On September 28, the MacArthur Foundation announced the recipients of the 2021 Fellowship Grant (sometimes referred to as the “Genius” grant) and a Durham Tech alum is among the 25 individuals “who have shown extraordinary originality and dedication in their creative pursuits and a marked capacity for self-direction.”
Awardees receive an unrestricted $625,000 to further their pursuits.
Read on to learn more about the fascinating research from the Durham Tech alum winner and see what materials we have from these visionaries.
Ibrahim Cissé, a Durham Tech & NC Central alum, is one of the 25 recipients and won the award for “developing microscopy tools to investigate the subcellular processes underlying genetic regulation and misfunction.”
The MacArthur-produced video below showcases Cissé’s vital work:
The 38-year-old biological physicist is currently based in Germany but took classes through Durham Tech before receiving his BS from NC Central in 2004. Budding scientific researchers at Durham Tech can glance at some of Cissé’s research through our database ScienceDirect (off-campus users will need to login with their Durham Tech username and password, same as Sakai or Self-Service).
In an interview with The News & Observer, Cissé credited Durham Tech with assisting him in gaining necessary public speaking and leadership skills.
“The one thing that I really appreciated there was the leadership skills that I really learned,” he said. “It really helped me develop abilities for public speaking and just general leadership skills that one may not have expected, for example, for a scientist.”
Congratulations to Ibrahim Cissé on behalf of Durham Tech and the Library. It’s always exciting to see our alumni do exceptionally great things!
The Durham Tech Library offers access to other works created by 2021 MacArthur winners. Some links may require Durham Tech username and password information to access off-campus.
Some of the other winners:
Ibram X. Kendi, American historian and writer, for “advancing conversations around anti-Black racism and possibilities for repair in a variety of initiatives and platforms.”
Available at the Main Campus (E 185.61 .K358 2016) 
Available at the Main Campus (E 184 .A1 K346 2020) and as an ebook and audiobook through Dogwood Digital Library 
Available at the Main Campus Library (PZ 7.1 .C5125 Sta 2021) 
Available at the Main Campus in English (E 184 .A1 K344 2019) and in Spanish 
Available at the Main Campus (E 185 .F625 K4 2021) and as an ebook through Dogwood Digital Library
Jacqueline Stewart, film scholar, archivist, and curator, for “ensuring that the contributions of overlooked Black filmmakers and communities of spectators have a place in the public imagination.”
L.A. Rebellion: Creating a New Black Cinema— Available as an ebook through ProQuest ebooks
Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, historian and writer, for “analyzing the political and economic forces underlying racial inequality and the role of social movements in transforming society.”
Available at the Main and Orange County Campus (E 185.86 .T367 2016) 
Available as an ebook through Dogwood Digital Library
Hanif Abdurraqib, music critic, essayist, and poet, for “forging a distinctive style of cultural and artistic criticism through the lens of popular music and autobiography.”
They Can’t Kill Us until They Kill Us— Available as an ebook through Dogwood Digital Library
Don Mee Choi, poet and translator, for “bearing witness to the effects of military violence and U.S. imperialism on the civilians of the Korean Peninsula.”
Hardly War— Available as an audiobook through Dogwood Digital Library
Daniel Alarcón, writer and radio producer, for “chronicling the social and cultural ties that connect Spanish-speaking communities across the Americas.”
At Night We Walk in Circles— Available at the Main Campus (PS 3601 .L333 A93 2014)
Reginald Dwayne Betts, poet and lawyer, for “promoting the humanity and rights of individuals who are or have been incarcerated.”
Bastards of the Reagan Era (poetry)– Available at the Main Campus (PS 3602 .E826 B37 2015)
Safiya Noble, internet studies and digital media scholar, for
“highlighting the ways digital technologies and internet architectures magnify racism, sexism, and harmful stereotypes.”
Check out Stephen Brooks’ What We’re Reading review of Algorithms of Oppression, which is available at the Main Campus (ZA 4230 .N63 2018)
To find out more about the 2021 MacArthur Fellows and their exciting accomplishments, explore the MacArthur Fellowship page, which includes video introductions, work summaries, and a listing of all recipients.
Use the Search Library option on the Durham Tech Library homepage to search for research articles published by the awardees.
