Shirley Malcom, M.S. '67

At UCLA’s doctoral hooding ceremony on June 11, 2016 the UCLA Medal — the campus’s highest honor — was presented to alumna Shirley Malcom, the director of education and human resources programs for the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

The medal is presented to those of exceptionally distinguished academic and professional achievement whose work embodies UCLA’s highest ideals.

Malcom’s commitment to increasing diversity in academia led her to previous positions as a member of the National Science Board, the policymaking body of the National Science Foundation, and on former president Bill Clinton’s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology. She is widely known as a champion of public science literacy. Her work has fostered access and broadened opportunities for careers, mentorship and leadership for girls, women, underrepresented minorities and the next generation of scientists.