Celebrating the untold stories, the extraordinary discoveries, and the inspiring lives led by those whose jobs, passions, hobbies and more embody their love of science. Hear stories about -- the dedicated scientists who unravel the mysteries of biology; the artists and musicians who highlight the beauty of science through their craft; the educators, policy makers and science outreach advocates whose convictions propel them toward community engagement and preparing the next generation of STEM leaders; and the bona fide science enthusiasts who design their own unique journey to science fulfillment.
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Welcome back for season 4! This season we have so many amazing guests and other episodes lined up for our audience. But, before we get into that, let’s go back to revisit with our past guests on how it all started–how did they get their start in science? What influenced them to follow this career path? What surprised them along the way? From family encouragement and supportive teachers to enjoying the natural world and simply realizing what is and isn’t a good fit, our guests over the last season have proven that many different paths and experiences lead to a love of science. Listen to the origin stories from Richard, Adriana, Jishad, Maria, Laura, Ijeoma, and Cari.
If you haven’t heard their entire journey episodes, be sure to check those out too!
In the Season 3 finale, We Love Science presents a special episode ALL ABOUT FOOD!! Specifically, we discuss how CRISPR gene editing technology is being used to improve our food and agricultural industry.
Gene editing in plants has two main goals. The first goal satisfies consumer preferences for food enjoyment, like improved taste and freshness. The second category of food edits is aimed at solving food supply issues and the growing food insecurity. To this end, researchers have targeted agricultural traits for improvement.
CRISPR gene editing has also been used to improve our livestock and fish supply. While most of these products are still in development, some CRISPR gene-edited foods are already commercially available in the United States and abroad.
Tune in to learn about:
· How CRISPR gene editing can save our oceans' coral reefs from the effects of climate change
· Where to find conscious greens engineered to taste better, and the non-browning banana that stays fresh longer
· Food engineered to improve the eating experience: blackberries, cherries, and mandarins
· More nutritious tomatoes that can strengthen the immune system
· How CRISPR is being used to improve agriculture with increased crop yield, disease-resistant crops etc.
· The delicious flatbread, Injera, made from Teff grain
Ep 46: Connecting the Dots between Theory, Physics, and Mathematics - The Journey
Season 3 · Episode 14
Sunday, March 24, 2024 • Duration 40:05
We continue our conversation with Jishad Kumar on his journey in science. Jishad remembers his first science wow moment during his childhood when a teacher captivated his interest in optics with kaleidoscopes. His curiosity instantly peaked and he really wanted to learn more about how to make such tools; eventually in high school he successfully built his own optical instrument with friends. While discovering the world of optics, Jishad also started to think more about what he wanted to do with his future; he knew there was more to the world than building fun optical tools. Around this same time, he was fortunate to have a very good math teacher who introduced him to the world of mathematics, and simultaneously Jishad discovered that he was very talented in this subject–always scoring at the top of the class. As he continued in his studies, Jishad was introduced to another amazing mentor–a priest who was also a dedicated physics teacher. This teacher taught him one-on-one the intricate details of physics and pointed out to Jishad that he also has a special talent for physics. This encouragement from his teachers and his natural talent set Jishad on the first steps in his journey into mathematics and physics. As he continued on to college and graduate school, he considered traveling abroad to complete his studies, however, this plan was not financially feasible for him or his family. Undeterred by this small setback, Jishad continued in his education in India and he completed his doctorate at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research. He credits his success in his doctoral program to his two outstanding Ph.D. supervisors who really supported him not only through his education but also his growth as an individual. At this stage, Jishad knew he wanted to teach and stay in academia; he set out on completing post doctoral fellowships and traveled the globe from the Czech Republic to the United States to his current position at Aalto University in Finland. His vision of success is still a work in progress; Jishad strives to do so much more in his career. “I want to do more, learn more, and love physics more,” he explains.
Tune into this episode to hear Jishad discuss:
His early career ambitions before deciding to follow his love of mathematics and physics
The importance of mentors in shaping not only his understanding of science but also growth as a person
Ep 45: Connecting the Dots between Theory, Physics, and Mathematics - The Work
Season 3 · Episode 13
Sunday, March 10, 2024 • Duration 29:58
In this episode, Shekerah and Fatu have a delightful conversation with Jishad Kumar, a theorist and researcher. As a theorist he uses concrete assumptions and models to solve problems which can then be further investigated with in depth experimentation. Jishad’s journey into theoretical physics started accidentally when he discovered Brownian motion is related to particle motion and has nothing to do with the color brown. From there, he extensively read books and scientific articles building a very solid knowledge base for his graduate studies. But, Jishad had a difficult start in his research career; he struggled with his first project assignment and did not have good support from this research advisor. During this difficult period, however, he found guidance from another advisor who encouraged him to conquer his fear and gave him the motivation to continue with the assignment and ultimately succeed. Things continued to progress and his confidence grew as he was also able to design a very impressive doctoral research project examining superconductivity. Looking back, Jishad sees this initial research experience as very formative in his research journey, and he is grateful for this. “I cannot stay away from science,” he explains as he also looks back and reflects on all the challenges and triumphs of the journey. Currently Jishad’s research focuses on applications of quantum thermo-dynamics, such as quantum heat exchange, and he looks forward to future real-world applications and innovations from this research. His long term goals include setting up his own research lab with students and teaching. To hear more about Jishad’s work tune into the latest episode.
Tune into this episode to hear Jishad discuss:
His start in theoretical physics in a pre-wikipedia world
Keeping motivation on his journey even with several setback
Future theoretical research goals and aspirations
Reach out to Jishad: LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/drjishadkumar
If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to also check out:
It’s another Science Short, and today Fatu and Shekerah discover how bird eggs get their color–from brown, white, blue, speckled, and everything in between. To this day, scientists do not have a good understanding of why egg color developed in birds, but they do know that this trait co-evolved with the introduction of open-style bird nests, as opposed to covered nests. Open nests left bird eggs exposed and vulnerable to the outside environment, which led to one hypothesis that egg colors provide camouflage against potential predators. There are also other hypotheses that connect egg color to bacterial resistance, temperature regulation, and even female genetic fitness; literally as many hypotheses as there are egg color patterns.
Even though it is still a big mystery as to why birds have colored eggs, how these colors are formed is not. Birds are only capable of making two pigments–blue and brown–and the different combinations of these pigments produce the diverse spectrum of all the colors we see in eggs. With domesticated birds such as chickens, however, egg color is directly linked to the breed of chicken. Specific breeds only lay specific colors, for example Orpingtons lay brown eggs, Ameraucana lay blue eggs, and the “olive egger” breeds lay olive-green eggs. Catch this episode to learn more about the egg-straordinary story of bird eggs and how they got their colors.
Tune into this episode to learn more about:
How scientists think different environmental pressures may be the key to why birds developed colored eggs
What pigments are responsible for the diversity of color we see in bird eggs and how they are deposited on eggshells during egg development
How chicken egg colors are influenced by genetics and human selection
Dr. Maria Qadri, CEO of Clearwater Leadership begins the conversation on her journey into entrepreneurship with memories of building things (flat pack furniture) with her father–both of her parents were engineers and science-y discussions were a hallmark of her childhood. As a child, Maria slowly started to envision becoming a doctor, mainly influenced by her diagnosis with type 1 diabetes and the time she spent with medical experts to understand and manage her disease. Ultimately, Maria landed on biomedical engineering as the best path for her, combining all of her interests. As she continued in her studies in college at University of Hartford, focusing on pre-med and biomedical engineering, Maria came to the revelation that she “could have so much more of an impact if [she] made the tools that doctors worked with.” This led to the first twist in her journey and she pursued a Masters at University of Connecticut and then received her doctorate at Rutgers University. Along the way, however, she stumbled upon science policy, leading to another turn in her journey. And again she came across a new realization: “good policy is good communication.” This inspired her to complete a unique post-doctoral fellowship at the Association of American Colleges and Universities focused on science communications and policy. She had found the perfect fit in what she was looking for, again combining several different interests. At this current stage in her career journey, Maria has amassed a wealth of experience and knowledge, it was just a matter of somehow putting it all together with the other goals she had in her life–starting a family and buying her first home–to find the perfect sweet spot. And now as the founder of her own company, Maria can proudly say she feels like she has it all–a daughter, a husband, a home, and her own business to invest in her many passions. As she looks back on her journey, Maria thinks about her village of family support and mentors that guided her every step of the way. One of the best pieces of advice she would give to anyone interested in following a similar journey is to “run towards the things you are afraid of.”
Tune into this episode to hear Maria discuss:
How her journey brought together many different interests as she grew both personally and professionally
Why a Ph.D. is a degree in persistence, not intelligence
What her vision is of success, and some tips for anyone interested in going to graduate school for a Ph.D.
Ep 42: Science CEO Level: Unlocked - The Work
Season 3 · Episode 10
Sunday, January 28, 2024 • Duration 14:23
Our journey into science entrepreneurship continues! In this episode we speak to Dr. Maria Qadri, founder of Clearwater Leadership which specializes in data analysis, science communication, and leadership development training. As a new founder of her own company, Maria already has her sights set on the future–she looks forward to growing the company and bringing on additional people depending on how the portfolio for Clearwater Leadership develops and client needs. Maria admits she has always been afraid of entrepreneurship because of the realities of living with type 1 diabetes and the need to have reliable healthcare access. However, at this stage in her career journey she looks forward to the challenges that lie ahead in running her own company, similar to the intellectual pursuits in completing her doctorate. For those who are interested in following a similar career path, that pulls from education and work experience, Maria advises to ask questions about everything. She also explains, “Don’t treat [the journey] as closing doors, try to treat it as building bridges.”
Tune into this episode to hear Maria explain how she:
Combined her scientific background with work experience to advance her career journey
Started her own business as a solo entrepreneur
Overcame the hesitation of becoming an entrepreneur
And, some tips if you are interested in following your own, independent science-focused venture
Ep 41: Discovery, Development, and Cures - The CRISPR Saga
Season 3 · Episode 9
Monday, January 15, 2024 • Duration 55:26
You may think that the CRISPR-Cas genome engineering tool was developed from simple human ingenuity. And while its development certainly involved ingenuity, CRISPR was birthed in the wild. As a product of nature, it has an essential function in its native host; spoilers: its natural function involves defending its host from attacks. From the initial discovery in nature to its adoption as a gene therapy tool it took decades of twists and turns, ups, downs, and yes, ins and outs too.
In this episode of We Love Science Podcast, Fatu and Shekerah welcome special guest, Irina Gostimskaya, as the CRISPR Chronicles continues. Together, we take a CRISPR walk through history, discussing the men and women who made it possible to bring CRISPR therapies to the world through their curiosity, perseverance, and a sprinkle of good and bad luck.
Tune in to the episode to learn about:
· The cliffhanger that showed the world the first CRISPR sequence
· The real purpose of CRISPR in the wild
· How scientists assembled the puzzle pieces to use CRISPR for Gene editing
· The CRISPR patent dispute
· Bonus Food Science Content: Learn all about Russian cuisine
Ep 40: The Art of Science with Laura Canil - The Journey
Season 3 · Episode 8
Sunday, December 31, 2023 • Duration 27:45
We continue our discussion with Laura Canil to learn about her journey in becoming a scientific illustrator. Her earliest memories in science didn't exactly start in science–initially she wanted to be an inventor and then a painter. As she continued in her education, Laura started to also explore science communication. All of these interests remained in the back of her mind as she received her bachelors and masters in physics and materials science in Italy. As a graduate student in Berlin, completing her doctorate research on photovoltaic and photocells, Laura realized that she enjoyed the communications aspect of science a little bite more than the research. She would spend hours making just the right figures and animations to explain her research clearly.
As she reached the end of her graduate school journey, Laura began to think critically about what comes next. She didn’t know at this point that scientific illustration was a potential choice for a fulfilling career. By chance, she contacted someone online who was already working in the field, and as she learned more and more about his career, it all just clicked. Laura knew this was the right path for her. After receiving her doctorate, she took a gap year to develop additional skills for professional illustration–powerpoint was just not going to cut it. And as she learned and grew in her art, the company CanilVisuals developed organically as a natural next step to get her professional career off the ground.
When Laura looks back on her journey, she doesn’t recall one specific mentor who helped guide her along the way. Rather, she had tremendous support from her community–friends, Ph.D. supervisors, family, illustrators and other freelancers–encouraging her to reach for her goals. And when reflecting on the choices she has made, there isn’t anything she would do differently. “I am who I am because of the choices I’ve made,” explains Laura; that person is a brilliant scientist AND a talented artist.
Tune into this episode to hear Laura share her perspectives on:
How she transitioned from studying languages to physics to scientific illustration
Exploring and learning more about different career options as a student
Ways to combine different interests and skills into one career
Ep 39: The Art of Science with Laura Canil - The Work
Season 3 · Episode 7
Sunday, December 17, 2023 • Duration 18:22
We Love Science is closing out 2023 with another spectacular interview. In this episode we speak with Dr. Laura Canil, a freelance scientific illustrator with her own company, CanilVisuals. As a scientific illustrator, Laura takes on a variety of projects like creating figures to accompany journal articles, crafting catchy covers for journals, producing original scientific comic strips, and guiding others who need advice in developing their own beautiful and engaging designs. After receiving her Ph.D. in physics, Laura took some time off to plan her transition as a freelance scientific illustrator. There was a lot of fear and excitement during this time in starting her own company, but she took the jump and really enjoys her work creating visuals to accompany groundbreaking research. Laura also found a lot of support in the beginning from friends and colleagues she met during graduate school. Her network served as a receptive audience for constructive criticism during her early days testing the waters as an illustrator. For practice, Laura would select papers from people she knew and designed journal covers and other illustrations to accompany their research publications. This provided her with constructive feedback as she perfected her craft and built her portfolio to move on to the next step of reaching out to new clients. “It’s easier when you really like something because then you have all the motivation to go through the hard parts,” she explains.
Tune into this episode to hear Laura share her perspective on:
Living and working outside of her home country
Transitioning into a freelance career from graduate school
Developing new skills to become a scientific illustrator
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