VSU Dean Of The College Of Natural And Health Sciences Appointed To White House Board

Dr. Derrick C. Scott will serve on the National Board of Education Sciences. 

Today, U.S. President Joe Biden announced his intent to appoint the VSU Dean, Dr. Derrick Scott, to the National Board of Education Sciences. Dr. Scott, a VSU alum, is the Dean of the VSU College of Natural and Health Sciences.  

The National Board for Education Sciences consists of 15 voting members appointed by the U.S. President. The board’s duties include advising the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences and serving as a “board of directors” for the Institute by approving or disapproving the Institute’s priorities as proposed by the Director. The board ensures that the priorities of the Institute and the National Education Centers are consistent with the organization’s mission. 

Dr. Derrick Scott received his B.S. in Biology at Virginia State University, his M.S. in Molecular Biology from Virginia Tech, and his Ph.D. in Integrative Biology with a focus in Bioinformatics from the University of South Carolina. He is currently the Dean of the College of Natural and Health Sciences at Virginia State University, where his goals are to help lead the University to High Research Activity status and create more opportunities for minorities and women to enter science careers. His research involves bringing down the costs of expensive medicines by using informatics to identify target genes in Chinese hamster ovary cell lines that will make the lines more stable. He recently helped to establish the Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory at Delaware State University, which allowed the university and surrounding communities to stay safe via COVID-19 PCR testing. 

Read the post from the White House on today’s appointment.