Darlene Cavalier is a Professor of Practice at Arizona State University’s School for the Future of Innovation in Society. She is the founder of SciStarter (a popular citizen science portal and research platform), founder of Science Cheerleaders (an organisation with nearly 300 professional cheerleaders pursuing careers in STEM -science, technology, engineering and math-), cofounder of ECAST (Expert and Citizen Assessment of Science and Technology) and cofounder of ScienceNearMe.org. Recently, ASU President Michael Crow awarded Cavalier and her team the prestigious Medal for Social Embeddedness. Her areas of expertise are Citizen Participation; Equity, Justice and Sustainability and Science Communication and Broadcasting.