ideas and questions you offered during your presentation. The brilliance of your content is matched by your energy, and I have been hearing non-stop praises from attendees since yesterday. So many people talked about the poignance of your real-life parenting stories and their tremendous accessibility to all of the educators and caretakers in the audience. Thank you for being so generous of spirit with our attendees. I watched you interact with admirers during the break, and I think you gave people hope and beautifully disrupted their thinking. We have no doubts that you planted some incredibly fecund seeds in the minds of the conference's hundreds of attendees. Thank you, again! We hope to remain thought partners for many years to come."

- Jewish Education Project