STEM Diversity Podcast
34 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 6 years ago -Interviews with STEM and tech professionals from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds
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Episodes
34: Storytelling with Intel Drone Light Shows - Interview with Madeleine Ong, Project Manager at Intel
April 24, 2018 20:27 - 29 minutes - 25.8 MBMadeleine Ong is a project manager at Intel. She is the light show services lead working on the drone light show team. She plans and executes all drone light shows, including the one for the recent Winter Olympics in South Korea this past February. Drone light shows are a new form storytelling and entertainment, where drones effectively act as flying pixels in the nighttime sky. linkedin.com/in/madeleine-ong-665b5825 [email protected] STEM Diversity Podcast Subscribe on Apple Po...
33: Leveraging VR in Neuroscience Research - Interview with Robin Mazumder, PhD Candidate in Cognitive Neuroscience at University of Waterloo
April 11, 2018 21:09 - 33 minutes - 29.5 MBRobin Mazumder is a PhD candidate in cognitive neuroscience at University of Waterloo. He studies how urban design influences the psychology of individuals living in cities. In particular, he leverages immersive virtual reality to simulate cityscapes. Robin is also actively engaged in various urban design programs and organizations throughout the world, frequently traveling, and presenting at conferences. robinmazumder.com linkedin.com/in/robin-mazumder-07170056 STEM Diversity Podcast...
32: Creating Android Apps for Building Contractors - Interview with Ayantu Regassa - Android Developer at McMaster-Carr
April 01, 2018 08:58 - 30 minutes - 27.5 MBAyantu Regassa is an Android Developer at McMaster-Carr. She studied mechanical engineering in college at MIT, but was given the opportunity to learn software development on the job and took it. She explains how being a software developer is much more than just writing code. It involves working with many different people in different roles. Ayantu was born in Ethiopia and moved to the United States at the age of 8. She talks about growing up in a strict family and how that influenced her ca...
31: Helping Customers Discover Products through Marketing - Interview with Maurice Cherry, Content Marketer at Fog Creek Software
March 21, 2018 20:46 - 34 minutes - 30.8 MBMaurice Cherry is Content Marketer at Fog Creek Software, based in New York City. Maurice is based out of Atlanta, since much of the workforce is remote. Fog Creek makes software to help the lives of software developers. Other companies spun out of Fog Creek, including Trello and Stack Overflow. Also FogBugz, now Manuscript, came out of Fog Creek. They recently released a new product called Glitch, a flexible tool to create software, even for not especially technical users. As Content Mark...
30: Showcasing Scientists - Interview with Dr. Marie McNeely, Host of People Behind the Science Podcast and Co-Founder of Unfold Productions
March 07, 2018 17:45 - 30 minutes - 28.2 MBDr. Marie McNeely is the host of People Behind the Science Podcast, a show highlighting scientists in various fields. Dr. McNeely has a background in neuroscience and was even a faculty professor in the field for a short period, before she decided to pursue her passion in communicating science and helping organizations with their digital and content strategy. She has since founded Unfold Productions to do so. linkedin.com/in/marie-mcneely-phd-b62bbb33 twitter.com/PhDMarie People Behind th...
29: Researching and Conserving Animal Wildlife - Interview with Dr. Kirsten Thomas, Associate Veterinarian at Toledo Zoo and Aquarium Department of Animal Health and Nutrition
February 23, 2018 01:49 - 19 minutes - 16.7 MBDr. Kirsten Thomas is Associate Veterinarian at Toledo Zoo and Aquarium Department of Animal Health and Nutrition. Along with her colleagues, she takes care of the animals at the zoo on a daily basis. She also does research in the animals, especially in the areas of animal conservation. She collaborates with counterparts who do research outside zoo captivity, in order to better understand animals overall. Dr. Thomas grew up liking animals, and had some experience with medicine in college. B...
28: Communicating Science through Journalism - Interview with Dr. Bethany Brookshire, Science Education Writer at Society for Science and the Public
February 15, 2018 00:44 - 27 minutes - 25.1 MBDr. Bethany Brookshire is a science education writer, writing for Science News and Science News for Students. These are publications from the nonprofit, Society for Science and the Public. She's previously blogged for Scientific American too. Bethany talks about her science writing, and how it is used by teachers as an extra classroom resource and read by students. Bethany talks about the lack of diversity in sources when it comes to science journalism. She talks about some recent correcti...
27: Leveraging Statistics in Healthcare Research - Interview with Dr. Christian Douglas, Senior Statistician at Duke University School of Nursing
February 07, 2018 12:19 - 34 minutes - 30.8 MBDr. Christian Douglas is Senior Statistician at Duke University, where she supports researchers in the School of Nursing. She works on a variety of different healthcare and medicine projects. In particular, she helps researchers secure funding by detailing the statistics work that would need to be done, as part of grant proposals. Her background is in statistics, especially in the healthcare space. Christian says broader exposure to STEM fields to young folks will help improve diversity in ...
26: Innovating Ideas through Big Thinking - Interview with Kishau Rogers, Serial Tech Entrepreneur
January 31, 2018 20:45 - 26 minutes - 23.4 MBKishau Rogers is a serial tech entrepreneur based out of Richmond, Virginia. She's started a number of companies, including Websmith Studio, a software development firm offering custom solutions for customers. She's also started Time Study, a company that creates tools to help businesses more efficiently handle time reporting. She started bigThinking, an initiative to help people thinking more broadly and generate better ideas with regard to building scalable business solution. bigThinking o...
25: Advancing Chemistry Research and Science Education - Interview with Dr. Raychelle Burks, Assistant Professor at St. Edwards University Department of Chemistry
January 25, 2018 05:34 - 49 minutes - 46 MBDr. Raychelle Burks is Assistant Professor at St. Edwards University Department of Chemistry. Dr. Burks is an analytical chemist. She does research in color sensors, fluorescence sensors, chemiluminescence sensors, and in general, systems to find chemicals. This work has a wide array of applications, such as field tests in natural disaster scenarios. Dr. Burks is an active science communicator. She's the manager of the DIY Science Zone at GeekGirlCon. She writes for Chemistry World in the a...
24: Communicating Care with Patients and Communicating Brain Science Online - Interview with Dr. Ginger Campbell, Palliative Medicine Physician at Birmingham VAMC and Host of Brain Science Podcast
January 18, 2018 04:32 - 27 minutes - 23.9 MBDr. Ginger Campbell is Palliative Medicine Physician at Birmingham VA Medical Center. She previously spent over 20 years as an emergency medicine physician. She also hosts the Brain Science Podcast, which has been running for over 10 years. Palliative care is the newest speciality in medicine. Palliative comes from a Greek word which means "to shield". So the basic idea of palliative care is to protect patients and their families from suffering. It can be from pain, including psychological,...
23: Launching Apps for Non-technical Entrepreneurs - Interview with Amanda Spann, App Founder and Marketer
January 12, 2018 11:40 - 27 minutes - 25.1 MBAmanda started Happii, a startup studio that helps non-technical entrepreneurs create apps and scale them into companies, including product and technology development, marketing, and project management. Amanada acts as a co-founder of these companies as part of the arrangements. Two of these companies are Afridate and Tipoff. Afridate is a dating app that connects black singles. It allows you to search by nationality or ethnicity. Tipoff is a word guessing game customized to African-American...
22: Supporting Production Software Systems at Scale - Interview with Jeffrey Smith, Manager of Production Operations at Centro
January 06, 2018 21:34 - 33 minutes - 30 MBJeffrey Smith is Manager of Production Operations at Centro, a media services company that helps brands and ad agencies execute their digital advertising strategies. These companies have broad advertising campaigns, and they come to Centro to get help with the digital parts. Centro provides web-based tools with standardized workflows in an industry which has in the past been very disorganized and analog. Centro also has a demand side platform (DSP), allowing advertisers to bid on digital ads...
21: From Building Dating Apps to Building Affordable Urban Homes - Interview with Brian Gerrard, Co-Founder at California Modular and Co-Founder at Bae Dating App
January 04, 2018 00:50 - 27 minutes - 26 MBBrian Gerrard is Co-Founder at California Modular, an Oakland-based real estate development company, that addresses the rising housing costs in many US urban communities. He is also Co-Founder of Bae, a dating app for Black millennial singles. Brian is based out of Oakland. Brian says that in the Bay Area, the supply for affordable housing has stayed constant, but the demand has grown exponentially. Consequently, the cost of housing has risen by 75% in the past 5 years in Oakland. Family sa...
20: Covering Technology and Business in Asia - Interview with Dr. Bernard Leong, Head of Post Office Network & Digital Services at Singapore Post and Host of Analyse Asia Podcast
December 31, 2017 01:31 - 29 minutes - 28.8 MBBernard started Analyse Asia podcast about three years ago, as a way to do long-form storytelling, in order to cover business and technology in Asia. The podcast is focused on companies who have at least received a Series B round of funding, and the movers and shakers in that world. Guests include executives of US companies based in Asia, executives of Asian companies, and industry watchers and journalists. Bernard is planning to grow the podcast into a broader media platform. Bernard is He...
19: Connecting Math and Science to Students with Black Panther and other Modern-day Relevant Experiences - Interview with Shareef Jackson, Founder of Math Looks Good and Co-host of Spawn on Me Podcast
December 23, 2017 22:03 - 24 minutes - 21.5 MBShareef Jackson is the founder of the math and physics tutoring service Math Looks Good and a co-host on the Spawn on Me podcast. He is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Shareef started the Math Looks Good tutoring service while working at a corporate job. He's since left the corporate world and done this full time. He works with high school students. For some students, he has developed a custom curriculum for them. Shareef uses plain English and modern examples. He says he used a Black Panthe...
18: Protecting Enterprise Security for Startups - Interview with Kathy Wang, Director of Security at GitLab
December 16, 2017 23:47 - 31 minutes - 27.9 MBKathy explains her role as Director of Security at the startup, GitLab. She’s responsible for securing the company, which involves setting guidelines on how to store customer data and other sensitive data within the company infrastructure. She works with other teams in the organization to ensure that the product that is rolled out is as secure as possible. Kathy says that security teams at companies often do security research while discovering vulnerabilities. Kathy advises companies who ma...
17: Designing with Data for Mobile Apps - Interview with Dr. Ranjitha Kumar, Assistant Professor at University of Illinois Department of Computer Science
December 09, 2017 22:37 - 55 minutes - 51.5 MBRanjitha talks about a data-driven approach to digital design. She explains the research work her group does at the University of Illinois in the Department of Computer Science. The applications are very board, including mining user interactions in mobile apps and even the fashion vertical. Ranjitha talks about growing up in the Bay Area. Her parents encouraged her to have a broad education, influencing her to now have an interdisciplinary approach to her current work. Ranjitha previously co...
16: Transforming Local Economies with Modern Technologies - Interview with Dr. Mark Gabriel Little, Executive Director at UNC Business School Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise
December 03, 2017 04:35 - 45 minutes - 41.4 MBMark talks about Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, a business policy think tank in the business school of UNC Chapel Hill, where he serves as Executive Director. He shares how the institute, through its portfolio of centers, partners with businesses and local governments to work on projects benefting local communities in economic need. Mark also talks about Black Communities: A Conference for Collaboration. It is an upcoming conference connecting academic researchers an black communiti...
15: Breaking Down Venture Capital and the Business of Startup Investing - Interview with Dr. Angela Tran Kingyens, Partner at Version One Ventures
November 29, 2017 00:21 - 35 minutes - 30.4 MBAngela, Partner at Version One Ventures, explains venture capital. She explains the business of unicorns and how it is a high risk high reward type of investment. Angela talks about growing up in Toronto in an immigrant family. She did biomedical engineering in undergrad, and applied those engineering skills to finance in her PhD. Angela co-founded Insight Data Science, a program that equips PhD graduates with real-world data science skills, and places them in top tech companies. linkedin...
14: Developing Financial Models in Banks - Interview with Dr. Edmond Choi, Vice President of Model Development at BMO Capital Markets
November 12, 2017 02:53 - 23 minutes - 21.8 MBEdmond talks about developing financial models using stochastic processes, similar to those used in physics. Does a lot of research and software implementation day to day. Edmond talks about growing up with math as a hobby, with a mathematician father. Following sports stats in baseball and basketball. Playing chess and card games like black jack and poker. Edmond always enjoyed applications of math, and chose a career in math finance. Edmond says it’s important for Asians to break free of...
13: Educating Space Science with Science Fiction - Interview with Dr. Erin Macdonald, Space Technical Consultant and Public Educator
November 05, 2017 11:24 - 33 minutes - 31.3 MBErin talks about how speaking at Comic-Con and Dragon Con led her to create a YouTube series explaining science in science fiction. She explains the science behind the Heisenberg compensator in Star Trek. She talks about her career as a science consultant for the entertainment industry. Erin explains gravitational waves and the recently announced discoveries as well as some of the related postdoctoral research work she did in the area. Erin says representation matters, and she makes a cons...
12: Protecting Sea Turtles in the Caribbean - Interview with Sara Ramirez, Conservation Biologist
November 01, 2017 02:06 - 59 minutes - 52 MBSara talks about sea turtles in the Caribbean island of St. Kitts. She explains her research work in the sea turtles and the promotion work of protecting natural resources on the island through the St. Kitts Sea Turtle Monitoring Network (SKSTMN). Sara recalls having a lot of opportunities connecting with nature while growing up, and advocates for all people to do the same, to truly understand how our day-to-day human decisions impact the greater ecological system. linkedin.com/in/sara-ram...
11: Designing the Dashboard at Toyota - Interview with Frankie Reed, Design Release Engineer at Toyota
October 28, 2017 05:29 - 33 minutes - 30.3 MBFrankie talks about how his software skills, hardware skills, and project management knowledge come together in his role as Design Release Engineer. He shares about his time at the University of Michigan, where there were very few African American students, and even less in the engineering program. He talks about how it’s important for organizations like the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) to help build and maintain the pipeline of underrepresented folks in learning engineering at...
10: Designing VR (Virtual Reality) at Facebook, Interview with Gabriel Valdivia, Lead Product Designer at Facebook
October 21, 2017 19:14 - 38 minutes - 25.6 MBGabriel explains how basic design principles carry over in different modes of human computer interaction, even in the new field of VR design, and how thinking in 3D is important for VR. Gabriel talks growing up in Cuba and Costa Rica, and how his persistence led him through different roles in his career, bringing him to VR design now. Gabriel organized the design-focused Vectors Conference earlier this year, where the attendees learned about how your identity and personal experiences affect...
9: Bringing Nonprofits to the Digital World - Interview with Billimarie Lubiano Robinson, Front End Developer at Message Agency and Board Member at Coded by Kids
October 18, 2017 04:43 - 40 minutes - 27.1 MBBillimarie talks about being a front end developer at Message Agency, a B Corp based in Philadelphia, serving nonprofits locally and nationally. She talks about how her early passion in art (she majored in creative writing and film in college) allowed her to explore digital tools, eventually becoming a professional web developer, and how that background still gives her a unique perspective in tech today. Billimarie is a teacher and board member at Coded by Kids, serving inner-city kids. t...
8: Digitizing Grubhub Restaurants for Takeout and Delivery - Interview with Marie Sarmiento, recently Senior Product Manager at Grubhub
October 07, 2017 14:09 - 26 minutes - 18.8 MBMarie talks about working on many of the pioneering technologies in the digital food ordering and delivery business, especially interfacing with restaurants before they were equipped with modern technologies. Marie talks about bringing her product skills to Willow Chicago, and how to motivate and mobilize volunteers in nonprofit organizations. linkedin.com/in/mariesarmiento/ Grubhub Willow Chicago Chicago Product Management Association Meetup WomenHack WiSTEM STEM Diversity Podca...
7: Improving Reproductive Health in Sub-Saharan Africa - Interview with Dr. Amy Tsui, Professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
September 30, 2017 18:13 - 39 minutes - 28.8 MBAmy provides a broad overview of the field of population science and reproductive health. She talks about her role and work as professor at Johns Hopkins, as former Director of the Bill and Melinda Gates Institute, and as President of the Population Association of America. She talks about projects impacting families all over the world, including places like Sub-Saharan Africa where there is still a great need for reproductive education and resources. She says that STEM by itself is not ade...
6: Powering Payments for Airbnb and Uber - Interview with Brittany Canty, Senior Product Manager at Braintree Payments
September 23, 2017 20:06 - 29 minutes - 20.7 MBBrittany tells us about the complexities of consumer payment processing, and how her product management work at Braintree helps companies simplify that. Braintree is improving hiring by using Textio to create more inclusive job reqs (postings) and calling out the Imposter Syndrome. Brittany shares the difficulties she's faced in the past, and tells us that the fight is hard. She says self-care is important. Don't get burnt out. linkedin.com/in/brittanycanty/ Braintree Payments Office o...
5: Researching Autism in Academia - Interview with Dr. Debra Karhson, Postdoctoral Fellow at Stanford University School of Medicine
September 16, 2017 23:10 - 44 minutes - 32.3 MBDebra shares her life as a grant-writing postdoc and her current path toward a research-focused faculty position. She explains how her cognitive neuroscience and bioengineering backgrounds prepared her for the autism research she does now at Stanford University. She tells us it's important to be visible as a black female neuroscientist, why diversity is not enough, and that we need inclusion as well. She seamlessly blends her professional work with her life as a social justice advocate. tw...
4: Tackling Diversity in Nanotech - Interview with Dr. Matthew Chan, Assoc Director for Diversity Initiatives at Virginia Tech Natl Center for Earth and Environ Nanotech Infrastructure (NanoEarth)
September 09, 2017 20:49 - 48 minutes - 34.3 MBMatthew cuts through the confusion, explaining what nanotech really is. He talks about NNCI, an NSF-funded nanotech research infrastructure, with Virginia Tech being one of the 16 sites. He shares a 2017 NSF report, saying that we're doing poorly in science and engineering with regard to diversity. And he tells us what he's doing to tackle that problem with diversity initiatives at Virginia Tech NanoEarth. twitter.com/thewchan linkedin.com/in/matthew-chan-ph-d-53b1041a Virginia Tech Depa...
3: Building an Enterprise Product Management Process - Interview with Heidi Williams, Head of Product at Enova
September 06, 2017 19:31 - 23 minutes - 17.1 MBHeidi talks building enterprise software for Enova, shaping roadmaps and strategic planning, product management practice, mentorship, Chicago Women in Technology Conference, and not being taken seriously when she was the youngest and only female at the table early in her tech career. linkedin.com/in/heidi-williams-9a67331 Enova Chicago Women in Technology Conference STEM Diversity Podcast Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Overcast | Google Play Music | Feed Listen on Web at stemdiversit...
2: Researching Microelectronics at IBM - Interview with Joy Chao, Process Engineer at IBM
September 03, 2017 13:10 - 15 minutes - 15.4 MBJoy talks about working in the Microelectronics Research Lab at IBM, how IBM Watson is disrupting healthcare, growing up Taiwanese American, how she got into materials engineering, and how Disney is never going to tell young girls that they can be engineers. linkedin.com/in/joy-chao-33a1b23b IBM Reserch Society of Women Engineers STEM Diversity Podcast Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | Overcast | Google Play Music | Feed Listen on Web at stemdiversitypodcast.com Listen on Twitter | Lin...
1: Designing for Software Developers - Interview with Sarrah Vesselov, UX Lead at GitLab
August 23, 2017 18:58 - 21 minutes - 19.1 MBSarrah Vesselov is UX Lead at GitLab, an online git repository manager that allows people and businesses to manage projects as they change over time. GitLab is a way for developers, managers, developers, and designers to manage work together. Sarrah explains that UI (user interface) is the tangible thing you see. It is about the structure, such as wireframes. Her focus within that UI is the UX (user experience). It is her job to evaluate that and ensure that it is the best experience possib...