STEMS AND LEAVES artwork

STEMS AND LEAVES

37 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 5 ratings

a queer, brown MidWesterner and a rotating cast of co-host friends ponder life aka
we all started in STEM adjacent career paths, got radicalized, and now we're all over north america being cute
keep in touch at stemsandleaves.com

Science Technology stem intersectionality science technology policy engineering student urban geography
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed

Episodes

Danceable Cities aka Research on urban dance phenomena in China

March 17, 2023 15:42 - 13 minutes - 12.6 MB

This episode we chat about dance as a consideration in urban design.  In China, millions of residents participate in urban dance as a way to  enhance their health and foster social connection. These groups practice  in parks and ‘waste spaces’ around cities, accompanied often by live  music. However, this practice has run into some resistance from the  central and city governments. Complaints of too much noise have forced  cities to ban these dancing retirees to parking lots and bridge  under...

Wild City Food aka A brief history of urban foraging

March 17, 2023 15:42 - 13 minutes - 12 MB

This episode we discuss the practice of urban foraging. That act of  harvesting wild grown food is a practice as old as humanity. From  society’s earliest days, we have depended on the fruits, nuts, berries,  and herbs we’ve found along the way to secure our food supply. Although,  a recent surge in popularity of foraging in cities and a lasting legacy  of racist and classist laws often prevent some groups from foraging in  public spaces. This episode unpacks why and how we forage and recomme...

2019 July | Interview w/ Shauna

March 17, 2023 15:42 - 40 minutes - 37 MB

[From the archive] Another interview out of DC this week, my guest Shauna has worked as  a  freelance programmer for 9 years. She left neuroscience after a long   reckoning with the uncertainty. Shauna found herself challenged by a  big  question: How do we quantify and understand the vast potential of  human  behavior with hard tools? Maybe we can’t. Or at least not in the  ways  we want to. Shauna and I discuss these interesting ideas from  her  work and how she’s grown professionally. We a...

2019 August | Interview w/ Sujata Emani

March 17, 2023 15:42 - 49 minutes - 45.1 MB

[From the archive] In this episode,  Sujata Emani  and I spend a good amount of time discussing women of massive  determination and how we work everyday to emulate their example. Sujata  also shares some insight into her identity as a caregiver for her  grandmother; an identity that was chosen for her and certainly changed  the trajectory of her life in her mid-twenties. Discussed in this episode: Beltway Science Podcast American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Department o...

2020 February | Appalachian Planning with Jason Pyles

March 12, 2023 15:26 - 1 hour - 64.2 MB

Planning in Appalachia, convincing a community that you’re not taking  their jobs, and the future of autonomous vehicles in rural places. My  guest this week, Jason Pyles, and I discuss all this in more in one of  my favorite interviews yet. As a kick off to our discussions centered  around Geography and Geographic Information Science, I turn to Jason for  his expertise. Jason works for the Buckeye Hills Regional Council as  one of two GIS professionals supporting the agency’s work. His posit...

Columbus' legacy of urban racism aka what redlining did to our black neighbors

April 30, 2022 22:08 - 17 minutes - 19.8 MB

Columbus Ohio is all too typical of the physical imprint of racism on urban spaces. Redlining, urban highways, white flite, prohibitive zoning... All of these things and more have manifested in the economic and racial segregation that plagues Columbus. This episode shares some insight on Columbus' "urban problems" and offers several resources for planners and non-planners alike to learn more and do better. Discussed in this episode: Strong Women Strong Places, Tamika Butler, Dr. Destiny Tho...

Tea-ism, New Tunes Goofin', and A book that will chill you to your bones

October 05, 2021 11:10 - 44 minutes - 41.1 MB

It's the end of August, the uniquely American Labor Day is almost upon us and we are sleepy. Moss procured an excellent bit of tea history and shares wisdom from the OGs. Ezra's got some music reccs featuring a nifty tool that Anchor gave us. Also recommended in this episode, 'The Power' by Naomi Alderman. The Book of Tea by Kakuso Okakura REI AMI Hobo Johnson & the Lovemakers --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/stemsandleaves/message

'Educated' Plant Parents aka Moss n' Ezra did their homework

August 17, 2021 16:17 - 36 minutes - 33.6 MB

We set ourselves up for success with homework last episode,,, which Moss actually did while Ezra pulled two books off the shelf fifteen minutes before recording. The Moss Mixtape begins to take shape with Janelle Monae and Moses Sumney as standout artists. Ezra highlights two non-binary educators/creators/leaders that share accessible content to educate on a variety of topics. Moss comes in with plant knowledge and at least one science fact and Ezra supplements with a poem and resources for ...

The Hero Dies at The End aka Book Recc ‘The Song of Achilles’

August 06, 2021 11:43 - 27 minutes - 25.7 MB

It’s spoiler warnings on a several thousand year old myth, so there’s that. Lila is back on the mic as a cohost and we gush about Madeline Miller’s finest work ‘The Song of Achilles’. It touched both our hearts and we highly recommend this beautifully written, visceral retelling of one of myth and legend’s most tragic lovers. Ezra has lots of feelings and Lila has some erudite observations to share. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/stemsandleaves/message

2019 June | Interview with Dr Woodburn McNair

August 02, 2021 16:23 - 30 minutes - 28.1 MB

[From the archive] This episode features Dr Amber Woodburn McNair of the Ohio State University. She serves as an assistant professor in the Knowlton School as well as the Center for Aviation Studies (both within OSU's College of Engineering. We sat down to discuss Dr Woodburn's research and experiences in academia and how her identity and presentation as a woman has affected her journey. She also shared some wonderful advice about navigating the murky waters that await after graduation and t...

A Lichen I Like aka Meet Moss

July 31, 2021 11:30 - 37 minutes - 33.9 MB

Meet Moss, one of the hosts. A nature-loving cat parent with an affinity for tea and anime, Moss is one of my fave people. This episode contains (1) introductions (2) tea recommendations (3) indoor garden ideas (4) book recommendation (5) poetry recitation and a bit of other banter. | See more of STEMS and LEAVES at stemsandleaves.com https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781451666175 https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781982156947 https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781937865733 --- Send in a v...

Book Recc: Trauma Stewardship aka How to Heal

July 24, 2021 18:35 - 17 minutes - 15.8 MB

In this episode, I wanted to share a great book by Laura VanDernoot Lipsky and Connie Burk, ‘Trauma Stewardship: A guide to caring for self while caring for others’. The founders of the Trauma Stewardship Institute walk the reader through identifying trauma responses and offer helpful,  introspective prompts to get you thinking about the work you do and how  it affects you throughout the process. For folks involved in trauma  work or just people that want to bolster their emotional resilienc...

Wrap 2020 with Lila aka I forgot that happened last year

July 24, 2021 18:33 - 41 minutes - 38.1 MB

What's there to say? It was a year and we share, to the best of our memory's ability, to recall important events globally and locally that were personally impactful. Couldn't bring all this baggage into 2021 with us. Also fair warning, Asher and I recorded nearly 2 hours of audio and I was able to trim it down to a tight 40… Unfortunately, that means you won't get to hear us ponder luxury fruits, cat hygiene, or bean varieties. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/stemsandleave...

[19] Spring Clean: Nicotine

March 16, 2021 20:00 - 15 minutes - 10.8 MB

Substance use disorders and addictions are one of the lingering taboos and unfortunate misunderstanding in society at large. Misuse of things like tobacco are alcohol share an incredible level of social tolerance, although tobacco had fallen out of popularity until vaping and e-cigs hooked the younger generation. In this episode, I share a bit of science about substance use disorders and what I learned about the brain and what happens when you develop a nicotine addiction. I also share some ...

[18] 2020 wrap up with Lila Asher

February 06, 2021 20:00 - 41 minutes - 28.6 MB

What's there to say? It was a year and we share, to the best of our memory's ability, to recall important events globally and locally that were personally impactful. Couldn't bring all this baggage into 2021 with us. Also fair warning, Asher and I recorded nearly 2 hours of audio and I was able to trim it down to a tight 40... Unfortunately, that means you won't get to hear us ponder luxury fruits, cat hygiene, or bean varieties. As always, thanks to Rosy Ross for use of our theme song 'Fe...

17: Trauma Stewardship and Healing Changes

October 12, 2020 13:00 - 17 minutes - 11.8 MB

In this episode, I wanted to share a great book by Laura VanDernoot Lipsky and Connie Burk, 'Trauma Stewardship: A guide to caring for self while caring for others'. The founders of the Trauma Stewardship Institute walk the reader through identifying trauma responses and offer helpful, introspective prompts to get you thinking about the work you do and how it affects you throughout the process. For folks involved in trauma work or just people that want to bolster their emotional resilience, ...

[16] Columbus, Ohio: A Legacy of Planned Racism

July 15, 2020 11:00 - 15 minutes - 10.8 MB

Columbus Ohio is all too typical of the physical imprint of racism on urban spaces. Redlining, urban highways, white flite, prohibitive zoning... All of these things and more have manifested in the economic and racial segregation that plagues Columbus. This episode shares some insight on Columbus' "urban problems" and offers several resources for planners and non-planners alike to learn more and do better. Discussed in this episode: Strong Women Strong Places, Tamika Butler, Dr. Destiny Tho...

15: Public Transit in the pandemic, featuring Andrew N.

July 05, 2020 06:00 - 37 minutes - 26 MB

Episode recorded May 2020. Public transit across the US and the world has been entirely disrupted by the COVID19 pandemic. Transit agencies have been forced to cancel service, adjust fare collections, and take aggressive measures to ensure the safety of drivers and passengers. The Central Ohio Transit Authority took early steps to curb the impact on regional transit. They eliminated fares, mandated new protocol for how many passengers can ride at one time, and altered how those riders may ...

Episode 14: Bridget

May 11, 2020 17:00 - 47 minutes - 32.5 MB

This episode is weird. Life is strange these days and one of my favorite gals is here to chat about life in a pandemic. We get personal about what we lost and learned as we both have graduated from university and look towards the future. We also talk about Survivor season 40 and how many beans is too many beans. Enjoy the beautiful mess! Bridget's LinkedIn More episodes and content @ STEMS and leaves Credits: Album Art and Show Theme Music Listen Now @: iTunes Spotify Google Podcasts ...

Episode 12: Buying Time (COVID-19 Suppression Strategy)

March 27, 2020 23:00 - 16 minutes - 11.1 MB

In this episode, we discuss an article posted on Medium by Tomas Pueyo, 'Coronavirus: The Hammer and the Dance'. It's an overview of the current state of COVID-19 and a summary of what measures should be implemented now in order to provide the world with our best fighting change against the virus. Pueyo presents three strategies: Do Nothing, Mitigation, and Suppression. The author presents a compelling case for Suppression and recommends that readers that are moved to sign a petition to the ...

Episode 13: Buying Time (COVID-19 Suppression Strategy)

March 27, 2020 23:00 - 16 minutes - 11.1 MB

In this episode, we discuss an article posted on Medium by Tomas Pueyo, 'Coronavirus: The Hammer and the Dance'. It's an overview of the current state of COVID-19 and a summary of what measures should be implemented now in order to provide the world with our best fighting change against the virus. Pueyo presents three strategies: Do Nothing, Mitigation, and Suppression. The author presents a compelling case for Suppression and recommends that readers that are moved to sign a petition to the ...

Episode 12: Jason Pyles

February 24, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 48.2 MB

Planning in Appalachia, convincing a community that you're not taking their jobs, and the future of autonomous vehicles in rural places. My guest this week, Jason Pyles, and I discuss all this in more in one of my favorite interviews yet. As a kick off to our discussions centered around Geography and Geographic Information Science, I turn to Jason for his expertise. Jason works for the Buckeye Hills Regional Council as one of two GIS professionals supporting the agency's work. His position i...

Jason Pyles

February 24, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 48.1 MB

Planning in Appalachia, convincing a community that you're not taking their jobs, and the future of autonomous vehicles in rural places. My guest this week, Jason Pyles, and I discuss all this in more in one of my favorite interviews yet. As a kick off to our discussions centered around Geography and Geographic Information Science, I turn to Jason for his expertise. Jason works for the Buckeye Hills Regional Council as one of two GIS professionals supporting the agency's work. His position i...

Episode 11: We're back and Buildings Have Names!

January 11, 2020 16:00 - 9 minutes - 6.5 MB

Back from hiatus with new updates to share about what's coming next. With the blessings of OSU's Geography department, we'll be sharing some GIS related episodes on topics ranging from disease tracking to cultural preservation. Also a new project launching soon is Buildings Have Names, a crowdsourced local history scavenger hunt. Stay tuned for details. As always, keep up to date on social media and at stemsandleaves.com Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/stemsandleaves)

Tobi Otulana

October 05, 2019 12:00 - 39 minutes - 27.2 MB

This episode my friend and colleague Tobi Otulana chats with me about the field of planning and her path to sustainable planning. Tobi and I have known each other since spring semester, when we took a sustainable transportation class together. I recognized that Tobi is a super talented and passionate individual and I've been hoping our paths would cross again to allow that. Lucky for me, after graduating her MCRP program, she stayed local and has been with the Mid Ohio Regional Planning Comm...

[10] Tobi Otulana

October 05, 2019 12:00 - 39 minutes - 27.2 MB

This episode my friend and colleague Tobi Otulana chats with me about the field of planning and her path to sustainable planning. Tobi and I have known each other since spring semester, when we took a sustainable transportation class together. I recognized that Tobi is a super talented and passionate individual and I've been hoping our paths would cross again to allow that. Lucky for me, after graduating her MCRP program, she stayed local and has been with the Mid Ohio Regional Planning Comm...

Episode 9: Urban Foraging

September 13, 2019 15:00 - 13 minutes - 9.02 MB

This episode we discuss the practice of urban foraging. That act of harvesting wild grown food is a practice as old as humanity. From society's earliest days, we have depended on the fruits, nuts, berries, and herbs we've found along the way to secure our food supply. Although, a recent surge in popularity of foraging in cities and a lasting legacy of racist and classist laws often prevent some groups from foraging in public spaces. This episode unpacks why and how we forage and recommends s...

Episode 8: Danceable Cities

August 30, 2019 22:00 - 13 minutes - 9.51 MB

It's time again for a return to school and all the lovely obligations that come with student life. Thus, STEMS and leaves will be detouring from interviews for a bit and focus on sharing some snapshot stories about all sorts of things. This episode, we dig into some interesting research from Caroline Chen - a postdoc researcher at UC San Diego. Chen published 'Designing the Danceable City: How Residents in Beijing Cultivate Health and Community Ties Through Urban Dance'  that explores the ph...

Sujata Emani

August 16, 2019 11:00 - 49 minutes - 33.9 MB

Sujata Emani has done a lot of interesting things with her career - both willingly and as a result of the universe's greater workings. From research with NASA to working for a whiskey company, she's fearlessly faced incredible challenges both professionally and personally. In this episode, we spend a good amount of time discussing women of massive determination and how we work everyday to emulate their example. Sujata also shares some insight into her identity as a caregiver for her grandmot...

Coral Torres

August 02, 2019 20:00 - 24 minutes - 16.9 MB

Coral Torres is without a doubt one of the coolest engineers I've ever met. She exudes confidence in herself and her work; all the while remaining truly humble. It was a pleasure to join her for an afternoon at the Surface Transportation Board offices and learn a bit about her niche in the industry. Coral's official title is 'Transportation Industry Analyst', which she explains in this episode. More broadly speaking, she analyzes data to interpret railroad performance in a regulator capacity...

Episode 5: Shauna

July 19, 2019 14:00 - 40 minutes - 27.8 MB

Another interview out of DC this week, my guest Shauna has worked as a freelance programmer for 9 years. She left neuroscience after a long reckoning with the uncertainty. Shauna found herself challenged by a big question: How do we quantify and understand the vast potential of human behavior with hard tools? Maybe we can't. Or at least not in the ways we want to. Shauna and I discuss these interesting ideas from her work and how she's grown professionally. We also touch on the significance ...

Shauna

July 19, 2019 14:00 - 40 minutes - 27.8 MB

Another interview out of DC this week, my guest Shauna has worked as a freelance programmer for 9 years. She left neuroscience after a long reckoning with the uncertainty. Shauna found herself challenged by a big question: How do we quantify and understand the vast potential of human behavior with hard tools? Maybe we can't. Or at least not in the ways we want to. Shauna and I discuss these interesting ideas from her work and how she's grown professionally. We also touch on the significance ...

Episode 4: Christy Gerencher

July 05, 2019 13:00 - 33 minutes - 22.8 MB

Christy Gerencher is a Senior Program Officer at the Transportation Research Board. She manages hundreds of volunteers across more than a dozen committees all working to advance research in Aviation and Environmental Science. She's been an aviation nerd since day 1 - or least since she was old enough to drive to the airport for piloting lessons. In our conversations, she shared with me what exactly the National Academies do and how their research propels government decisions. We also chatte...

Christy

July 05, 2019 13:00 - 33 minutes - 22.8 MB

Christy Gerencher is a Senior Program Officer at the Transportation Research Board. She manages hundreds of volunteers across more than a dozen committees all working to advance research in Aviation and Environmental Science. She's been an aviation nerd since day 1 - or least since she was old enough to drive to the airport for piloting lessons. In our conversations, she shared with me what exactly the National Academies do and how their research propels government decisions. We also chatte...

Jocelyn

June 21, 2019 14:00 - 29 minutes - 20.5 MB

Jocelyn is one of the coolest people I've ever known and I cannot wait to see what her future holds. We met over a year ago at the opening banquet for the Global Leadership Initiative cohort (of which we were both new members). I immediately knew that she was someone with a lot of great stuff to say and when she sat down with me in the studio... we sure did get to it. Between gripes about generational trauma and loving guidance from valued mentors, this episode steps outside of STEM to shed ...

Dr Amber Woodburn McNair

June 07, 2019 12:00 - 30 minutes - 14.1 MB

This episode features Dr Amber Woodburn McNair of the Ohio State University. She serves as an assistant professor in the Knowlton School as well as the Center for Aviation Studies (both within OSU's College of Engineering. We sat down to discuss Dr Woodburn's research and experiences in academia and how her identity and presentation as a woman has affected her journey. She also shared some wonderful advice about navigating the murky waters that await after graduation and the importance of ke...

(my dear friend) Donna

May 16, 2019 20:00 - 19 minutes - 9.04 MB

Episode 1: Donna My guest this episode is my dear friend Donna. She works as a consultant with ODOT and has years of experience in technology. Her path has not been conventional and she shared a few great stories about what she has learned along the way. For more episodes and cool stuff: STEMS and leaves website Theme 'Feeling Fool' by Rosy Ross Album Art by Aaron Thomas Art Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/stemsandleaves)