Dr. Kennedy Reed has an extensive portfolio of work broadening the participation of women and minorities in STEM disciplines. Dr. Reed has been a physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) since 1979, working on research in theoretical atomic physics. Throughout his career at LLNL, he has played a significant role in efforts to increase opportunities for minority students and professionals in the sciences. An important contribution has been the establishment of a national model for scientific collaborations linking leading scientists from a national laboratory with professors and students from Minority Serving Institutions. Through a program to bring together LLNL scientists, faculty from Historically Black College and Universities (HBCUs) and other institutions serving predominantly minority students (MIs) the LLNL/HBCU/MI Program, has produced more than thirty scientific publications co-authored by LLNL scientists and HBCU/MI faculty and students. A significant number of student participants in the program have pursued advanced degrees, and many have entered the science and technology workforce. Dr. Reed initiated an undergraduate program at LLNL and has encouraged minority students to pursue advanced degrees and careers in STEM disciplines. Many of these students have entered the STEM workforce. Recognizing that minority recruitment and retention in these disciplines posed challenges, he was instrumental in the creation of graduate fellowships at LLNL for students, and then helped to broaden those opportunities among the other national laboratories. In his commitment to broadening the participation of minority and female students in the physical sciences, Dr. Reed has succeeded in helping 100 of these students to earn their doctorates.
Dr. Reed has been instrumental in shaping the careers of numerous students through other activities such as the National Physical Science Consortium Fellows program and the National Society of Black Physicists Fellows. Dr. Reed's work has helped to broaden the participation of underrepresented students in STEM and enhance the research and academic infrastructure of Minority Serving Institutions. Through the efforts of the consortium, over 300 graduate fellowships have been awarded. He served as the Chair of the National Society of Black Physicists, and continues to chair its scholarship committee. Over 30 undergraduates have received scholarships.
