Christopher Emdin
Christopher "Chris" Emdin (born 1978) is a tenured professor in the Department of Mathematics, Science, and Technology at Teachers College, Columbia University. At Columbia, he launched the Center for Health Equity and Urban Science Education with Dr. Barbara Wallace in 2013. In 2013, he was a fellow at the W.E.B. DuBois Research Institute at Harvard University.. His bio describes him as "a social critic, public intellectual, and science advocate." He is author of the book, Urban Science Education for the Hip-Hop Generation, and regular contributor to the Huffington Post .. Commentary on his work on race, culture, inequality, and education has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Forbes, and Atlanta Journal Constitution. He developed and partnered with rapper "GZA" from the "Wu Tang Clan" and website "Rap Genius" to develop the Science Genius B.A.T.T.L.E.S -. which engages students in science through the creation of raps and a final rap battle competition.
Emdin is founder of the popular #HipHopEd web chat and social movement .. He is a leading researcher in Hip-Hop, science, and education.
Personal
Emdin was born in Takoma Park, Maryland, and attended Brooklyn Technical High School in New York City. He then attended Lehman College in the Bronx, New York, where he majored in Physical Anthropology, Biology, and Chemistry. He received his Masters degree in Natural Sciences from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, and Ph.D in Urban Education with a specialization in Science, Mathematics, and Technology from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. He spent some of his early years in Africa, where he learned to write and speak local languages . He is known to exchanges on local New York news stations about the closing of New York City Public schools and is often embroiled in debates about how to improve urban education.
Academic background
Emdin holds a Bachelors degrees in Physical Anthropology, Biology, and Chemistry from Lehman College (2000). He also holds a M.S. in Natural Sciences from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (2003), and a PhD in Urban Education from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, (2007)