Staff Biography: Jesse Alexander, WB2IFS
Pronouns: he/him/his
Jesse Alexander is the Ham Radio Project Lead for Exploring the Electromagnetic Spectrum (EMS), a two-year STEM project to engage underrepresented Black, Indigenous, People of Culture (BIPOC) and 2SLGBTQI+ students in learning about the electromagnetic spectrum and the excitement of amateur radio (also called ham radio). Following a generous grant from Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC), the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) launched its first student-facing training for EMS in January 2023. He is a ARRL certified Volunteer Examiner and Instructor and Greater Los Angeles Amateur Radio Group (GLAARG) Volunteer Examiner.
Throughout his 40-year career, Mr. Alexander has served in many roles--including systems designer, corporate trainer, and technical content developer. But his favorite role, before serving as Ham Radio Lead, was serving as an Informal Science Educator at Liberty Science Center.
Mr. Alexander graduated Cum Laude and Tau Beta Pi with Bachelors of Science and Masters of Engineering degrees in Electrical Engineering from Howard University, Washington, DC.
Mr. Alexander is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), member of National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Radio Club of America, and a life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.
Responsibilities at NRAO
Ham Radio Project Lead:
- Led the development, with support from curriculum specialists and platform developers, of a 20-week, amateur radio-centered, inclusive, creative-commons licensed curriculum targeting 18–20-year-old BIPOC, 2SLGBTQI+, and allied learners.
- Coordinated employees, volunteers, student teaching assistants, and members of the amateur radio community to deliver the pilot curriculum to two cohorts of learners on the SuperKnova® Learning Management System (LMS) Moodle instance and during virtual class meetings.
- Served as instructor and tested the curriculum with two cohorts of learners.
- Assisted 16 learners in passing their FCC technician and general class examinations.
- Created career-building opportunities for learners to present academic papers and posters at conferences with other Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) funded organizations such as the HamSci.org collective’s annual Workshop as well as the Coupling, Energetics and Dynamics of Atmospheric Regions (CEDAR) conference. A total of 9 learners have attended workshops.
- Developed the Harriet's Observatory NRAO Ham Radio Club on the Discord platform to facilitate cohort-building and communication between learners with help from the Young Amateurs Radio Club (YARC).
- Developed and delivered briefings that described the project, deliverables, and desired outcomes at HamSCI and CEDAR Workshops.
- Contributed to the development of internal briefings for National Science Foundation (NSF) and Associated Universities, Inc (AUI).