Danielle Grey-Stewart was named a 2021 US Rhodes Scholar, and is currently studying at Oxford. She is a materials scientist who is passionate about social justice, Danielle has extensive independent research experience and was a student leader at MIT’s PKG Public Service Center. She is also served as the chair of the Undergraduate Association Committee on COVID-19 and served on the MIT School of Engineering Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. She plans a career that will “responsibly use the elegance of engineering to address the immense inequity within our society” and integrate historically ignored perspectives into science policy. At Oxford, Danielle conducts research at the intersection of technology, society, and policy.
THREE QUESTIONS WITH A RHODES SCHOLAR
What has it been like being part of the Rhodes community?
It’s been motivating in a really positive way. I’ve loved meeting people from all over the world who have found passion in fields both different and similar to mine. Being in this community has allowed me to expand my definition of public service and introduced me to incredible people to learn and grow with.
How has Oxford complemented your MIT education?
I’ve learned so much about research disciplines that are entirely new to me. I wished I had taken better advantage of humanities and social science classes at MIT, so I am really enjoying the new expectations of my coursework as well as seeing a bit of what my friends in other fields are learning.
What new skills/abilities have you gained?
Studying history has been an opportunity to construct arguments and come to conclusions using different types of data than what I’m accustomed to from engineering. It’s been incredibly rewarding reflecting on my experience collecting data from experiments and calculations in my undergraduate studies in comparison to how I seek out historical evidence in my graduate studies. I’m gaining a more holistic look on research that I’ll carry forward into the future work I do.
