Previous recipients of the public engagement award include astronomer Carl Sagan, astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and U. of I. entomology professor and department head May Berenbaum. This honor will be presented in an awards ceremony Feb. 10 at the 2021 AAAS annual meeting.

An AAAS-produced release and video about Ngumbi’s selection describes her “ambitious priorities,” which include “helping the world meet sustainability challenges, diversifying the global community of scientists, and practicing and teaching science communication.”