Biographical Statement

Crystal Harden, EdD, manages educational programs and access initiatives for Morehead, including on-site and outreach programming and the North Carolina Science Festival. She collaborates with faculty, researchers, and communities to develop and implement accessible STEM curricula for broadening participation in STEM. Her research interests include the science identity expression of rural African American middle school-aged girls.

Harden is founder of the Science for All Summit, a community convening designed to engage educators, practitioners, researchers, thought leaders, and other change agents in conversation and knowledge building around emerging issues and innovative strategies related to advancing access in STEM for people of all backgrounds and lived experiences.

Harden holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from North Carolina Central University and a master’s degree and doctorate in education from UNC-Chapel Hill. Before joining Morehead in 2008, Harden served as an educational consultant for the California Department of Education. She also served as an expert on mobile science programs for the US Department of State in Amman, Jordan.

Education

EdD 2021 – Curriculum and Instruction, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
MAT 1993 – Secondary Education – Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
BS 1992 – Chemistry, North Carolina Central University

Service

• Member, North Carolina K-12 STEM Access Working Group, The Hunt Institute, 2023 – present
• Board Member, North Carolina Science Network, 2022 – present
• Board Member, Roanoke Electric Cooperative’s Youth STEAM Summit Board, 2022 – present
• Board Member, UNC Rural Initiatives, 2021 – present

Sponsored Projects

• Saunders Science Scholars Program Support, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, December 1, 2023 – August 31, 2026, $150,797
• 2024 Science for All Summit, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, November 1, 2023 – October 31, 2024, $50,000
• Featuring Underrepresented Talent in Urban and Rural Engagement with Science (FUTURES), North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation, October 1, 2019 – March 1, 2025, $1,000,000

Teaching

EDUC 533: Social Justice in Education
EDUC 697: Education Minor Capstone Course