Applied research director and BSC alumnus to keynote Honors Day Convocation

For Immediate Release
Apr. 30, 2018

Dr. David Yokum

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.— Dr. David Yokum, a BSC alumnus and director of the groundbreaking scientific research team The Lab @ DC, will be the featured speaker at the college’s 2018 Honors Day Convocation on Thursday, May 10.

Honors Day, a celebrated annual tradition in which seniors demonstrate the results of their studies on the Hilltop, is free and open to the public. During the Convocation, which begins at 10 a.m. and includes a processional of graduating seniors and faculty in regalia, students from all classes will be recognized for outstanding academic achievements and leadership roles; honors will also be bestowed on faculty and staff.

The opening ceremony is followed by a full day of student presentations, musical performances, an art exhibition, and other demonstrations of scholarly and creative work. See full schedule.

Yokum, a Monroe, La., native and a 2006 BSC biology graduate, will speak about mental courage and how hard, but important it is to expose oneself to new experiences and ideas.

“This is easy to talk about and the basis of many a cliché, but to really do it requires more than simply going on trips and reading books,” he said. “You need a certain type of active mindset; a particular type of courage to be wrong and to make mistakes.”

Yokum is the founding director of The Lab @ DC, an applied research team based out of the executive office of the mayor of the District of Columbia. The Lab uses scientific insights and methods to improve policies and provide timely, relevant, and high-quality analysis to inform the D.C.’s most important decisions. Yokum also hosts The Podcast @ DC, which discusses emerging research and its relevance to public policy.

For example, Yokum and colleagues conducted the world’s randomized controlled trial—the same method scientists use to test drugs—to understand the impact of body-worn cameras on police-citizen interactions and how the footage affects judicial proceedings (see bwc.thelab.dc.gov). Another project assembled datasets related to trash collection, water leaks, and restaurant health reports to build an algorithm that predicts where rats are most likely to be in the city, to guide rodent abatement efforts.

“We’ve used scientific methods to make breakthroughs in engineering, in medicine, in countless fields,” he said. “There’s no reason not to do the same in public policy, and at The Lab we’re showing it’s possible.”

Yokum holds a Ph.D. in psychology with dual specialization in cognition and neural systems and psychology, policy, law from the University of Arizona; a law degree from the UA James E. Rogers College of Law; and a master’s degree in bioethics and medical humanities from the University of South Florida. He lives in D.C. with his wife, Sara Gillam Yokum '06, and his two boys: Ethan and Aaron.

Prior to his work with The Lab @ DC, Yokum was a founding member of the White House’s Social and Behavioral Sciences Team and director of its scientific delivery unit housed at the U.S. General Services Administration.