Gen Ed

What kind of job has you trekking through jungles, fending off all manners of bloodthirsty creatures and mediating with locals, solely to study and protect a threatened species from extinction? This may sound like the next iteration of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," but this is in fact a way of life for Susan Tsang, PhD, research associate at the American Museum of Natural History and CEO of Biodiversitas Global, LLC. Listen in as we discuss her journey from high school to grad school and the experiences that got her interested in phylogenetic and biogeographic research! We'll also touch upon the nature of expedition research in a foreign country: whilst our initial description may sound adventurous and fanciful, field expeditions require meticulous planning, not only for their own logistics but also to ensure their establishment of proper allyship with local communities.

Ever wondered how Facebook tracks your ad preferences? Or perhaps what makes your Siri or Alexa tick? Maybe you're simply a philosopher at heart and you enjoy asking questions like "Can machines think?" Inquiries such as these can be explained with the ~simple~ concept of AI! Tune in as we discuss the study and application of AI (i.e. artificial intelligence) in both academic and industry settings with Dr. Risto Miikkulainen, professor from the University of Texas at Austin and associate VP at Cognizant! Decrypting the mysteries of artificial life and decision making, we touch upon the differences between neural networks and evolutionary computation as well as neuroevolution, social change and applied mathematics. They say the future is written in code; you just need to write your way into it!

Cognizant's Evolutionary AI Demo: https://evolution.ml/

Check it out!

What happens when your gap year turns into five? Join us as we discuss alternate education paths with Leanne Burton, Partnerships Development Director at MakeWay and former Head of Marketing, Communications and Fundraising at WWF-Korea (World Wildlife Fund)! From leaving high school early to obtaining a Master of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership from Carleton University, Leanne's journey has brought her to a myriad of little-seen experiences that have shaped her into the forward-thinking professional she is today!

Join your hosts as they interview current high school student, entrepreneur and performer Ella Wang! Do you want to figure out how to balance commitments and activities in a post-pandemic world? Are you worried about your university application looking skimpy? Take a page out of Ella's book! Over the course of this episode, we jump between such topics as time management, extracurricular involvement, public speaking, Teach for Speech and iAscend!

Tune in today!

Take a listening dive into an episode where Louis and Alana interview Ranger Nick- there may be a special appearance from Scuter the turtle too! Ranger Nick speaks to us about his life as an environmentalist and also as a Professor at the University of Georgia at Athens. 

Students, nature enthusiasts, turtle and animal lovers, and more are all invited to take in awe of Ranger Nick's knowledge and expertise in the world of nature and teaching. 

(Part 2) Tune in for our conversation with Claire Froelich, translator, interpreter and, currently, web developer and student community manager at Postman! Want to get the inside scoop on the translation industry? Maybe you're thinking of trying the JET program and teaching in Japan? Or perhaps corporate interpretation is much more your style? Either way, Claire teaches us that life is full of variety and the future is always unwritten for those who pursue their passions!

Tune in for our conversation with Claire Froelich, translator, interpreter and, currently, web developer and student community manager at Postman! Want to get the inside scoop on the translation industry? Maybe you're thinking of trying the JET program and teaching in Japan? Or perhaps corporate interpretation is much more your style? Either way, Claire teaches us that life is full of variety and the future is always unwritten for those who pursue their passions!