People Behind the Science Podcast

By Dr. Marie McNeelyScience

People Behind the Science Podcast episodes

June 01 867: Dr. Sydney Glassman: Examining How Fungi and Soil Microbes Drive Ecosystem Recovery After Wildfires
Dr. Sydney Glassman is an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology & Plant Pathology at the University of California, Riverside. She completed her B.A. in Biology with a Concentration in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Pennsylvania. Next Sydney received a Master’s of Environmental Studies degree in Environmental Biology from the University of Pennsylvania working with Professor Brenda Casper. She was awarded her PhD in Environmental Science, Policy, & Management from the University of California, Berkeley working with Professor Tom Bruns. Afterwards, she conducted postdoctoral research at UC Irvine working with Professor Jennifer Martiny in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology before joining the faculty at UC Riverside in 2018. In this interview, Sydney shares more about her life and science.
People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes
Life Outside of Science (2:17)
Outside of work, Sydney spends most of her time with her husband, her young children, and their two dogs (one an extra-large mixed breed and one an extra-small mixed breed). Reading books together is a favorite family pastime.
The Scientific Side (3:18)
Sydney studies how wildfires affect soil bacteria and fungi, with a particular interest in how soil microbial communities help ecosystems recover after disturbance. Her work focuses especially on mycorrhizal fungi, which form beneficial relationships with plant roots, as well as other fascinating bacteria and fungi that play important roles in nature.
A Dose of Motivation (4:25)
“Mycology without apology.” — Tom Bruns
Sydney also draws inspiration from thinking about why she decided to pursue science, how important fungi are in our lives and society, and her role as a teacher and mentor.
What Got You Hooked on Science? (9:44)
Sydney’s scientific story began with an inspiring AP Biology teacher and a transformative semester at the Mountain School in Vermont. She went from the very urban environment she was used to in Los Angeles to spending time on a farm, understanding where food comes from, and learning how to read the forest landscape. As an undergraduate student, Sydney’s earliest research experiences with mycorrhizal fungi introduced her to the powerful beneficial relationships that shape ecosystems. This set her on a path toward studying fungi.
Later, a study abroad experience in Costa Rica sparked a deeper fascination with mushrooms and confirmed her interest in ecology and mycology. After completing her PhD and a postdoc (where she expanded her work to include bacteria), Sydney launched her own lab studying both fungal and bacterial communities and the important roles they play in the environment.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (25:03) 
In her research, Sydney uses “pyrocosms,” which are controlled bucket-based fire simulations. They use these pyrocosms to study how soils from different fire-prone ecosystems respond to burns of varying intensity. By comparing soils from chaparral shrublands, grasslands, and coniferous forests, her team has been examining how wildfires affect bacteria, fungi, viruses, nitrogen cycling, and greenhouse gas emissions.
Setting up the pyrocosms for this project required a ton of troubleshooting. She and her lab spent a whole year trying to get these wildfire simulations to have reliable temperature profiles. Another major hurdle for their experiments was that to perform the controlled burns, it couldn’t be raining, it couldn’t be windy, it couldn’t be too hot, and the air quality had to be above a certain threshold. They also battled challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was difficult to extract viable samples of DNA and RNA from their burned soils. While all of this was going on, Sydney welcomed her two children into the world. Being persistent, making the best out of difficult situations, and being ready to pivot when needed have helped Sydney make it through some of the toughest times in her career.
A Shining Success! (28:39) 
Recently, Sydney was notified that she is this year’s recipient of the C.J. Alexopoulos Prize from the Mycological Society of America, an award that recognizes the most promising young mycologist within 10 years of earning their PhD. This honor was especially meaningful because the Mycological Society of America has long been her favorite professional society, her PhD advisor received the same award decades ago, and she has grown up as a scientist within this community.
Book Recommendations (31:37)
Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson.
Most Treasured Travel (32:51)
During her PhD, Sydney traveled extensively for her research, including presenting at the International Mycological Congress in Bangkok, Thailand. After the conference, Sydney spent a whole month exploring Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, and Malaysia. She enjoyed spending time in nature in the beautiful national parks in Thailand. In Laos, Sydney spent a weekend in a wonderful indigenous community in the jungle, and she was in awe of their knowledge of the local mushrooms, plants, and traditional uses of fungi. Seeing all of the different mushrooms in the markets and how fungi were an important part of daily life in this culture was eye opening.
When she was a PhD student, Sydney also shared her work at a conference in Prague and traveled to Israel to collaborate on research examining how prescribed burns affect soil fungi. Teaching scientists from another part of the world the methods they used for high-throughput molecular sequencing for fungi was a really cool experience.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (35:48)
Science is far more collaborative and social than what many of the common stereotypes portray. During her PhD, Sydney and other fungal biology lab members gathered each year at Point Reyes for a Fungal Labs Beach Trip with a bonfire and picnic. This was a tradition that she decided to bring with her to UC Riverside, and they now hold beach parties at San Clemente Beach.
Advice For Us All (38:28)
Stay resilient, keep moving forward, and learn how to turn failures or setbacks into something positive. It’s also important to recognize that fungi are a vital part of our lives. They are found in everyday things like bread, beer, cheese, and medicine, and they play a critical role in supporting many plants.
Guest Bio
Sydney’s lab examines microbial ecology including arbuscular mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal fungi, soil bacteria, and fungi. She is particularly interested in how disturbances such as wildfires impact soil fungal and bacterial microbial succession and traits. She uses multiple methods including bioassays, genomics, and transcriptomics to explore the traits of pyrophilous fungi, or fungi that were rare or absent pre-fire, and increase massively in abundance post-fire, and determine how they are able to survive or thrive post-fire. Outside of work, she spends her time with her husband, their two children, and their two dogs. When Sydney has free time, she enjoys reading, travel, hiking, and mushroom hunting.
The post 867: Dr. Sydney Glassman: Examining How Fungi and Soil Microbes Drive Ecosystem Recovery After Wildfires appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.
42 min
May 25 866: Dr. Ted Bergin: Astrochemist Studying the Elements of Planet and Star Formation
Dr. Edwin “Ted” Bergin is Professor and Chair of Astronomy at the University of Michigan. He completed his undergraduate training in Astronomy at Villanova University, and he was awarded his PhD in Astronomy from the University of Massachusetts. Before joining the faculty at the University of Michigan, Ted worked as an astronomer/astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Ted has been awarded the University of Michigan Henry Russel Award for his exceptional scholarship and teaching. This is the highest award given to Assistant Professors. Ted joins us to talk about his experiences in life and science.
People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes
Life Outside of Science (2:15)
When he’s not pondering the origins of life, Ted loves spending time with his family. Recently, he began a quest to fulfill his lifelong dream of learning to play the guitar. Ted enjoys old school 1970s rock and roll music, and he is slowly working his way up to playing pieces like George Harrison’s “Here Comes the Sun”.
The Scientific Side (4:19)
Ted is an astrochemist who is interested in understanding how and why stars, planets, and living organisms came to be. He examines the formation of stars and planets to better understand the origins of Earth and life on Earth. Since the newly forming stars and planets he studies are so far away, Ted uses astronomical techniques to determine the presence and abundance of the molecules needed to form living things.
A Dose of Motivation (7:59)
“The mind is everything. What you think, you become.” -Buddah
What Got You Hooked on Science? (13:58)
The shining stars of Orion’s belt gleamed brightly from Ted’s bedroom window in his childhood home in Philadelphia each winter. He loved watching the stars, but his school system didn’t offer any classes in astronomy. Whenever given a chance to choose a topic for a project or report, Ted gravitated towards astronomical matters like black holes. As Ted began to apply for colleges, he thought rocket science sounded pretty cool, but he wasn’t sure if he would like it, so he designated astronomy as his back-up plan. The day before starting college at Villanova, Ted toured the engineering school, and he quickly realized that the complex physical machines weren’t for him. Ted wanted to apply his mind to more abstract things, so he switched his major to astronomy and never looked back.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (26:43)
Ted’s early years studying astrophysics in college and graduate school were a challenge. There were times when he left an exam only able to complete four out of the ten problems. Sometimes, he had no idea how to even begin solving these exam questions. In order to make it through, Ted had to buckle down and draw upon the knowledge of his peers and professors. In his graduate school quantum mechanics class, Ted saved his failing grade by setting up weekly meetings with his professor to identify and review the material he didn’t understand.
A Shining Success! (30:16)
In his research, Ted is trying to understand the chemical abundances of things like carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen in planet-forming systems. To determine the abundance, astronomers look at the amount of an element relative to hydrogen because hydrogen is the most abundant element. They can usually tell how much of an element there is in space by looking at the amount of light being emitted that is of a particular wavelength (each element has a specific wavelength). This works because atoms and molecules are constantly rotating, vibrating, and gaining energy by bumping into other objects. When they return to a low-energy state, they emit light. Unfortunately, hydrogen doesn’t emit light in planet-forming disks because the temperatures are too cold. As a result, Ted hadn’t been able to measure the mass of these planet-forming systems or determine the abundances of different elements. He devised an ingenious way to circumvent these issues by measuring molecules of normal hydrogen paired with deuterium (an isotope of hydrogen with more mass) called hydrogen deuteride. The only problems were that he couldn’t do his measurements from earth, and he had no idea if he could actually detect hydrogen deuteride. This was a fishing expedition. Fortunately, his exploratory proposal was accepted by the Herschel Space Observatory, and it worked! He detected the hydrogen deuteride molecules in the nearest planet-forming disk, and these measurements have allowed him to determine the masses of these regions and the relative abundances of other elements.
Book Recommendations (34:57)
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Cradle of Life: Discovery of Earth’s Earliest Fossils by J. William Schopf
Most Treasured Travel (36:22)
Several years ago, Ted traveled to Iceland to attend a small workshop on the origins of water on Earth. He was there for about a week and was able to explore the whole island. The geology was spectacular, and you could actually see the layers of different volcanic events that led to the formation of rock outcroppings. They were constantly surrounded by breathtaking scenery, including gorgeous fjords and waterfalls. One evening Ted was able to relax and observe the beautiful Northern Lights while sipping a drink and soaking in the hot springs.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (38:15)
Ted had traveled to the CalTech Submillimeter Observatory on Mauna Kea in Hawaii to do some observing with the telescope there. He was scheduled for half a night on the telescope, and the director of the observatory was scheduled to use the telescope after him. This telescope is somewhat unique in that it can move up and down, but the whole building rotates to point it in the right direction. Ted pointed the telescope to his area of interest and went to the bathroom. While in the bathroom, the whole building started to move again unexpectedly. The telescope was now pointing to a random spot in the sky. No matter how many times Ted tried to get it to stay in the right position, it just kept trailing off to other points in the sky (moving the whole building along with it). In addition to dealing with a rogue telescope and the high altitude environment with low oxygen, Ted also had the matter of the impending arrival of the observatory’s director to contend with. Not being particularly skilled in fixing mechanical things, Ted decided to turn it off and turn it back on. When he rebooted the telescope, it wouldn’t work at all. When the director arrived to conduct his observations, Ted had to admit that the telescope was out of commission.
Advice For Us All (42:11)
Be happy with who you are and what you have. Don’t be afraid of science. Look at the wonderful world around you, and ask why things are as they are. That is what it means to be a scientist.
Guest Bio
Ted’s research focuses on following the ingredients of life throughout the process of star and planet formation. He is one of the world’s experts on the formation and disposition of water and has contributed to our existing knowledge of the origin of water on our planet and others. Ted received his BS in Astronomy and Astrophysics from Villanova University in 1989 and his doctorate from the University of Massachusetts in 1995. He spent the following eight years as a scientist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. Ted became a member of Michigan faculty in 2003 and has authored or co-authored over 400 publications in the field of astrophysics.
*This episode was originally released on September 11, 2017.
The post 866: Dr. Ted Bergin: Astrochemist Studying the Elements of Planet and Star Formation appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.
45 min
May 18 865: Dr. Cori Richards-Zawacki: Investigating How Frogs are Impacted by Climate Change, Fungal Disease, and Selection Pressures
Dr. Cori Richards-Zawacki is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and Director of the Pymatuning Lab of Ecology at the University of Pittsburgh. Cori received her Bachelor’s degree in engineering and biology as well as her PhD in ecology and evolutionary biology both from the University of Michigan. She conducted postdoctoral research at the Smithsonian Institute and the University of California, Berkeley. Cori next served on the faculty at Tulane University prior to joining the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh in 2015. In our interview, Cori shares more about her life and science.
People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes
Life Outside of Science (2:10)
When she’s not working and doing research, Cori enjoys spending time outside with her husband and two young daughters. She likes to play soccer, hike, go mountain biking, and do other outdoor activities.
The Scientific Side (2:53)
Cori studies topics in ecology, evolutionary biology, behavior, and conservation in frogs. In particular, she is working to understand how frogs use different body forms, colors, and other features to survive partially on land and partially in water.
A Dose of Motivation (5:26)
“At night I went out into the dark and saw a glimmering star and heard a frog, and Nature seemed to say, Well do not these suffice?” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Enjoy the wow that is happening now.” – Daniel the Tiger
What Got You Hooked on Science? (9:34)
Throughout her school years, Cori was interested in different areas of science. In high school, she joined a competitive science program called Science Olympiad. Cori participated in various events, including one that involved learning about and answering questions about reptiles and amphibians. It was great to explore her interests in science and math with a group of people who shared those interests. Since she was interested in science and math, people encouraged her to pursue engineering in college. Though Cori enjoyed the chemical engineering curriculum in college, an internship in engineering during her junior year revealed that this might not be the kind of career she wanted. Cori wanted to get a job that allowed her to be outdoors and do work related to the environment and biology. In the summer after that illuminating engineering internship, Cori visited Costa Rica. It was amazing to visit places and see many of the organisms she had read about. In some cases, she even knew more about the species they encountered than some of the trail guides. Cori added biology as her second major and decided to pursue a career as an academic biologist.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (23:65)
During her PhD, Cori discussed her project and the aspects of her research that she was really excited about with a well-respected colleague. She was surprised when her colleague told her that her research didn’t sound very interesting. The individual didn’t mean that it wasn’t interesting science, but he meant that she needed to think about the bigger picture and larger themes in biology. This really challenged how Cori thought about her research and how to communicate it. At first, she didn’t understand why what she had said wasn’t interesting. However, she has come to realize that funding is typically given to projects that answer questions that are common to many species across many environments. To be successful, Cori needed to answer basic science questions that were applicable across study systems and organisms. This was a difficult lesson, but it has served her well in her career.
A Shining Success! (26:58)
A little over a year ago, Cori and her collaborators published a paper in the prestigious journal Science. For many years, they had been working on this study that documents what may be the start of the recovery of Panamanian frog communities after a major fungal pathogen epidemic. This was the first investigation into what factors may be facilitating recovery in these frog communities, and their evidence suggests that how frogs defend themselves against this pathogen has changed. Their research got a lot of media attention, and it was rewarding to get recognition for work that showed there was hope for these species.
Book Recommendations (29:53)
In Search of the Golden Frog by Marty Crump, The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Most Treasured Travel (32:53)
Panama is Cori’s favorite place. She has spent much of her research career there and had many memorable experiences, close encounters with wildlife, and unexpected situations arise while doing field work in remote locations there. These have included adventures driving 4×4 vehicles through mud, over boulders, against the edges of cliffs, and through rivers and streams. Doing science in non-sterile conditions in the middle of nowhere in the jungle isn’t always easy, but Cori treasures her memories of hiking dewars of liquid nitrogen up the sides of mountains for sample collection and writing part of her dissertation in a small cinder block building with chickens clucking outside.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (35:10)
In her weekly lab meetings, Cori’s research group members take turns bringing in a food item that represents themselves to share with the group. Cori has previously brought in a Mardi Gras King Cake to represent the time she spent doing research and serving on the faculty in New Orleans. The lab also has a tradition of celebrating a successful thesis defense with champagne. When they uncork the champagne, they label the cork with the newly minted PhD’s name, and stick it in the ceiling of the lab as a record of all the people who have come through the lab.
Advice For Us All (39:45)
Get out of your comfort zone, and try new things. This is often how you can find your passion in science and discover cool, new ideas. Success in science is a little bit about intelligence, but probably less about intelligence than most people think. It is more about hard work, determination, perseverance, and developing a sense of self-assurance to deal with the infrequent encouragement you receive.
Guest Bio
Cori’s research spans a variety of topics in biology from ecology to evolutionary biology and conservation but often focuses on amphibians, and frogs in particular. Her labs current projects are focused on understanding how climate (and climate change) impact host-pathogen interactions, how amphibians are managing to recover after epidemics of the fungal disease chytridiomycosis, and how natural and sexual selection contribute to trait diversification and the early stages of speciation. Her research has involved field studies in Panama and North America, and her work in Pennsylvania now takes advantage of the resources available at the Pymatuning Lab of Ecology, the University of Pittsburgh’s biological field station, which she directs. When not “sciencing” she enjoys spending time outdoors with her husband and two young daughters biking, hiking, and playing soccer. She looks forward to sharing with her daughters the amazing diversity of species in the tropics and enjoys seeing them interact with the nature closer to home at the Pymatuning Lab.

*This episode was originally released on Jun 24, 2019.
The post 865: Dr. Cori Richards-Zawacki: Investigating How Frogs are Impacted by Climate Change, Fungal Disease, and Selection Pressures appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.
44 min
May 04 863: Dr. Tim Long: Developing Novel Materials with Wide Applications from Medicine to Manufacturing
Dr. Tim Long is Professor of Chemistry and Director of the Macromolecules Innovation Institute at Virginia Tech. He was awarded his B.S. in Chemistry from St. Bonaventure University and his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Virginia Tech. Prior to joining the faculty at Virginia Tech, Tim worked as an Advanced Research Scientist and subsequently a Senior Research Scientist at Eastman Kodak Company, an Advanced Technical Program Research supported by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and a Principal Research Chemist with Eastman Chemical Company. Tim has received numerous awards and honors over the course of his career, including the Virginia Outstanding Scientist of the Year Award, the Robert L. Patrick Fellowship Award, the ACS POLY Mark Scholar Award, the Carl Dahlquist Award from the Pressure Sensitive Tape Council, the American Chemical Society Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering (PMSE) Cooperative Research Award, the Virginia Tech Alumni Award for Research Excellence, the Collano Innovation Award, the Interdisciplinary Research Team Fellowship Award, the Faculty Research Award from the Virginia Tech Department of Chemistry, the IBM Faculty Award, and the 3M Company Faculty Award. Tim has also been named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a Fellow of the American Chemical Society, and a Fellow of the American Chemical Society Polymer Division. In our interview, Tim shares more about his life and science.
People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes
Life Outside of Science (3:03)
In his job, Tim spends a lot of time in his office, in front of computers, in the lab, and inside at conferences, so he likes to spend his free time outside. There are beautiful mountains near his home in Virginia, and Tim has fun hiking, mountain biking, and enjoying nature with his family.
The Scientific Side (4:08)
Tim’s lab is working on a wide variety of research projects that are focused on novel macromolecular structures to tailor the properties and processing of polymers. His work has applications across many industries, including the development of chemotherapy treatments and electro-active devices important for prosthetics in medicine.
A Dose of Motivation (5:55)
“Imagination is more important than knowledge.” -Albert Einstein
“The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas.” – Linus Pauling
What Got You Hooked on Science? (10:13)
During his childhood, Tim loved experimenting with his chemistry kit in their family’s basement. He remembers collecting fingerprints from all of his family members and trying to blow things up next to the washing machine. His curiosity drove him to learn more about the world. In high school, Tim had an exceptional chemistry teacher, and she helped him realize that he wanted to become a scientist. Tim attended a small, liberal arts college, and he enjoyed getting involved in undergraduate research. This prepared him to attend graduate school, where he learned how to do scientific writing, present his research, collaborate with colleagues, and work with people from diverse backgrounds. After finishing his PhD, Tim accepted a position at Eastman Kodak Company to be closer to his family and contribute to their cutting edge research. After years working in industry, Tim returned to Virginia Tech to do academic research in chemistry and share his knowledge with the next generation of scientists.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (19:42)
There are many different struggles in science, but the important thing is to make sure you learn from your failures. Tim has struggled with whether he should move into a new field, deciding whether the field is too crowded, and worrying about whether anyone is interested in research in a field. Sustainability is another topic that is always on Tim’s mind. He does research on plastics and polymers, and it is difficult to listen to all of the stories in the media about the negative impacts of these materials on our planet. Tim’s biggest challenges are to ensure that what he does in the laboratory is sustainable, try to follow the strategies of green chemistry, and engage in responsible discovery. He wants to deliver solutions that won’t have negative impacts on people or our environment.
A Shining Success! (22:37)
One of the greatest joys of being a professor has been training his students. Seeing students come through the lab and go on to change the world has been Tim’s most meaningful success. It has been wonderful to stay in touch, and he was excited when his former graduate students returned recently for a reunion. Listening to their talks and seeing photos of their families reminded Tim that he is very fortunate to be a professor.
Book Recommendations (25:38)
The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA by James Watson, books by Nora Roberts
Most Treasured Travel (29:42)
Tim went on a trip to Mainz, Germany with 25 undergraduate students as part of a study abroad program. Mainz is a beautiful town, and it is considered the birthplace of his research field. It was amazing to walk around and envision scientists from a hundred years ago coming up with their innovative ideas right on those very streets. Tim was relieved that all of the students made it back from the trip without any major incidents, and he still keeps in contact with many of the students today.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (27:31)
When Tim was working at Eastman Kodak Company, he shared a lab with another synthetic organic chemist. His colleague loved classical music, but Tim loved listening to rock and roll. They were constantly changing the radio in the lab back and forth between their respective stations, but they were great friends. Back in graduate school, Tim also worked with phenomenal people in the lab. Curiosity drove them to calculate the amount of helium that would be required to lift a small fluorescent glow stick. Once they calculated the anticipated amount, they had to test their hypothesis. They filled a garbage bag with helium, tied a string to a glow stick, and released it outside the lab. Of course all of this happened right as a police car was driving by. Fortunately, they didn’t get in trouble, but watching this floating glow stick was one of his most memorable lab moments.
Advice For Us All (36:12)
Take risks in your career, and follow your passions. Remember that money isn’t everything. If you are passionate, you can be successful and make a meaningful contribution to science. Also, engage society. Scientists should get out in the community and share their work with the public and the press.
Guest Bio
Tim’s research group investigates structure-property-morphology-processing relationships of polymers. These range from high performance thermoplastics and thermosets to biologically-derived/inspired macromolecules. In particular, Tim’s research focuses on the effect of noncovalent interactions on polymer properties, including hydrogen bonding and ionic aggregation. The design, performance, and societal implication of novel polymeric materials directs his research platform. He is especially interested in the following technologies: (1) new materials for advanced manufacturing, (2) bio-inspired thermoplastics, (3) adhesive technology, and (4) charged polymers for actuators. Polymers featuring tailored monomer sequences and designs afford microphase separated structures, and they also enhance the performance of adhesives and 3D printing technology. The use of biologically derived monomers, such as urea, afford bio-degradable thermoplastics which release significant levels of ammonia. Alternatively, polymers containing nucleobases afford sequence-controlled adhesives and microphase separated morphologies. 3D printing techniques enable controlled polymer placement, unlocking new architectures and constructs that have never been engineered before. Taking advantage of these techniques allows for the unprecedented processing of polyimides or the development of time-controlled dissolvable poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based constructs. Lastly, structure-property relationship development of high-performance polymers, such as polyesters, polysulfones, and polyimides, offers opportunities to enhance properties, including processing, barrier, stability, and mechanical properties.

*This episode was originally released on January 6, 2020.
The post 863: Dr. Tim Long: Developing Novel Materials with Wide Applications from Medicine to Manufacturing appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.
42 min
April 27 862: Dr. Tajie Harris: Understanding How the Brain Battles Infection
Dr. Tajie Harris is an Associate Professor in the Department of Neuroscience in the School of Medicine at the University of Virginia. She received her B.S. degree in biology from Bemidji State University in Minnesota and her Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Afterwards, Tajie conducted Postdoctoral Research in immunoparasitology at the University of Pennsylvania before joining the faculty at the University of Virginia where she is today. In this interview, Tajie shares more about her life and science.
People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes
Life Outside of Science (2:40)
When she’s not working, Tajie enjoys going for walks and spending time with her two rescue dogs. She is also a fan of traveling, cooking, and putting together jigsaw puzzles.
The Scientific Side (4:14)
Tajie’s research is at the intersection of immunology, microbiology, and neuroscience. She’s interested in understanding how the immune system functions in the brain, particularly when someone is infected with a single-celled parasite called Toxoplasma gondii.
A Dose of Motivation (6:57)
“Just row the boat.”
“All models are wrong, but some are useful.” — George E. P. Box
What Got You Hooked on Science? (8:39, 10:20)
Tajie was a kid who wanted to know how the world worked. In high school, she discovered her love of biology through an advanced biology class with a great teacher. However, she also loved language and math classes. During college, she continued taking biology, math, and physics courses, and one of her professors encouraged her to apply for summer research programs to get hands-on experience working in a lab. After getting her first taste of lab life at the University of Wisconsin-Madison through an NSF summer research program, Tajie was hooked. She enjoyed her experience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison so much that she decided to pursue a PhD there. This set Tajie on the path to a career as an academic researcher. After a fantastic postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania, she ended up getting a faculty job at the University of Virginia that she almost didn’t apply for.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (20:49)
As part of her postdoctoral fellowship research, Tajie had to do experiments that involved injecting an infectious microbe. It was scary, and she was really nervous the first few times. It made her wonder if she was cut out for a career in research. Taking deep breaths and convincing herself that she was in control and could do this helped Tajie overcome her jitters. This was a growth phase for Tajie where she faced something difficult, but she just kept going. It got easier over time, and she was able to complete the study.
A Shining Success! (16:37, 24:09)
Tajie and her lab members have been working on a cool project investigating whether cells in the brain may die in order to limit an infection, particularly with parasites that can only survive inside cells. They examined a particular molecular cascade that controls cell death, and this cascade is mediated by a molecule called caspase-8. Tajie and her team used genetic techniques to remove caspase-8 from different cell types to see what happened. Tajie was on an airplane when she received an email from a graduate student in the lab reporting that there were interesting results. She had to know more. Tajie splurged on in-flight wi-fi and was fascinated to review the students findings that a certain type of T cells had encountered the parasite. At first, Tajie didn’t believe what she was seeing, and she wondered if something went wrong. If their results were correct, the story had just gotten really interesting. Ultimately, they discovered that the T cells were becoming infected and undergoing controlled cell death to eliminate the parasite.
Book Recommendations (27:40)
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver, City of Thieves by David Benioff
Most Treasured Travel (28:56)
One of Tajie’s favorite scientific travel destinations is Tuscany in Italy. She has been there a few times now for Gordon Research Conferences. These are outstanding conferences that are relatively small, so it’s easy to meet new people and make friends. Attendees sit in sessions together, eat dinner together, and make meaningful connections with others in the field. The meeting site is near Cinque Terra, a series of charming villages right on the coast. Whenever she travels to Italy, Tajie makes sure to plan for some time in Cinque Terra to swim, visit the beach, sample the excellent seafood and gelato, sip limoncello in the evenings, go hiking, and enjoy the beautiful views.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (32:05)
When researchers transition from their training as graduate students and postdocs to faculty positions, they suddenly find themselves doing something they don’t necessarily have formal training to do. Managing people. For Tajie, an important part of managing her lab is understanding the people she works with, how they work, and what motivates them. Having a sense of what motivates people makes it easier for Tajie to keep them focused, identify who they might work well with, and to overcome any frustrating interactions. Tajie’s lab is planning a retreat that will include an art exercise where each lab member will create a zine (small hand-made art book) that conveys why they are a scientist. She is looking forward to seeing what everyone creates. Facilitating collaborations and thinking about how to get people to interact differently to strengthen their connections to each other is becoming a bigger part of her career lately.
Advice For Us All (38:27)
For new investigators starting their own research programs, being in your lab as much as possible in the beginning can be helpful. After all, you are going to be the best-trained person in the lab for your specific area of research. Another important point is that in science, you are going to have to work with other people, and there will be conflicts. These can be difficult to navigate and can weigh heavily on you. When Tajie is frustrated with her work, she stops to reflect on whether she’s upset because of the science or an interpersonal challenge. It’s usually the latter, and reminding herself how much she loves doing science can help her persevere and work through tough times.
Guest Bio
Tajie Harris has spent more than 20 years studying how the brain protects itself from infectious microbes. Her research focuses on understanding how cells within the brain communicate with the peripheral immune system and how immune cells are guided into the brain to combat infection. Much of her work has explored these processes in the context of infection with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, providing key insights into neuroimmune communication and host defense in the central nervous system. In addition to leading an active research program, Tajie directs an NIH-funded T32 training program in neuroimmunology and teaches graduate courses on neuroimmunology, helping to train the next generation of scientists in this rapidly growing field. Outside the lab, Tajie enjoys spending time with her dogs, Hank and Jaxy; traveling with her partner, Steve; playing racquet sports; tackling puzzles; and cooking—especially perfecting pies in her new pizza oven.

Support for this episode of People Behind the Science was provided by Innovative Research, Inc.
The post 862: Dr. Tajie Harris: Understanding How the Brain Battles Infection appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.
42 min
April 20 861: Dr. Eric Pop: Engineering Novel Solutions for Data Storage and Energy Management in Electronics
Dr. Eric Pop is an Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering as well as Materials Science & Engineering at Stanford University. Eric received his B.S. in electrical engineering, B.S. in physics, and a M.Eng. in electrical engineering from MIT. He was awarded his PhD in electrical engineering from Stanford University. Afterwards, Eric conducted postdoctoral research at Stanford University before accepting a position as a Senior Engineer at Intel. Prior to joining the faculty at Stanford University, he served on the faculty at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Eric has received numerous awards and honors throughout his career, including the 2010 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, Young Investigator Awards from the Navy, Air Force, and DARPA, as well as an NSF CAREER Award. In our interview Eric shares more about his life and research.
People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes
Life Outside of Science (2:18)
When he’s not working, Eric enjoys snowboarding up in the mountains of California. He also enjoys traveling, playing soccer, and following professional soccer leagues.
The Scientific Side (3:20)
Research in Eric’s laboratory spans electronics, electrical engineering, physics, nanomaterials, and energy. They are interested in applying materials with nanoscale properties to engineer better electronics such as transistors, circuits, and data storage mechanisms. Eric is also investigating ways to better manage the heat that electronics generate.
A Dose of Motivation (5:17)
Eric is motivated by curiosity and ensuring that the work they do in the lab is useful to people.
What Got You Hooked on Science? (7:45)
When he was young, Eric always wanted to know how things worked. He was fascinated by the earth and the stars. As he grew up, Eric became interested in building radios, telescopes, and other household devices. He also enjoyed taking apart electronics and computers. In college, Eric was introduced to theoretical and computational research, and he was captivated. He didn’t really spend time doing laboratory research until his mid to late twenties. After gaining laboratory experience working with a chemistry professor at Stanford through a postdoctoral fellowship, Eric accepted a position working in industry at Intel. There, he discovered that combining theoretical and experimental research was most interesting to him. Eric brought this combined approach into his current lab at Stanford.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (29:37)
Failure is incredibly common in science, and Eric has experienced far more failures than successes. There are days where he has spent hours in the lab, and he leaves without getting anything to work. What is important on those days is to try to learn from the failures. Acknowledging failures and learning from them will help you ultimately succeed.
A Shining Success! (34:07)
Several years ago, Eric was working on a type of data storage technology called phase change memory. With this technology, you can store data by using small voltage pulses to change the phase or state of the material used. If the material is amorphous, the resistance is high. In contrast, if the material is crystalline, the resistance is low. Eric and his team were able to shrink this technology by a factor of 100 by using carbon nanotubes (the smallest known metallic conductors) as the electrodes for the data storage memory. Not only were they able to shrink the volume of a memory cell by a factor of 100, but they also reduced the energy for the programming cell by a factor of 100 as well. This advance was quickly adopted by both academia and industry. While these data storage devices are not yet commercially feasible due to challenges associated with using carbon nanotubes in manufacturing, their work was simple, elegant, very reproducible, had substantial technological significance for industry, and got them thinking about the fundamentally smallest bit of memory they could program with this technology.
Book Recommendations (38:27)
The Numbers Game: Why Everything You Know About Soccer is Wrong by Chris Anderson and David Sally
Most Treasured Travel (39:44)
Within the past year, Eric attended a conference on graphene and two dimensional materials in San Sebastian in Spain. He had seen San Sebastian featured on TV by Anthony Bourdain, and it definitely lived up to Eric’s expectations! Not only was the topic of the conference extremely interesting, but the town was beautiful and the food scene was incredible. Eric was joined on this trip by two graduate students from his lab, and they had a wonderful time hiking around town, enjoying local tapas, and having great conversations. On another memorable trip, Eric traveled to the Levi Mountain resort in Finnish Lapland with a postdoc and graduate student to attend another conference. It was dark for all but two hours of the day, and this prolonged darkness felt very unusual. The food was also unique, and it was fun to spend time with his lab members and get to know them better.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (43:24)
Eric’s lab gets together for Summer BBQ parties and winter ski trips each year. It’s fun to play soccer and volleyball at these BBQs and talk about topics outside of science. On a recent ski trip at Lake Tahoe, Eric traveled with a student who was from Bangladesh and the student’s wife. It was fun to see these two experience snow for the first time, and the other lab members helped them learn how to ski. In addition to these fun lab outings, Eric’s lab has developed an ever-evolving lab logo comprised of doodles of each of the lab members made by one of the students. This drawing has been printed on mugs as gifts for lab alumni, used in presentations, and updated as new members join the group.
Advice For Us All (53:40)
Clearly communicating your research is critically important. This includes all forms of communication, whether it is verbal, written, or visual. Before you give a presentation or communicate your work, you should really try to understand your audience. Get a sense of who they are, what they care about, and the best way to convey the cool things you are working on to them. Regardless of what career you choose, being able to share your ideas with people and convince them of the importance of your work will define your career.
Guest Bio
Eric’s research interests are at the intersection of electronics, nanomaterials, and energy. Current research projects are investigating (1) energy-efficient transistors, memory and integrated circuits; (2) novel nanomaterials; (3) fundamental physical limits of current and heat flow; and (4) applications of nanoscale energy transport, conversion and harvesting. His work includes nanofabrication, characterization, and multiscale simulations. Eric’s on-campus collaborations include Materials Science, Physics, Chemical and Mechanical Engineering, and off-campus they range from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Georgia Tech, UT Dallas, University of Tokyo and Singapore (NUS), to University Bologna and Poli Milano. In his spare time, Eric tries to avoid injuries while snowboarding, and he was a DJ at KZSU 90.1 from 2000-04.

*This episode was originally released on April 8, 2019.
The post 861: Dr. Eric Pop: Engineering Novel Solutions for Data Storage and Energy Management in Electronics appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.
58 min
April 13 860: Dr. Ana Luisa Trejos: Making a Mechatronic Tremor Suppression Glove for People with Parkinson’s Disease
Dr. Ana Luisa Trejos is an Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering as well as Biomedical Engineering at Western University in Canada. She is also an Associate Scientist at the Lawson Health Research Institute. Ana Luisa was awarded her B.Sc. degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Costa Rica and her M.A.Sc. in mechanical engineering from the University of British Columbia. She worked as an Applications Engineer for Progressive Moulded Products in Ontario from 2000-2003. She then joined the team at Canadian Surgical Technologies & Advanced Robotics at Western University as a research engineer. Ana Luisa later attended graduate school at Western University where she was awarded her Ph.D. degree in electrical and computer engineering in 2012. Ana Luisa has been awarded the IEEE London Section Outstanding Women in Engineering Award and the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Canada District Volunteer Appreciation Award. In our interview, Ana Luisa shares more about her life and research.
People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes
Life Outside of Science (2:43)
When she’s not at work, Ana Luisa enjoys hanging out with her family, reading, putting together jigsaw puzzles, hiking, swimming, and running. She has also been having fun renovating her house, and she has recently been working on completely remodeling one of their bathrooms.
The Scientific Side (4:29)
Ana Luisa’s research is in the area of mechatronic systems engineering. This field combines mechanical, electrical, computer, and software engineering to develop smart machines that can perceive what is happening in the environment and react intelligently. In particular, she is designing wearable mechatronic technologies that can help people recover from mobility problems due to a musculoskeletal injury or a movement disorder like Parkinson’s disease. Her goal is to make these technology solutions more comfortable for users and to restore mobility and quality of life for people with upper body movement impairments.
A Dose of Motivation (6:15)
“We are all smart. Distinguish yourself by being kind.” – Professor Charles Gordon
What Got You Hooked on Science? (9:22)
Seeing her father working as an engineer was an early inspiration for Ana Luisa. He specialized in electrical and mechanical engineering, and Ana Luisa got to see firsthand some of the cool projects he worked on at construction sites. In school, she performed well in math and science, and her father suggested she may want to consider engineering for a career. Ana Luisa studied engineering in college at the University of Costa Rica, but unfortunately the school didn’t have a research program available. As a result, she didn’t have research experience and didn’t really have a strong sense of what it meant to do research when she later entered her master’s degree program at the University of British Columbia. This is where Ana Luisa first got interested in medical robotics. Though she worked in the automotive industry for a few years after graduating, Ana Luisa returned to medical robotics in her next position at Canadian Surgical Technologies and Advanced Robotics. While working there, her supervisor encouraged her to apply to graduate school so that she could pursue her own independent research.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (20:14)
Getting her master’s degree was a really difficult experience for Ana Luisa. Enrolling at the University of British Columbia meant moving from her home in Costa Rica all the way to Canada. Further, she was accustomed to getting very direct, explicit feedback from her professors in Costa Rica, so it took time for her to adjust to the very polite and more roundabout feedback her new advisor provided. In addition, she thought that graduate school would be more like her undergraduate curriculum where she took courses, completed assignments, and continued learning about her field of study. This was Ana Luisa’s first exposure to doing research. Ana Luisa was frustrated with her progress and her projects, and finally, she decided that she had to set an end date. She talked to her advisor and said that by that date, she would either defend her thesis or she would leave the program. Ana Luisa bought her plane ticket, and the countdown began. Though she managed to successfully defend her thesis, Ana Luisa felt like the whole experience was a failure. However, her husband and her network of friends helped her get through this tough time, and Ana Luisa was fortunate to find a great fit in her next position.
A Shining Success! (24:41)
Over the years, Ana Luisa has dedicated time to outreach and encouraging young women to consider engineering as a career. She has participated in many outreach events to talk about what engineering is, what the different disciplines are, and what jobs you can get as an engineer. Through these events, she has had a chance to meet and inspire so many students and connect with their families. Recently, Ana Luisa was recognized with two separate awards for her outreach work (the IEEE London Section Outstanding Women in Engineering Award and the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Canada District Volunteer Appreciation Award). It was wonderful to feel like her efforts in this area were appreciated, and Ana Luisa hopes to see an increase in the number of women who decide to pursue careers in engineering.
Book Recommendations (3:37)
The Secret Place by Tana French
Most Treasured Travel (29:59)
In 2018, Ana Luisa attended the IEEE Biorobotics and Biomechatronics conference at the University of Twente in Enschede in the Netherlands. The conference was fantastic. It brought together a great group of scientists and engineers who were experts in the field of surgical, medical, and rehabilitation robotics. Ana Luisa’s husband was also participating in the conference, and they brought their children on the trip as well. After the conference concluded, Ana Luisa and her family took extra time to explore museums, small towns, and local cuisine in the Netherlands and Belgium. It was fun to travel with her kids, and they particularly enjoyed the Design Museum Ghent, Gravensteen Castle, and the Mauritshuis Royal Picture Gallery.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (32:09)
During her master’s degree, the lab held a session to collect photos and video of a new robot that they had developed. The robot was designed to automatically move an ultrasound probe along the skin of a person, and Ana Luisa had been invited to serve as the example patient. During the session, the robot moved an ultrasound probe around her neck to capture an image of her carotid artery. It was a very controlled setting, the robot was gentle, and she wasn’t worried about any problems. Her supervisor, on the other hand, was extremely nervous. It was funny to see her supervisor fretting and continuously asking if Ana Luisa was okay. The robot they developed became quite famous, and even 15 years later, Ana Luisa still sees herself in these photos and videos when she goes to listen to presentations about medical robotics. In Ana Luisa’s current lab, they get the group together after work for game nights, races, escape rooms, and other fun activities. Her lab is dedicated to lifelong mobility, so they also plan different fitness challenges to get the group up and moving together as well.
Advice For Us All (37:47)
Be informed and listen to what other people have to say, but ultimately it is up to you to make the final decision. Go with your gut. Try to work on something you are passionate about. Success will come naturally if you are excited about the work you are doing. Also, keep in mind that today is the best day of your life because today is the day you can actually make a difference.
Guest Bio
Ana Luisa’s research is in the field of mechatronic systems engineering, which involves the development of robots and other smart machines. Her work is focused on the development of wearable technologies to restore mobility and increase quality of life for those who suffer daily from an upper body disability. More specifically, she is working on designing mechatronic garments that can be worn on the body and monitor performance while actively providing support. This requires developing both the hardware that gets integrated within clothing, and the software that can intelligently respond to the user. Outside of work, apart from hanging out with her family and friends, Ana Luisa enjoys reading and building jigsaw puzzles. She loves running, hiking, and dancing (mostly Salsa, Cumbia, and Merengue). She also enjoys doing renovation projects in her century-old home.

*This episode was originally published on May 4, 2020.
The post 860: Dr. Ana Luisa Trejos: Making a Mechatronic Tremor Suppression Glove for People with Parkinson’s Disease appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.
42 min
April 06 859: Dr. Lawrence Uricchio: Modeling How Ecological and Evolutionary Processes Drive Adaptation in a Changing World
Dr. Lawrence Uricchio is Assistant Professor and the Youniss Family Professor of Innovation in the Department of Biology at Tufts University. He completed his bachelor’s degree in physics at Carleton College, received master’s degrees in biophysical sciences and computer science from the University of Chicago, and was awarded his PhD in bioinformatics from the University of California, San Francisco. While at UCSF, he was named a Discovery Fellow. Afterwards, Lawrence conducted postdoctoral research at Stanford University under a Center for Computational, Evolutionary and Human Genomics (CEHG) Fellowship and an NIH Institutional Research and Academic Career Development Award (IRACDA). He also conducted postdoctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley before joining the faculty at Tufts in 2021. In this interview, Lawrence shares more about his life and science.
People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes
Life Outside of Science (2:24)
Lawrence is a devoted family man who loves spending time with his nine-year-old son, often shuttling him between soccer practices and games. He also enjoys being outdoors and running, a passion that has stayed with him since his days as a middle-distance runner in high school and college.
The Scientific Side (3:21)
Research in Lawrence’s lab focuses on modeling how evolutionary and ecological processes work. They use a combination of experimental and observational approaches to generate data, and then they develop mathematical models to explain the observations they make in nature.
A Dose of Motivation (4:27)
Get it done.
What Got You Hooked on Science? (7:58)
In high school, Lawrence was particularly interested in history, English, writing, and reading. He didn’t really gravitate towards science until college. There, challenging courses like physics sparked his curiosity and his competitive nature. Lawrence got involved with physics research as an undergraduate student, but he shifted his focus to biology and biophysics when looking for his first job after college.
After two years working as a lab tech in an immunology lab, he enrolled in a biophysics graduate program. This program turned out not to be the right fit for Lawrence, but he discovered he really enjoyed coding. This prompted him to switch to a computer science program. While in this new program, Lawrence also worked in a genetics lab, and this helped rekindle his interest in research. Taking a course taught by a preeminent population geneticist exposed him to a new area of research that captivated him. Lawrence decided to return to graduate school to get his PhD. He continued to develop his research interests and expertise throughout his PhD and postdoc training, ultimately landing a faculty position at Tufts University.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (23:39)
It isn’t easy to build a career in academia while trying to stay true to your own interests and values. The modern academic landscape can be demanding and unforgiving, requiring scientists to balance research, teaching, mentoring, service, and an increasingly difficult funding environment. This has been challenging, even for Lawrence who is studying important questions with global relevance, such as how species will evolve in changing climates and which species will be able to evolve fast enough to keep up with their changing environments. A portion of his research has also focused on education, identity, and how students decide to become scientists, and this work is particularly difficult to get funded right now.
In terms of failures, Lawrence still hasn’t fully understood why he wasn’t successful in the biophysics PhD program that he initially enrolled in. He entered the program with a lot of energy, motivation, and hope that this path would allow him to combine biological questions he was excited about with his existing physics skills. It all sounded great on paper. Though he is a very persistent person, Lawrence got progressively less engaged in the program over time. Despite short bursts of reinvigorated interest and effort, it ultimately became clear that he was not happy in the program. Years later, the reason it didn’t work out is still somewhat of a mystery, but the experience played a role in shaping the path Lawrence ultimately pursued.
A Shining Success! (29:27)
Some of the successes that Lawrence is most proud of are the successes of the graduate students he mentors. Currently, there are two graduate students in Lawrence’s lab who are in their fifth year, and watching them grow into independent scientists has been really rewarding. They came in with very different backgrounds, and each has learned and accomplished so much during their time in the lab. One now has a first-author paper published, and the other is preparing to submit their first paper. In one of the projects, the student used mathematical modeling approaches to provide insights on how communities assemble in sourdough microbiomes and why certain species coexist, while others don’t.
Book Recommendations (34:52)
Population Genetics: A Concise Guide by John H. Gillespie, Population and Quantitative Genetics by Graham Coop
Most Treasured Travel (36:40)
Recently, Lawrence had the opportunity to travel to London to speak at a conference hosted by the Linnean Society, which is steeped in the history of the field of biology. The Society is closely tied to figures like Charles Darwin and is housed in a remarkable historic building. Although walking the storied halls and seeing the famous portraits on the walls was inspiring, being immersed in that legacy also brought on a sense of imposter syndrome. Beyond presenting his work, being in the bustling city of London was a wonderful experience, and it was cool to see how the city beautifully blends old and new. However, Lawrence didn’t have much time to explore London. He packed up and headed home after the event to see his family and cheer on his son at his soccer tournament.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (38:42)
Lawrence is committed to making computational biology more welcoming and accessible for students who may feel intimidated by coding, math, or computer science. He teaches an undergraduate course where there is no expectation of coding experience for students who enroll. Through the course, Lawrence helps students connect with the human side of science by giving them an assignment to find and share an example of a diverse scientist whose personal stories, perspectives, and work challenge traditional stereotypes about who belongs in science. They also reflect on the value of diverse perspectives in science and the big picture of the importance of curiosity, why we do science, and what has led us to answering the questions we are investigating now.
Advice For Us All (46:03)
Curiosity is critical for being a successful scientist, but you also have to have determination and passion to pursue that curiosity and advocate for the importance of your ideas. There are many ways to engage with science, both through a career or a hobby. Science is a deeply enriching way to connect with the natural world and our experiences, and it can bring great joy.
Guest Bio
Lawrence graduated from UCSF with a PhD in bioinformatics in 2014, where he was supervised by Ryan Hernandez. He followed this up with a highly stimulating but nearly interminable postdoc at Stanford and UC Berkeley. He is interested in the ecological and evolutionary processes that drive adaptation. Why are some species (apparently) fast-adapting and why are some slow(er)-adapting? How will adaptation affect loss of biodiversity and community composition in our rapidly changing world? His lab approaches these questions through a combination of experiments and computational approaches. Lawrence’s favorite hobbies include running, kayaking, biking, and hiking, usually with his family.
The post 859: Dr. Lawrence Uricchio: Modeling How Ecological and Evolutionary Processes Drive Adaptation in a Changing World appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.
50 min
March 30 858: Dr. Douglas Fields: Studying New Cellular Mechanisms of Memory Involving Myelin
Dr. R. Douglas Fields is Chief of the Nervous System Development and Plasticity Section at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Adjunct Professor in the Neuroscience and Cognitive Science Program at the University of Maryland, College Park. In addition, Doug is the author of numerous books and magazine articles about the brain, including the recently released book Electric Brain: How the New Science of Brainwaves Reads Minds, Tells Us How We Learn, and Helps Us Change for the Better. He received his B.A. in biology from the University of California, Berkeley, his M.A. degree in marine biology from San Jose State University, and his Ph.D. degree in marine biology from the University of California, San Diego, working jointly in the Medical School and Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Afterwards, Doug conducted postdoctoral research at Stanford University, Yale University, and the NIH before starting his research laboratory at the NIH in 1994. Doug is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and he is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of the scientific journal Neuron Glia Biology. In our interview, Doug tells us more about his life and science.
People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes
Life Outside of Science (2:38)
When he’s not doing research or writing about science, Doug enjoys rock climbing, mountain climbing, building acoustic guitars, and making his own beer and wine.
The Scientific Side (4:52)
Doug studies how the brain develops and the mechanisms involved in changes to the brain’s structure and function (plasticity). He is particularly interested in how experience regulates development and plasticity in the brain, as well as the mechanisms at a cellular level that are involved in learning.
A Dose of Motivation (7:40)
“Follow your dreams.”
What Got You Hooked on Science? (9:04, 14:56)
For as long as he can remember, Doug was fascinated by science. He even had a lab bench set up in his childhood bedroom. Fortunately, Doug’s high school biology teacher recognized his interest, and she excused him from regular biology classes to design and conduct his own experiments. This was when Doug performed his very first research projects on memory. From that point onwards, Doug had great mentors at every step of his career journey. After college, Doug pursued a master’s degree in marine biology, and he began studying deep sea fish that could sense electric fields. Through studying electric field receptors in fish, Doug was introduced to neuroscience and neurophysiology. He continued on to study the nervous system and electroreception in sharks in graduate school. In 1987, Doug accepted a two year postdoctoral position at the NIH, and he has been there ever since.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (22:49)
Currently, Doug has so many ideas for experiments that he would like to do, but he isn’t able to do them all right now. Difficulties in getting funding, equipment, personnel, and the right collaborations often limit the types and the number of research projects that scientists can pursue. For example, he hasn’t done research on electroreception in many years. It is still unknown how sharks can so sensitively detect very weak or distant electric fields emitted by other sea creatures. Doug has an idea of what the mechanism behind this extremely sensitive ability to detect electric fields may be, but he doesn’t have the resources right now to test his hypothesis. He would need access to sharks and specialized research facilities. Also, since this would be more of a basic science project, it is not work that he would be able to do at the NIH.
A Shining Success! (26:05)
Doug and his colleagues have shown that myelin, the insulating sheath surrounding nerve fibers, can change its structure. There are also gaps in myelin called nodes of Ranvier where neural signals are propagated. Doug’s group determined that these nodes of Ranvier can also change their structure, and they determined how this occurs. These structural changes are relevant because the speed at which information can pass through a nerve fiber depends on the thickness of the myelin sheath and the structure of the nodes of Ranvier. Doug’s research suggests that the ability of myelin and nodes of Ranvier to change their structure may be important in learning and memory because the timing of information arriving at different relay points within the brain can strengthen connections between neurons. Their most recent paper on this work was a major success because it represented over 10 years of work, it was published in a prestigious journal, and it presented data that strongly refuted the previously accepted dogma that myelin was static and unchanging.
Book Recommendations (29:30)
The Other Brain: From Dementia to Schizophrenia, How New Discoveries about the Brain Are Revolutionizing Medicine and Science by R. Douglas Fields, Why We Snap: Understanding the Rage Circuit in Your Brain by R. Douglas Fields, Electric Brain: How the New Science of Brainwaves Reads Minds, Tells Us How We Learn, and Helps Us Change for the Better by R. Douglas Fields, The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative by Florence Williams, Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens, and Mind at the End of Its Tether by H. G. Wells.
Most Treasured Travel (40:03)
When Doug read about a scientist in Quito, Ecuador who had resurrected yeast from fermentation vessels found in a 1,500 year old pre-Incan tomb, he couldn’t resist learning more. This newly discovered yeast species was used by the pre-Incan people to make a traditional drink called chicha. It was fun to meet the person who resurrected the yeast, and Doug even had an opportunity to sample some beer made with it. Doug’s daughter accompanied him on the trip to Quito, and the mountains and volcanoes in Ecuador were absolutely stunning. After climbing Mount Cotopaxi, they went on an adventure to try to find the pre-Incan tombs where the yeast was found.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (42:16)
During his marine biology days, Doug and his colleagues would go out to San Nicolas Island off the coast of California to do field research. This island is owned by the U.S. Navy, and it has been uninhabited for over 100 years. It was amazing to experience the pristine natural beauty there. Doug also has fond memories of his time as a graduate student experimenting with making beer and wine in the cold room of the lab (before stricter regulations on laboratory safety were established). It was fun and interesting to dabble in the science of fermentation with his labmates.
Advice For Us All (45:33)
The job of a scientist is to do something that has never been done before. You have to be able to predict the future and get there first. To do this, you must believe in yourself.
Guest Bio
Doug’s long-standing interest is in how functional activity (experience) affects development and plasticity of the brain and the cellular mechanisms of learning and memory. In addition to studying synaptic plasticity, Dr. Fields is interested in new mechanisms of nervous system plasticity and especially those involving non-neuronal brain cells (glia). His lab’s most recent research has advanced a new mechanism of learning and plasticity involving the glial cells that make electrical insulation on axons, called myelin. By sensing electrical activity in neural circuits, these cells can form myelin or remodel myelin to alter the speed of impulse transmission to achieve optimal timing of neural impulse arrival at relay points in neural circuits. Outside the lab Doug enjoys rock climbing, building guitars, brewing beer and wine, and writing about science for a general audience. He has authored three books about neuroscience for the general reader. His first book called The Other Brain, is about glia, which are brain cells that communicate without using electricity. Doug’s second book is called Why We Snap, and it covers the neuroscience of aggression. His new book released in Feburary, 2020 is called Electric Brain, and it talks about using brainwaves, brain-computer interfaces, neurofeedback, and brain stimulation to modify the brain’s electrical activity to treat neurological and psychiatric illness, as well as to improve cognition. He and his wife, who is a high school biology teacher, have been happily married for 42 years and they have three grown children. They all enjoy rock and mountain climbing together.

*This episode was originally published on April 6, 2020.
The post 858: Dr. Douglas Fields: Studying New Cellular Mechanisms of Memory Involving Myelin appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.
48 min
March 23 857: Dr. Talithia Williams: Mathematician and Communicator with an Eye for Modeling Cataract Development in Populations Over Time
Dr. Talithia Williams is an Associate Professor of Mathematics and Associate Dean for Research and Experiential Learning at Harvey Mudd College. In addition, Talithia is Host of the PBS Series NOVA Wonders and author of the book Power in Numbers: The Rebel Women of Mathematics. She received a B.S. in mathematics from Spelman College, and while an undergraduate student, Talithia conducted research at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. After graduating, Talithia went on to earn a master’s degree in mathematics from Howard University, a master’s degree in statistics from Rice University, and a PhD in statistics from Rice University. Prior to joining the faculty at Harvey Mudd College, Talithia conducted research at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the NASA Johnson Space Center, and the National Security Agency. Talithia has received numerous honors and awards throughout her career, including the Mathematical Association of America’s Henry L. Alder Award for Distinguished Teaching by a Beginning College or University Mathematics Faculty Member and The Claremont Colleges Diversity Mentor Award. In our interview Talithia shares more about her life and work.
People Behind the Science Podcast Show Notes
Life Outside of Science (2:49)
In addition to being a mathematician and researcher, Talithia is a mother of three boys, a wife of 15 years, a TV show host, an author, and a person of faith. She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, being involved in her church, volunteering, and helping people in her community.
The Scientific Side (3:56)
Talithia is a mathematician who does disease modeling. She has been working with the World Health Organization to create models of the rates at which groups of people develop cataracts over time. Left untreated, cataracts can cause partial or complete blindness. In the U.S., cataract surgery is quick and accessible, but this is not the case in other countries. Knowing where there is the greatest need for treatment is important for the World Health Organization as they make decisions on where to send ophthalmologists to perform surgeries.
A Dose of Motivation (6:55)
“There’s a redemptive power that making a choice has rather than feeling like you’re an effect to all the things that are happening. Make a choice. Just decide what it’s gonna be, who you’re gonna be, how you are going to do it. Just decide. And from that point, the universe will get out of your way.” – Will Smith
What Got You Hooked on Science? (13:21)
In her childhood, Talithia had always been fascinated by science. While she wasn’t the top student in her class, she did pretty well in math throughout her school years. During her senior year of high school, Talithia took an Advanced Placement Calculus class. Her teacher pulled her aside after class one day and told her that she should consider majoring in math in college. Having someone outside of her friends and family affirm her mathematical ability and encourage her to pursue math in college had an enormous impact. When Talithia started college, she was introduced to other people who looked like her and either had advanced degrees in mathematics or were peers majoring in mathematics. Talithia decided to continue her studies after graduation in a mathematics PhD program at Howard University. While at Howard University, Talithia took a biostatistics course as an elective. She became captivated by the power of data and how data could be used to tell stories, reveal inequities, communicate, and change policy. She decided to change her trajectory to pursue a PhD in statistics.
The Low Points: Failures and Challenges (26:35)
Talithia ran into a major challenge at the very end of her PhD dissertation. The day before her scheduled dissertation defense, Talithia was practicing her presentation with her advisor. Her project involved creating a model of rainfall events and validating it using both simulated data and real data. Her model worked great and accurately predicted rainfall rates for simulated data. However, when she ran the model on real data from a rainfall event, the model always crashed. Her advisor told her that if she couldn’t get her model to work on real data, she couldn’t defend her dissertation tomorrow. For the past six months, Talithia had been trying to get the model to work on real data, and the model failed every single time. She started to worry. Talithia’s advisor stood over her shoulder while she scanned through pages and pages of code, but Talithia had no idea what else she could do. At that moment, Talithia heard a voice in her head that she believes was divine inspiration. It said to cut out the beginning and the end of the dataset and just feed the middle portion of the data into the model. Sure enough, it worked. Her advisor said the graphs looked good, they could be added to the presentation, and she’d see Talithia tomorrow at the defense. Talithia later realized that the model had been crashing because the rainfall rates were too low at the very beginning and very end of the rainfall events in the real datasets, so the model didn’t have enough information to run when those portions of the data were included. Talithia made it through this high-stress situation and successfully defended her dissertation.
A Shining Success! (30:41)
When she first got to graduate school, Talithia struggled with finding a sense of community. She was the only female and the only African American person in her cohort at Rice University. This felt really isolating. However, instead of dwelling on how she didn’t feel like part of the group, Talithia used this as an opportunity to bring the whole group together and build her own community. She sent an email to her peers and made a plan that they would have lunch together on Wednesdays and then do homework together in the library. Because of her coordination efforts and conscious decision to build a community, their cohort ended up becoming one of the closest classes of students in the program’s history.
Book Recommendations (35:17)
Power in Numbers: The Rebel Women of Mathematics by Talithia Williams, Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly
Most Treasured Travel ( 38:53)
Talithia had an opportunity to visit Abu Dhabi to attend an education conference for elementary, middle, and high school teachers. She was invited to participate in a panel discussion about technology in education, the importance of education, and other issues. This was her first time traveling to the United Arab Emirates, and it was wonderful to experience a completely different culture. There, it is customary for women not to engage in physical contact with men or look men in the eye. Talithia had to be really conscientious of this because she is an outgoing person who is used to shaking hands and hugging people. After the panel discussion, many of the women approached Talithia to take pictures with her, and it was a lot of fun. During her short stay in Abu Dhabia, Talithia was also able to visit a shopping mall near her hotel and peruse the luxury high-end shops.
Quirky Traditions and Funny Memories (43:19)
As an undergraduate student, Talithia and her labmates decorated their lab coats and played music in the lab. Now, at Harvey Mudd College, one of her colleagues does research on the cornea (the outermost layer of the eye). Every summer, her students make eyeball desserts like cakes, jello, and cupcakes, and Talithia and her students get to visit the lab, learn about their work, and sample the eye-themed snacks.
Advice For Us All (48:29)
As a scientist, it is not effective to try to engage people and change their opinions by force. You have to find a way to make the science and data appealing to someone to have a chance to change how they think about it. Also, keep moving forward. Think about what you would do if you weren’t afraid. Recognize your fears, face them, and realize that despite your fears, you have an opportunity to move forward.
Guest Bio
Talithia takes sophisticated numerical concepts and makes them understandable to a wide audience. She is well known for her popular TED Talk, “Own Your Body’s Data”. Talithia enjoys demystifying the mathematical process in amusing and insightful ways, using statistics as a way of seeing the world in a new light and transforming our future through the bold new possibilities inherent in the STEM fields. She develops statistical models which emphasize the spatial and temporal structure of data and has partnered with the World Health Organization in developing a cataract model used to predict the cataract surgical rate for countries in Africa. Through her research and work in the community at large, she is helping change the collective mindset regarding STEM in general and math in particular – rebranding the field of mathematics as anything but dry, technical or male-dominated but instead a logical, productive career path that is crucial to the future of the country. Talithia is active in her faith community and serves with her husband as a Christian marriage mentor couple, all while being the mom of three amazing boys.

Photo credit: Harvey Mudd College
*This episode was originally published on February 18, 2019.
The post 857: Dr. Talithia Williams: Mathematician and Communicator with an Eye for Modeling Cataract Development in Populations Over Time appeared first on People Behind the Science Podcast.
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