2025 Excellence in JEDI Awardee

The JEDI award recognizes this person or group for their outstanding contribution(s) that may include, but are not limited to, developing both formal and informal activities that promote JEDI in the geosciences, exemplary mentorship of the next generation of diverse geoscientists and geoscience educators, influential communications that promote discussion and actions in support of JEDI, or relevant scholarly contributions.

Dr. Samuel Cornelius Nyarko, Indiana University Indianapolis

Dr. Samuel Cornelius "Sammy" Nyarko is an assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Indiana University Indianapolis and principal investigator of the Earth Sciences Education Research Lab. He has a strong track record in advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) in geoscience education. Dr. Nyarko served as chair of the National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT) DEI Committee and as a member on the American Geosciences Institute's (AGI) Inter-Society DEI Committee. Dr. Nyarko's research centers on promoting inclusive departmental and classroom practices to foster a sense of belonging and confidence among underrecognized people. He has co-developed and applied the Integrated, Coordinated, Open, and Networked (ICON) framework to cultivate DEIJ across the geoscience community, emphasizing global inclusion and critical reflection on the field's historical context. Additionally, he investigates how the history and philosophy of science can be used to teach the nature of science, ethics, and equity in introductory geoscience courses. In recognition of his contributions, Dr. Nyarko received the NAGT-GER Early Career Award in 2024, honoring his emerging leadership in geoscience education research. He was also named Outstanding Reviewer for the Journal of Geoscience Education in 2022.

Selected DEI works:

Nyarko, S.C., Cook, M., Ibarra, Y., Kelly, S.B., Knight, A., Thomas, D., & Weislogel, A. (2023). Making Geoscience for Everyone: Three Years of the NAGT DEI Committee. In The Trenches, Vol.13(2).

Nyarko, S. C., Fore, G. A. & Licht, K. (2023). The Role of Ethical Care in the Geosciences: Examining the Perspectives of Geoscience Undergraduates. Journal of Geoscience Education, Vol 71(4), 540-552.

Fortner, S., Manduca, C., Ali, H., Saup, C. M., Nyarko, S. C., Othus-Gault, S., Perera, V., Tong, V. C.H., Gold, A., Furman, T., et al. (2022). Geoscience Education Perspectives on Integrated, Coordinated, Open, Networked (ICON) Science. Earth and Space Science Open Archive, 1-13.

Nyarko, S. C. & Raji, M. (2022). Highlighting "The GEOSness" of Black Scientists: A Week to Remember.  National Association of Geoscience Teachers. https://nagt.org/nagt/dei/story/highlighting_geosness_black_sc.html

Nyarko, S.C., Alwan. A., Marshall, A., Cooke M., Jackson, S., Piatek, J. L., Sibert, E., (2024). Methodological Design of the Disabled Geoscientists' Experience Survey. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 56 (5). doi: 10.1130/abs/2024AM-404719

Alwan. A., Nyarko, S.C., Marshall, A., Jackson, S., Piatek, J., Sibert, E., Cooke M., & Tan, H. (2024). "Disclose and Lose My Job?" Disclosure Tensions for People With Disabilities In the Geosciences. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 56 (5). doi: 10.1130/abs/2024AM-404852

Nyarko, S.C., Bryant, R., Keisling, B., Bernard, R., Monarrez, P.M., Dunkle, K., Jackson, S., & Avent II, W. (2023). Preliminary reports from the 2022 second national conference and the 2072 writing team. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 55 (6).  doi: 10.1130/abs/2023AM-395597

Perera, V., Othus-Gault, S., Fortner, S., *Nyarko, S. C., Tong, V., & Johnson, E. (2022). ICON Framework for Promoting Equity and Justice in Geoscience Education. Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, Vol 54 (5). doi: 10.1130/abs/2022AM-378047