‘Lizard lady’ McGee, ex-RJ fellow, on Forbes 30 Under 30 list

Earyn McGee, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Arizona and a former reporting fellow at the Review-Journal, has landed a spot on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list of North American scientists to watch in 2021.

McGee, 26, has gained a reputation as the “lizard lady,” using her Twitter page to create a social media game called #FindThatLizard, in which she posts photos of reptiles camouflaged in desert landscapes and encourages her followers to find the lizards.

https://twitter.com/Afro_Herper/status/1339361054845878272

She uses this game as an opportunity to teach people about lizards and “build a greater appreciation for these cool animals.” Follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @Afro_Herper.

McGee called the recognition “such an awesome honor.”

“When I started #FindThatLizard two and a half years ago, I never thought I would have built such an awesome community of people who love and have learned to love lizards,” McGee said in an email. “It’s so important to me because not only am I teaching people about lizards, I’m also redefining their perceptions of what a scientist looks like, of who can be a Herpetologist.”

McGee, who is entering the last semester of her doctorate program, said her dissertation focuses on lizard diets, the effect climate change has on lizards and the barriers preventing Black women from entering natural resources careers.

“I am running a program introducing middle school aged girls to careers in natural resources with my sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Inc., and funded by a grant I received as an (American Association for the Advancement of Science) IF/THEN Ambassador,” she said. “After graduating I hope to host a natural history TV show. I’d also love to continue doing research and mentoring students.”

McGee has been a Doris Duke Conservation Scholars graduate mentor and uses social media as a tool to communicate to the broader world about science. She was also one of two science reporting and writing fellows at the Review-Journal this summer who came to Las Vegas as part of the American Association for the Advancement of Science mass media science and engineering fellowships.

While at the Review-Journal, McGee wrote about reptile lovers who cruised roads late at night to document snakes, the comet NEOWISE and staying safe from the state’s 32 venomous creatures.

She shares her research and accomplishments, as well as #FindThatLizard merchandise, on her website, earynmcgee.com.

Contact Alexis Ford at aford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0335. Follow @alexisdford on Twitter.