Storytellers of STEMM

15/12/2022

I had a lot of fun and met SO MANY amazing people while doing the Storytellers of STEMM podcast! It's officially finished now but thank you to everyone for the participating, listening, and being awesome!! Episodes will stay up for y'all to listen though. Thanks everyone! ❤️

18/06/2022

I know it's been a hot minute y'all but there's a new episode out RIGHT NOW!!! Today's storyteller is Louise Carroll! Louise is an operational meteorologist based in Australia and also a fellow member of the Homeward Bound program. I was really excited to meet Louise and hear about her work as meteorologist, and the far flung places where her work has taken her. She's worked in Antarctica multiple times, and on remote islands like Willis Island in the Coral Sea off the coast of Australia. I had such fun talking to Louise so I hope you enjoy!

Link to Anchor, but it's available in all the usual podcast places -

https://anchor.fm/storytellersofstemm/episodes/144---Louise-Carroll-Meteorology-e1k3tnd

08/02/2022

New episode!!! Today's storyteller is Dr Courtney Robichaud! Courtney is a wetlands scientist who has primarily researched Phragmites australis - which is a super tall colony forming invasive freshwater plant species. And when I say tall, it's regularly 10-15 feet tall. And Phragmites (aka phrag or roseau) is very good at invading locations and outcompeting native species. It forms these dense colonies which also doesn't really allow for a diverse suite of species to grow in the same area. I was so excited to talk to Courtney because I spend a solid portion of my wetlands scientist career working with phrag, and it was fun to nerd out about the fieldwork and logistics side of it to start. But the biggest thing I wanted to talk about is - what do we do when an invasive species such as phrag is taking over, but also simultaneously holding the wetland together? What do you do? How do you manage that scenario, or do you even manage it at all? It's partially a philosophical question and partly a feasibility question. So we discuss that in length as well, comparing Ontario (Courtney's area) vs the Mississippi River Delta (my area). This was a great conversation and I'm so excited about a wetlands episode. Enjoy!!

https://anchor.fm/storytellersofstemm/episodes/143---Courtney-Robichaud-Freshwater-Wetlands--Phragmites-australis-e1e395a

Today's storyteller is Dr Courtney Robichaud! Courtney is a wetlands scientist who has primarily researched Phragmites australis - which is a super tall colony forming invasive freshwater plant species. And when I say tall, it's regularly 10-15 feet tall. And Phragmites (aka phrag or roseau) is very...

16/01/2022

New episode is live!! Today's storyteller is Dr Jonathon Valente! Jonathon is a longtime dear friend of mine who does all kinds of interesting bird and wildlife research and so I'm excited to share this conversation with you! We first met at Louisiana State University (LSU) back in I think like 2007. This conversation consists mainly of the questions I've always wanted to ask him and never really had the "excuse"to, like how did you end up in the wildlife field, how did you end up at LSU, his favorite part of his work, and things like that. And it's interspersed with conversations about wildlife, birds, research, etc. Also, there's a brief and hilarious bird interlude around 20 minutes in because what else could you possibly expect when 2 bird people chat on Zoom?!? I hope you enjoy this conversation!

Available wherever you get podcasts, and on Anchor -- https://anchor.fm/storytellersofstemm/episodes/142---Jonathon-Valente-Avian-Ecology--Research-e1d0oga

Today's storyteller is Dr Jonathon Valente! Jonathon is a longtime dear friend of mine who does all kinds of interesting bird and wildlife research and so I'm excited to share this conversation with you! We first met at Louisiana State University (LSU) back in I think like 2007, when I was finishing...

15/01/2022

I hope everyone has had a good December and into January and if you haven't well WE'RE COMING BACK! So that'll help, right? :D New episode dropping in a few hours! Stay tuned!!!

17/11/2021

New episode!! Today's storyteller is Dr Clay Tucker! Clay is a tree ring scientist, also known as a dendrochronologist, and his specialty is related to hurricanes and climate change. Trees grow and add rings every year, so by taking a small core of the tree you get a visual representation of that tree's life, essentially. And you can see the impact of droughts, hurricanes, and disease on the growth of that tree over time. In Clay's research, he's used tree rings from pine trees across the southeastern US to understand the impacts of hurricanes. It's fascinating research and why I asked Clay to be on the podcast! Clay and I are both in Baton Rouge, and know a lot of the same people, and so we talk about that and relationships within science, about how technology in this era allows for collaboration across continents and time zones, about what I call the "Louisiana Quicksand Conundrum", about learning to read the landscape, and of course about trees and wetlands and research. This is such a fun conversation and Clay is great and I hope everyone enjoys it!

https://anchor.fm/storytellersofstemm/episodes/141---Clay-Tucker-Tree-Rings-and-Hurricanes-e1acrv1

Today's storyteller is Dr Clay Tucker! Clay is a tree ring scientist, also known as a dendrochronologist, and his specialty is related to hurricanes and climate change. I could have called this episode "Dendrochronology" but probably most people have no idea what that would mean and I didn't want to...

14/11/2021

New episode!!! Today's storyteller is Jhénelle Williams! Jhénelle is an ocean engineer from Jamaica using nuclear technology to do ocean and environmental science research. If you're wondering how that works and what that even means, don't worry that's the very first thing we talk about! We talk about the types of research they do, how they use nuclear techniques to further their knowledge. They use this technology to research mangroves, sediment, microplastics, sargassum, and air quality research. I found this to be really cool and we've had a lot of people on to talk about stable isotopes but we never talk about HOW the stable isotopes are processed, and this is one of the ways. So that really clicked for me and felt like a missing knowledge link! Jhénelle is awesome, this was a great conversation, and y'all enjoy!

https://anchor.fm/storytellersofstemm/episodes/140---Jhnelle-Williams-Nuclear-Applications-in-Environmental-Sciences-e1a8q75

Today's storyteller is Jhénelle Williams! Jhénelle is an ocean engineer from Jamaica using nuclear technology to do ocean and environmental science research. If you're wondering how that works and what that even means, don't worry that's the very first thing we talk about! We talk about the types ...

09/11/2021

New episode!!! Today's storyteller is Brittaney Spruill! Britt is friend and neighbor and architect and today we talk about pretty much everything! ALSO, surprise because Cedric Johnson is back to guest host this time! Anyway Britt is here today to talk about why she chose architecture (or did it choose her?), what she likes about it, about the types of projects she's worked on, what she'd be doing if not architecture, favorite albums, history and people, and a lot of in between. This episode is long because Cedric, Britt, and I have been good friends for a long time so we just had a lot of fun chatting and talking work and buildings and people and history and music. I hope you enjoy!!

https://anchor.fm/storytellersofstemm/episodes/139---Brittaney-Spruill-Architecture-e19vr8t

Today's storyteller is Brittaney Spruill! Britt is friend and neighbor and architect and today we talk about pretty much everything! ALSO, surprise because Cedric Johnson is back to guest host this time! If you missed Cedric's episode, it's #128. So listen to that one too if you missed it. Anyway ba...

14/10/2021

New episode!! Today's storyteller is Dr Jarrod McKenna! Jarrod is a reproductive biologist at Monash University in Australia and today we talk about the Egyptian spiny mouse and studying reproductive biology. The Egyptian spiny mouse is a rare example of menstruation in mammals, especially a small prey sized mammal, as opposed to large mammals with few to no actual predators (such humans and primates). In the lab they can use this mouse as a test subject of sorts or a surrogate for studying human reproductive health, which is part of what Jarrod's research is focused on. So today to sum it up, we talk about the Egyptian spiny mouse, mammal reproductive biology, about conservation and the ethics of whether we SHOULD do certain things; how captive spiny mice populations might be different after 20-40 years in captivity and how that differs from wild populations potentially. It was a very fascinating conversation and I hope you enjoy!

https://anchor.fm/storytellersofstemm/episodes/138---Jarrod-McKenna-The-Egyptian-Spiny-Mouse-and-Reproductive-Biology-e18qaig

Today's storyteller is Dr Jarrod McKenna! Jarrod is a reproductive biologist at Monash University in Australia and today we talk about the Egyptian spiny mouse and studying reproductive biology. The Egyptian spiny mouse is a rare example of menstruation in mammals, especially a small prey sized mamm...

28/09/2021

New episode!! Today's storyteller is Lisa Caprelli! She is a children's book author and the creator of the Unicorn Jazz book series, which also launched an Amazon show called The Thing I Do. Today Lisa and I talk about the things that people do, social and emotional intelligence, the importance of people sharing what they do to a young audience, and how her psychology background helps her be a writer and leader. This isn't really a typical STEMM episode BUT I always have said I want to talk to anyone who has anything to share that's even remotely STEMM related, and also talking to Lisa was a lot of fun, so I hope you enjoy it!

https://anchor.fm/storytellersofstemm/episodes/137---Lisa-Caprelli-Unicorn-Jazz-and-Educational-Outreach-e181diu

Today's storyteller is Lisa Caprelli! She is a children's book author and the creator of the Unicorn Jazz book series, which also launched an Amazon show called The Thing I Do. Today Lisa and I talk about the things that people do, social and emotional intelligence, the importance of people sharing....

27/09/2021

Monday: Episode 75 with Alex Borowicz! Alex Borowicz is a PhD student at Stony Brook in New York (when we recorded this!), and he describes his research as where things are and why they're there. He studied Antarctic wildlife like Weddell seals, whales, and if course penguins. We talk research, how he first ended up in Antarctica, marine debris, tourism, and more! This is also the 3rd episode in the series. Enjoy!

https://anchor.fm/storytellersofSTEMM/episodes/75---Antarctica-Series-03-Alex-Borowicz-emmu8q/a-a3t12vj

Alex Borowicz is a PhD student at Stony Brook in New York, and he describes his research as where things are and why they're there. He studied Antarctic wildlife like Weddell seals, whales, and if course penguins. We talk research, how he first ended up in Antarctica, marine debris, tourism, and mor...

22/09/2021

New episode!! Today's storyteller is Logan Kline! Logan is a master's student at the University of Maine studying nesting birds using drones! She is using drones to find nests of colonial nesting seabirds on islands in Maine, and training AI to interpret the images. It's really just so cool! I studied shorebirds for my master's, and have a special place in my bird loving heart for these birds, and that's how I originally started following Logan on Twitter. And add in the amazingly cool drone technology that we have now and it's just really cool the research that's possible now, and I find this transition period we're in to be fascinating (which we talk about). We also talk about using drones safely and ethically, the training one should have to use drones around wildlife and to get a drone pilot's license, birdwatching and gate keeping, and what's next for Logan. Enjoy!



https://anchor.fm/storytellersofstemm/episodes/136---Logan-Kline-Drones-and-Nesting-Seabirds-e17mss0

Today's storyteller is Logan Kline! Logan is a master's student at the University of Maine studying nesting birds using drones! She is using drones to find nests of colonial nesting seabirds on islands in Maine, and training AI to interpret the images. It's really just so cool! I studied shorebirds....

20/09/2021

Monday: This is part 2 of of Homeward Bound answering the question "What Does Antarctica Mean To You?" This was done as part of our "virtual voyage" in lieu of our actual voyage, which is postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. You can find part 1 of this in Episode #70. Enjoy!

https://anchor.fm/storytellersofstemm/episodes/74---Team-HB5-What-Does-Antarctica-Mean-To-You--Part-2-emi2uq/a-a3s2uuj

This is Part 2 of Homeward Bound's 5th cohort - Team HB5 - answering the question "What does Antarctica mean to you?" Today we would have been on our voyage to Antarctica, and to mark the occasion we're doing a virtual voyage reflecting on our journey so far. You can follow us on all platforms using...

14/09/2021

Today's storyteller is Dr Cynthia Awruch! Cynthia is a marine biologist studying sharks of Argentina, and Tasmania. She's researching shark physiology and reproduction, how physiology helps conservation, and how marine contaminants negatively impact shark reproduction. Today we talk all about her research, and dive into how physiology does impact shark conservation, which I found very interesting. They figured out a way to use hormones (via blood samples) to understand reproduction and stress, which is great because it's nonlethal and doesn't remove individuals from an already struggling population! We also have a really good conversation about communication and the importance of social sciences in the physical sciences, and about balancing work, research, school, and life. Enjoy!

https://anchor.fm/storytellersofstemm/episodes/135---Cynthia-Awruch-Shark-Physiology--Reproduction--and-Conservation-e17c46n

Today's storyteller is Dr Cynthia Awruch! Cynthia is a marine biologist studying sharks of Argentina and Tasmania. She's researching shark physiology and reproduction, how physiology helps conservation, and how marine contaminants negatively impact shark reproduction. Today we talk all about her res...

13/09/2021

Monday: Edauri is a PhD student at Arizona State University studying soil biogeochemistry. We cover a lot of ground in this episode, and we start by talking about her career path. She did a variety of undergraduate research positions, in a variety of places, which we talk about. We talk about her career but we also delve into a conversation about privilege and climate justice. Enjoy!



https://anchor.fm/storytellersofstemm/episodes/73---Edauri-Navarro-Perez-Soil-Science-and-a-Conversation-about-Privilege-emi0cg/a-a3s1fh4

Edauri is a PhD student at Arizona State University studying soil biogeochemistry. We cover a lot of ground in this episode, and we start by talking about her career path. She did a variety of undergraduate research positions, in a variety of places, which we talk about. We talk about her career but...

08/09/2021

New episode!!! Today's storyteller is Dr Bharathi Boppana! Bharathi is a Research Scientist at the Institute of High Performance Computing in Singapore. Today we talk about her work there using computational simulations to model wind and pollution in urban areas. Bharathi's journey is so interesting - her background is in engineering, and her PhD is in applied mathematics - and takes her to Singapore where she is now. We talk fluid dynamics, what modeling is, how modeling works, computer programs, her journey in her career, and the type of work she does now. Also, Bharathi and I are both members of Homeward Bound's 5th cohort (known as HB5), which is how I have gotten to know her. And in a fun twist, Bharathi asks me questions about my work and it was rather fun being on the other end of the microphone! Enjoy!



https://anchor.fm/storytellersofstemm/episodes/134---Bharathi-Boppana-Computational-Modeling-and-a-Conversation-e1727g0

Today's storyteller is Dr Bharathi Boppana! Bharathi is a Research Scientist at the Institute of High Performance Computing in Singapore. Today we talk about her work there using computational simulations to model wind and pollution in urban areas. Bharathi's journey is so interesting - her backgrou...

06/09/2021

Monday: This is Episode 2 of the Antarctica series and today's storyteller is Sabrina Heiser! She's a PhD student at University of Alabama Birmingham and she studies Antarctic seaweeds. We talk about her love of diving and seaweeds, all about her research, about her time living in Antarctica, and I ask a lot of ridiculous questions. Enjoy!

https://anchor.fm/storytellersofstemm/episodes/72---Antarctica-Series-02-Sabrina-Heiser-emd07s/a-a3qu27p

This is Episode 2 of the Antarctica series and today's storyteller is Sabrina Heiser! She's a PhD student at University of Alabama Birmingham and she studies Antarctic seaweeds. We talk about her love of diving and seaweeds, all about her research, about her time living in Antarctica, and I ask a lo...

30/08/2021

Monday: This is the first episode in the Antarctica series! Today's storyteller is Megan McCuller and she's a bryozoan expert. We talked just before they left port for their research trip to Antarctica in 2020! She talks about her background, about bryozoans, the work they are doing on this trip, and what she expects from the experience. I also talked to Megan after she got back from the trip, and you can find Part 2 in Episode #113. Enjoy!

https://anchor.fm/storytellersofstemm/episodes/71---Antarctica-Series-01-Megan-McCuller-emcni3/a-a3qsk85

This is the first episode in the Antarctica series! Today's storyteller is Megan McCuller and she's a bryozoan expert. We talked just before they left port for their research trip to Antarctica! She talks about her background, about bryozoans, the work they are doing on this trip, and what she expec...

24/08/2021

New episode!! Today's storyteller is Dr Karen Joyce! Karen is a geospatial scientist, and today we talk all about drones, remote sensing, geography, and everything in between! Karen wears a lot of hats - she's a lecturer at James Cook University in Australia, she's the cofounder and education director of She Maps (which we'll talk about), and she also runs the drone data repository GeoNadir (which we didn't even get to in this conversation!). She Maps is really brilliant and aiming at diversifying STEM using drones and geospatial tools through programs in schools. Karen tells the story of how it came to be in this episode so I won't give it away but it's such a cool program. Enjoy!

https://anchor.fm/storytellersofstemm/episodes/133---Karen-Joyce-Drones-and-Geospatial-Science-e16d8uj

Today's storyteller is Dr Karen Joyce! Karen is a geospatial scientist, and today we talk all about drones, remote sensing, geography, and everything in between! Karen wears a lot of hats - she's a lecturer at James Cook University in Australia, she's the cofounder and education director of She Maps...

23/08/2021

Monday: Back in November 2020, of Homeward Bound did a "Virtual Voyage" since our actual voyage is postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. So I asked them, what does Antarctica mean to you? And this is part 1 of that reflection! #

https://anchor.fm/storytellersofstemm/episodes/70---Team-HB5-What-Does-Antarctica-Mean-To-You--Part-1-em7tnl/a-a3q82gs

18/08/2021

New episode!! Today's storyteller is Paula Silva! Paula is a water resources engineer at a large international consulting firm. If you're like me, when you think water management, you either think of something like drainage in urban areas, or in more natural environments like river flows. Water is vital to a lot of things and so I'm excited to share this conversation with y'all. So Paula is here today to talk about what a water resources engineer does, what her job looks like day to day, the kinds of projects she works on, and the favorite parts of her job. We also dive into what drew her to engineering, what it's like working in this field. And towards the end, since I know Paula through Homeward Bound (we're both ), we chat a little about our experiences and favorite parts of the Homeward Bound program. Enjoy!

https://anchor.fm/storytellersofstemm/episodes/132---Paula-Silva-Water-Resources-Engineering--Management-e162p44

Today's storyteller is Paula Silva! Paula is a water resources engineer at a large international consulting firm. If you're like me, when you think water management, you either think of something like in urban areas (for me, that would be the New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board, in particular), or in...

16/08/2021

Monday: Episode 68 with Meghan Holst! Meghan Holst is a PhD student who also works at the Aquarium of the Bay in San Francisco, and she works with sharks and octopuses! Mainly the broadnose sevengill shark and the giant pacific octopus, which she tells us all about. We talk about aquariums, research, her education, and everything in between. Meghan is also now the co-host of the podcast Sharkpedia so y'all should check that out too. Enjoy!

https://anchor.fm/storytellersofstemm/episodes/68---Meghan-Holst-Sharks-and-Octopuses-em2gkl/a-a3op34j

Meghan Holst is a PhD student who also works at the Aquarium of the Bay in San Francisco, and she works with sharks and octopuses! Mainly the broadnose sevengill shark and the giant pacific octopus, which she tells us all about. We talk about aquariums, research, her education, and everything in bet...

09/08/2021

Monday: Episode 67 with Bri and R, the hosts of Q***r Science! We talk about their undergraduate experiences at NC State, why they started their podcast, and have really good conversation about science, society, and their experiences in STEMM!!

https://anchor.fm/storytellersofstemm/episodes/67---Q***r-Science--with-Bri--R-elo7us/a-a3mjcfr

Today's episode features Bri and R - the hosts of the podcast Q***r Science! We talk about their undergraduate experiences at NC State, why they started the podcast, and have really good conversation about science, society, and queerness - which is also what their podcast is about!! - - - You can fi...

03/08/2021

New episode!! Today's storyteller is Dr Claire Cannon! Claire is a veterinary oncologist based in Melbourne Australia. Today we talk all about cancer in pets, particularly dogs and cats, and I learned so much about the field, research, and types of cancers that impact our pets. We talk about the balance of clinical visits and teaching, about mental health in the veterinary world, about science communication, and about what her day to day job looks like. It's really such a fun conversation and I know I say this a lot but y'all the storytellers teach me so much every week!! Enjoy!

https://anchor.fm/storytellersofstemm/episodes/131---Claire-Cannon-Veterinary-Oncology-e15atgf

Today's storyteller is Dr Claire Cannon! Claire is a veterinary oncologist based in Melbourne Australia. Today we talk all about cancer in pets, particularly dogs and cats, and I learned so much about the field, research, and types of cancers that impact our pets. Also, did you know that elephants d...

27/07/2021

New episode!!! Today's storyteller is Dr Marga Rivas! Marga is a marine ecologist based at the University of Almeria in Spain. She's done a lot of work with sea turtles, marine conservation, ocean plastics, remote sensing, and sometimes all these aspects combined. It's all really interesting work so check it out! Marga is also part of Homeward Bound 5 with me, and so it was nice to get to know her better on a one on one basis. So in addition to all the cool marine work we talk about we also talk about the HB experience so far, our favorite parts, and reflect on things we've learned so far. Enjoy!

https://anchor.fm/storytellersofstemm/episodes/130---Marga-L-Rivas-Marine-Ecology-e153rrm

Today's storyteller is Dr Marga L Rivas! Marga is a marine ecologist based at the University of Almeria in Spain. She's done a lot of work with sea turtles, marine conservation, ocean plastics, remote sensing, and sometimes all these aspects combined. It's all really interesting work so check it out...

27/07/2021

ICYMI Monday: Episode 66 with Erin Herbez! Erin and I talk about a range of things today - our time as wildlife master's students at LSU together, how she became interested in birds, the field jobs and work she did before going to graduate school, and about her current job now with the ParkLands Foundation - a nonprofit land trust in Illinois. This conversation was an opportunity to ask Erin the questions I never thought to ask her throughout all the years I've known her and to just discuss our different experiences in this field. Enjoy!



https://anchor.fm/storytellersofstemm/episodes/66---Erin-Herbez-Journey-in-Wildlife-elkurk/a-a3lqnkg

Erin Herbez and I talk about a range of things today - our time as wildlife master's students at LSU together, how she became interested in birds, the field jobs and work she did before going to graduate school, and about her current job now with the ParkLands Foundation, a nonprofit land trust in I...

21/07/2021

New episode!! Today's storyteller is Dr Yona Nebel-Jacobsen! Yona is a geochemist based in Melbourne Australia, she works with isotopes, and she teaches me so much cool geology straight away. In this episode we talk about what a geochemist does, if it was the "geo" or the "chem" part that appealed to her, the nonlinear twisty path she took to her current position, and about all things in between. Yona is also part of Homeward Bound in the 4th cohort (I'm in the 5th) and so we talk a bit about our experiences in the HB program too. I love meeting fellow HBers and instant friends and so that's been a fun bonus of this whole podcast project. So it was doubly wonderful to meet Yona, hear her stories, and I hope y'all enjoy!



https://anchor.fm/storytellersofstemm/episodes/129---Yona-Nebel-Jacobsen-Geochemistry-e14p452

Today's storyteller is Dr Yona Nebel-Jacobsen! Yona is a geochemist based in Melbourne Australia, she works with isotopes, and she teaches me so much cool geology straight away. In this episode we talk about what a geochemist does, if it was the "geo" or the "chem" part that appealed to her, the non...

20/07/2021

ICYMI Monday - Ep 65 with Dr Sarah Fritts! Sarah is a wildlife professor at Texas State and she studies all kinds of wildlife, including bats which I ask entiiiiirely too many questions about! Her research tends to focus on spatial and temporal questions, across a wide variety of species. Enjoy!



https://anchor.fm/storytellersofstemm/episodes/65---Sarah-Fritts-Bats-and-Wildlife-Research-eldu1e

Dr Sarah Fritts is a wildlife professor at Texas State and she studies all kinds of wildlife, including bats which I ask entirely too many questions about! Her research tends to focus on spatial and temporal questions, across a wide variety of species. Enjoy! - - You can find Rachel Villani on Twitt...

14/07/2021

No new episode this week - I simply needed a whole break over the weekend. Fieldwork is brutal y'all!!!

HOWEVER, there's 128 amazing episodes out and available where you get podcasts. I'll give you a week to catch up and be back at you next week with a new episode ❤️

13/07/2021

ICYMI Monday! Susan Caldis is here today to talk all things geography! We talk about how to teach geography in schools, why that's important, and what still needs to be done. We also discuss why geography is part of STEMM and about the big education push in Australia to teach it as such. She's also a 2020 STEM Ambassador! Enjoy!

https://anchor.fm/storytellersofstemm/episodes/64---Susan-Caldis-Geography-Education-in-Australia-elaohg

Susan Caldis is here today to talk all things geography! We talk about how to teach geography in schools, why that's important, and what still needs to be done. We also discuss why geography is part of STEMM and about the big education push in Australia to teach it as such. She's also a 2020 STEM Am...