A Scientist Walks Into A Bar

How does someone who grew up in the urban landscape of Singapore end up leading birding expeditions on horseback in Montana? Biologist and environmental advocate Dr. Wenfei Tong has done that, and MUCH more. Join us for a conversation about her life, work, books, art, and why she thinks of herself as Darwin's Jackal.

Check out Wenfei's art and photography and her Big Sky birding safaris. Join us for Wenfei's talk at Science on Tap on March 10, 2021 talking about Bird Love: The Family Life of Birds. Watch a recording of Wenfei's Science on Tap talk on her book "Understanding Bird Behavior" on September 24, 2020.

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Help support the podcast and live Science on Tap events!

Make a one-time donation to Make You Think OR If you are able, please support us on Patreon

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Thanks to Chet Lyster for sound production.

As always, a final thanks to Jonathan Coulton for the use of his song "Mandelbrot Set" as our theme music.

With everything going on in the news right now we thought it was a good time to talk about psychopaths. Here is a recording of our Science on Tap event held in October 2020 on The Neuroscience of Real Life Monsters: Psychopaths, CEOs, & Politicians with forensic psychiatrist Dr. Octavio Choi.  Check out our YouTube channel for more Science on Tap events.

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Help support the podcast and live Science on Tap events!

Make a one-time donation to Make You Think OR If you are able, please support us on Patreon

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Thanks to Graham Tully for sound production.

As always, a final thanks to Jonathan Coulton for the use of his song "Mandelbrot Set" as our theme music.

Learn about sharks, sawfish, and what it's like to be a marine biologist in this interview with Jasmin Graham. Also, find out more about Jasmin's work as the President and CEO of Minorities in Shark Sciences (MISS).  SkypeAScientist.com

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Help support the podcast and live Science on Tap events!

Make a one-time donation to Make You Think OR If you are able, please support us on Patreon

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Thanks to Graham Tully for sound production.

As always, a final thanks to Jonathan Coulton for the use of his song "Mandelbrot Set" as our theme music.

Listen as we have a fun conversation about death with mortician and activist Caitlin Doughty about her book Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? that is now out in paperback! We discuss why it's important to talk to kids about death, what she thinks about Halloween decorations, and the worst thing about her work (hint: it has nothing to do with dead people.)Learn more about Caitlin Doughty:

Buy Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs in paperback Caitlin's TED Talk Caitlin's talk at the XOXO Festival The Order of the Good Death Ask A Mortician YouTube Channel

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Help support the podcast and live events!

Make a one-time donation to Make You Think OR If you are able, please support us on Patreon

********

Thanks to Graham Tully for sound production.

As always, a final thanks to Jonathan Coulton for the use of his song "Mandelbrot Set" as our theme music.

In this episode we talk with Dr. Nicole Michel, Senior Quantitative Ecologist with the National Audubon Society and find out a little bit about what it's like to study birds. Also check out eBird and help do science in your neighborhood!

Watch Nicole's Science on Tap talk on Hope Is The Thing With Feathers: Finding Joy in Birds recorded on April 23, 2020.

(This interview was recorded in late April, 2020.)

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Help support the podcast and live events!

Make a one-time donation to Make You Think OR If you are able, please support us on Patreon

********

Thanks to Graham Tully for sound production.

As always, a final thanks to Jonathan Coulton for the use of his song "Mandelbrot Set" as our theme music.

You've probably heard of Jack Daniel's whiskey, but did you know that brand wouldn't exist if it weren't for Nearest Green, the first Black master distiller on record? In this episode we talk to Sailor Guevara, brand ambassador for Uncle Nearest Whiskey all about the science and history of whiskey. It’s also a story of slavery, emancipation, family connections, the legacy of traditions brought from Africa with enslaved people, a very determined woman from LA, and the push to encourage diversity in the distilling industry.

Learn more about whiskey with Sailor Guevara, including food pairings and cocktail demonstrations The Gastropod episode that inspired this interview: The Secret History of the Slave Behind Jack Daniel’s Whiskey ********

Help support the podcast and live events!

Make a one-time donation to Make You Think OR If you are able, please support us on Patreon

********

Thanks to Graham Tully for sound production.

As always, a final thanks to Jonathan Coulton for the use of his song "Mandelbrot Set" as our theme music.

In this episode we get another chance to talk to Dr. Ainissa Ramirez, materials scientist and author of the book The Alchemy of Us: How Humans and Matter Transformed One Another. We learn more about her background, what a materials scientist does, and why she calls herself a "science evangelist." Here are some suggestions on how to buy the book (that don't involve Amazon).

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Help support the podcast and live events!

Make a one-time donation to Make You Think OR If you are able, please support us on Patreon

********

Thanks to Graham Tully for sound production.

As always, a final thanks to Jonathan Coulton for the use of his song "Mandelbrot Set" as our theme music.

In this episode we have a long and fascinating conversation with epidemiologist Dr. Frank Franklin about the current pandemic, racism, poverty, public health, the Black Lives Matter protests, and what it's like to navigate the world as an African American scientist. Dr. Franklin is the Principal Epidemiologist & Director of the Epidemiology, Analytics and Evaluation Division at the Multnomah County Health Department in Portland, Oregon.  Questions? Speaker suggestions? Email us at [email protected]

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Help support the podcast and live events!

Make a one-time donation to Make You Think OR Please support us on Patreon

********

Thanks to Graham Tully for sound production.

As always, a final thanks to Jonathan Coulton for the use of his song "Mandelbrot Set" as our theme music.

In this episode we have a conversation with Dr. Eseosa Ighodaro, MD, PhD, a neurologist and a neuroscientist. Find out about what inspired her to study brains, what it's like to get an MD and a PhD at the same time, about her interest in studying the medical effects of racism on People of Color, and how she's teaching people about neuroscience.  Find Dr. Ighodaro on Twitter and Facebook! 

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Help support the podcast and live events!

Make a one-time donation to Make You Think OR If you are able, please support us on Patreon

********

Thanks to Graham Tully for sound production.

As always, a final thanks to Jonathan Coulton for the use of his song "Mandelbrot Set" as our theme music.

If you've ever heard the name Frances Glessner Lee you might think "wasn't she that lady who made crime scene dollhouses?" Making dioramas wasn't just her hobby; she actually had profound influence on the field of forensic science. We learn a bit about her in this brief interview with her biographer, Bruce Goldfarb. Join us for Science on Tap Online on Thursday, June 18, at 7pm Pacific for a live talk by Bruce about his book 18 Tiny Deaths: The Untold Story of Frances Glessner Lee and the Invention of Modern Forensics. 

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Help support the podcast and live events!

Make a one-time donation to Make You Think OR If you are able, please support us on Patreon

********

Thanks to Graham Tully for sound production.

As always, a final thanks to Jonathan Coulton for the use of his song "Mandelbrot Set" as our theme music.