STEM Tea

In this episode of the STEM Tea podcast, AJ delves into the world of exercise science with Estevao Scudese, a Research Associate at the Federal University of State of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) investigating the intersection between molecular biology and exercise, where he also works as a physical trainer and coach. Estevao discusses his path into the physical sciences and the current research landscape and outlook for this rapidly expanding field, detailing the biggest risks and key motivating moments throughout his career, before revealing the parallels between coaching and mentoring, and how he encourages people to take small steps at the beginning of their fitness journey. We also get a fascinating insight into the impact of space travel on muscle tissue and the “balloon and anchor” people that Estevao surrounds himself with to stay motivated.   Contents: ·        Introduction: 00:00-02:00·        Estevao’s background and route into a career in physical sciences: 02:00-05:00·        What is on the horizon for scientific research into and our approach to physical activity: 05:00-06:40·        Estevao’s greatest career achievements so far and what is next: 06:40-08:30·        Estevao’s current approach to research: 08:30-09:50·        The biggest risks in his career and what are you most proud of? 09:50-12:00·        Achieving work life balance: 12:00-13:20·        Setting someone up on the path to fitness and the impacts on health: 13:20-17:40·        Techniques to help address stress with exercise: 17:40-19:00·        Molecular impacts of exercise: 19:00-20:15·        Impacts of poor diet and low exercise levels on health: 20:15-22:15·        Small steps to start a fitness journey and the challenges they may face: 22:15-25:10·        Challenge for Estevao’s own exercise routine and staying motivated: 24:40-26:25·        Key moments of serendipity in Estevao’s career: 26:25-27:30·        The intersection of stress and acute health: 27:30-28:30·        Coaching as mentoring and building leadership skills and setting goals: 28:30-31:40·        Spending time outside of work and most motivating memories: 31:40-36:00·        Personal goals for growth: 36:00-39:00·        The current state of research infrastructure in Brazil: 39:00-41:40·        Key research fields of Brazil: 41:40-43:30·        Trust in science in Brazil: 43:30-45:15·        Muscle development in space: 45:15-47:15·        Outro: 47:15-48:45

In this episode, host AJ Hinton is joined by Alissa Armstrong, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of South Carolina (SC, USA). Armstrong uses the model organism Drosophila melanogaster – the fruit fly – to research how multiple organs communicate information about nutrition to one another. Armstrong is a Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) Science Diversity Leadership (SDL) grantee, awarded for her study of inter-organ communication with adipose tissue and her long-standing commitment to mentoring and outreach activities since graduate school. Her passion for mentoring the next generation of Black and Brown students has been at the forefront of her science journey, and she is now participating in two programs: South Carolina – Advancing Diversity in Aging Research (SC-ADAR) and Post-baccalaureate Research Education Program (PREP). Here, she discusses her research, how she encourages a healthy working environment in her lab and how her mentoring work and mentoring practices help encourage diversity in ContentsIntroductions 00:00–02:07Could you tell us a bit more about your research focus? 02:07–03:23How did you secure a CZI SDL grant? 03:23–07:38What drives you to support and mentor students? And what should students look for in a mentor? 07:38–09:28How do you collaborate with students and mentees to get them excited about science, and how do you foster their growth and leadership within science? 09:28–12:00How do you encourage creative thinking in the workplace? And how does the sense of ‘belonging’ translate to an academic environment? 12:00–14:34What are your greatest mentoring accomplishments? 14:34–16:26When you were growing up, did people ever discourage you, and if so, how did you overcome that? 16:26–17:49What are some of your greatest science accomplishments? 17:49–18:51How can mentoring in science be improved? 18:51–20:08How does diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) fit into science spaces? 20:08–22:10What motivates you and your lab to do great science? 22:10–25:22How did you acquire the skills to be both a professional and personal support to your mentees? 25:22–27:55How do you and your lab set boundaries for productivity to ensure that you’re not over-working? 27:55–30:36What do you see your lab focusing on in the future? 30:36–31:56 Where do you think DEI will go in science and mentoring in the future? 31:56–32:30Do you have any open postdoc or graduate positions at the moment? 32:30–34:02What’s the tea? 34:02–35:11Outro 35:11–35:36

In this episode of the STEM Tea podcast, AJ Hinton discusses a career in academic publishing with Alexander Hutchison, the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Cellular Physiology (NJ, USA). Following a PhD in Kinesiology and Exercise Science at the University of Houston (TX, USA) and working in academia for several years, Alexander changed career to working in scientific publishing and has also written a number of books.Contents:Introduction 00:00 – 03:15What is the difference between the Senior Editor and Editor-in-Chief of a journal? 03:15 – 06:03Take us through the day-to-day of an Editor-in-Chief. 06:03 – 09:55When commissioning for a special issue, how do you ensure its novel? 09:55 – 14:18How do you move the science forward to contribute to the larger community and not just the journal? 14:18 – 21:06How do you work with authors to cultivate high-quality and impactful research? And how do you make time to continue your own learning? 22:33 – 26:40What gaps do you see in the education system? 26:40 – 36:43How can scientists improve their science communication to those without an extensive science background? 36:46 – 40:29Tell us about the books that you’ve authored. 40:29 – 46:03How do you stay active? 50:36 – 51:30Outro 51:30 – 52:02

Michelle Juarez is the Diversity Outreach Coordinator at Stony Brook University (NY, USA) and joins AJ Hinton on this episode of the STEM Tea podcast to discuss science communication, promoting biological education within communities and Frontiers for Young Minds, an open-access academic journal that publishes articles edited by kids for kids.Contents:o  Introduction 00:00 – 01:03o  What has been your journey to the DNA Learning Center? 01:03 – 02:11o  How are you communicating science to the wider community? 02:11 – 03:55o  What are some key areas that could inspire and motivate students to be the best scientists? 03:55 – 06:48o  Do you work with translations at Frontiers for Young Minds? 06:48 – 08:12o  What drove you to become a mentor? 08:12 – 10:36o  What are some accomplishments in your career that made you interested in science communication and mentoring? 10:36 – 13:00o  Who inspires you? 13:00 – 14:26o  Have you had any experiences where you needed to fail in order to succeed? 14:26 – 17:52o  Could you discuss the importance of high-quality science being communicated to students? 17:52 – 20:11o  What qualities do you have that have made you successful in your career thus far? 20:11 – 22:20o  The importance of collaboration 22:20 – 25:27o  What advice do you wish someone had given you earlier in your career 25:27 – 29:11o  How can people learn about other career development opportunities outside of the lab? 29:11 – 32:32o  How were you able to cultivate the leadership skills that you needed for your career in research administration? 32:32 – 36:23o  Outro 36:23 – 38:15

To kick off season 2 of the STEM Tea podcast, host AJ Hinton is joined by Aaron Streets, an Associate Professor of Bioengineering at the University of California, Berkley (CA, USA), to discuss the benefits of going abroad for your postdoc, the importance of being mindful as to which opportunities you agree to and celebrating your accomplishments. ContentsIntroductions 00:00 – 01:38Could you tell us more about your research program? 01:38 – 03:10Why did you choose to go to Peking University for your postdoc? Can you speak Mandarin Chinese? 03:10 – 05:54Do you still take time to practice Mandarin today? 05:54 – 07:37Do you have advice on how to pick postdocs and faculty positions 07:37 – 10:20What did you have to assess when coming back to the States to ensure you could acquire the position that you wanted? 10:20 – 13:55Highlight some of your best mentorship experiences throughout the years 13:55 – 16:16How do you mentor someone who may have interests outside of science? 16:16 – 20:44What do you do to mentor students outside of the lab? 20:44 – 24:31How do you support alternative careers as a mentor? 24:31 – 28:12How did you prepare yourself for your new leadership position? 28:12 – 33:16How do you amplify others? How do you decide which opportunities you say yes to? 33:16 – 37:25What do you do for fun and to relax? How do you celebrate your accomplishments? 37:25 – 42:05The opportunities being a scientist provides and the possibilities within this career from science communication to changing policy 42:05 – 44:30Amplifying other voices and sharing opportunities 44:30 – 51:20What’s the tea? 51:30 – 52:24Where can people find out more about you? Do you have any advice for others? 52:24 – 57:35Final thoughts 57:35 – 59:12 

STEM Tea host AJ Hinton looks back at the first season of the STEM Tea podcast, featuring many guests who’ve shared their perspectives and experiences on a variety of topics including mentoring, faith in science and improving DEI initiatives in schools.