Two ReBUILDetroit scholars star in “Face of Science,” a national social media campaign funded by the National Institutes of Health Diversity Program Consortium that visualizes inclusive excellence in STEM.

In a video release last week Wayne State University student Sydni Alexis Elebra discusses her undergraduate research, how she feels about identifying as a scientist, and how she hopes to impact the fields she pursues.

In a conversation as scientific peers, Elebra and a student from the University of Detroit Mercy ask each other what they love about science and what it means personally to be a researcher.

“I feel that me being in science is a defining moment for people in my culture,” Elebra said in the video. “We do have a lot of scientists, but not a lot of people are as passionate. And it’s more so, okay I’m going to tell you to be a scientist and you’re going to be that. But as I have a true passion for what I’m pursuing, it's fresh, it’s new to me at least in my culture and what I’m used to growing up in.”

Elebra will be featured individually with a video scheduled to release on May 5.

The Face Of Science campaign is part of Enhance Science, a digital media project created by the NIH DPC’s Coordination & Evaluation Center at the University of California, Los Angeles. The ReBUILDetroit students are joined by eight other biomedical research students from across the nation who participated in the DPC’s Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) undergraduate research training programs. The Face Of Science campaign debuted Wednesday, March 31, with a trailer featuring all 10 students.

*The Face of Science was filmed in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.