STEM Southwest Podcast

Join Bob and Shelly this week and get the scoop on a dirty little science secret that the textile industry doesn't want you to know. Our guest, Gary S. Selwyn, a retired Los Alamos National Laboratory chemist, shares his discoveries and innovations that have him learning a lot about the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval process as he works to share his life-saving innovation in the prevention of COVID19!

Show Notes

Be Greater Than Average Gift of Learning

Be Greater Than Average Competitive Robotics

Gary S. Selwyn received his B.S. degree in chemistry from New York University, Albany, in 1974, and his Ph.D. degree in chemical physics from University of California, Berkley, in 1979. From 1979 to 1982, he did postdoctoral research at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand, and at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC. From 1982 to 1994, he worked first as a Staff Scientist with IBM and then as a Research Manager at the IBM Watson Research Center. He co-chaired a NATO Advanced Research Conference in 1993 and is the recipient of two R&D100 Awards. He has been with the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM, since 1994, and studies the chemistry and physics of plasmas used in materials processing. He is also the President and founder of APJeT, Inc., a spin-off from LANL that is commercializing a licensed atmospheric pressure plasma technology for material processing applications. Gary has since retired and started his own company, Greenthemetek, treating fabrics and currently has a mask treatment to prevent COVID19 in the FDA approval process.

Green Theme Technologies Inc.

EMPEL Technology Platform

Patents by Gary Selwyn

Testing of Antibacterial Face Masks (News Story)

Contact:

Gary S Selwyn, PhD

[email protected]

phone: 1-505-200-2693

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Working to make New Mexico the first choice for the space industry today's guest is investing her retirement years in this mission. Breaking down walls and silos helps to create a rich ecosystem that will benefit the entire Southwest region and lead to a greater economic impact. Space is more than a $350 billion industry. It has increased tenfold over the last decade. and is anticipated to grow as much in the next decade, with more than 80% of the monies being private investment. This is an opportunity that everyone needs to know about and what we will discuss on today's episode.

Show Notes

Be Greater Than Average Gift of Learning

Be Greater Than Average Competitive Robotics

Casey Anglada DeRaad is Founder and Director of NewSpace New Mexico, a non-profit established to grow the commercial Space industry in NM and to create a bigger voice to New Mexico's Space industry stakeholders from industry, academia, Air Force, the national labs, and local, state and federal organizations. NewSpace NM is developing an expansion and communication strategy for the first time to leverage the significant federal investment and R&D Space assets, and to take advantage of the exponential growth in the commercial Space industry for our state and nation.

Casey was a 30-year executive of the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), leading the Technology Engagement Office for academic, industry, and community partnerships for AFRL and other Air Force partners on Kirtland Air Force Base. Casey developed strategies to support the local academic and industrial community to help it leverage the $3.8B/annual economic impact of Kirtland to New Mexico. Casey has previously led spacecraft electronics, space systems, and joint technology investment efforts for the Air Force and NASA. She helped establish the University of New Mexico's (UNM's) successful COSMIAC aerospace center with AFRL, UNM, industry, Sandia and Los Alamos laboratories. She established, gained resources, and led AFRL's $4M/year, fifth through university level programs inspiring over 4000 students per year into STEM programs including the lauded AFRL Scholars and University NanoSat programs with excellent female and minority participation.

NewSpace New Mexico

NewSpace Alliance

NewSpace New Mexico - Leadership and Board of Directors

Contact:

Connect with NewSpace New Mexico

Join the NewSpace Alliance

Today's guest is an expert in using technology to advance business and learning. Erika Hecht is the CEO of Market Ascent and shares her thoughts and expertise on how we can make money and delight audiences in order to make a greater impact using technology and tools to create amazing online experiences.

Show Notes

Fall STEM Learning offered by Be Greater Than Average - online and in-person for learners.

Also, check out the Be Greater Than Average Resources webpage to get your copy of STEM Ebook: A Semester of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Activities.

Help us grow our STEM programs through the Be Greater Than Average Facebook page.

For over 20 years, Market Ascent Founder, Erika Woldman Hecht, has been solving business strategy and marketing problems for technology and learning organizations, helping them grow smarter, faster, and better. She has taken her experience and packaged it into a proprietary process that saves clients time while putting them on a direct path to achieving desired outcomes. Erika is also a thought-leader in the online learning field and is on a mission to shine a light on how organizations can create amazing online experiences that delight customers while generating incremental revenues. Passionate about education, Erika is a life-long learner and volunteers as programming director for her local chapter of the American Marketing Association to further the development of marketing professionals with the latest advances and thinking in the field.

Market Ascent

Member Spotlight: Erika Hecht (New Mexico American Marking Association)

Contact:

[email protected]

(505) 821-9132

In this special episode, we hear from two members of the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), Gabe Mounce and Captain Roger Anderson, as we discuss the innovative programs that AFRL is using to connect business and government through technology and innovation.

Show Notes

Fall STEM Learning offered by Be Greater Than Average - online and in-person for learners.

Also, check out the Be Greater Than Average Resources webpage to get your copy of STEM Ebook: A Semester of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Activities.

Help us grow our STEM programs through the Be Greater Than Average Facebook page.

Gabe Mounce directs the Space Force Accelerator program for the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) in New Mexico. In this capacity, he oversees the Hyperspace Challenge in Albuquerque and the Catalyst Space Accelerator in Colorado Springs, both focused on connecting the entrepreneurial start-up community to the US Space Force. He is also the Technology Commercialization Lead for AFRL where he oversees all aspects of technology transfer, community engagement, and marketing & publicity for Directed Energy and Space Vehicle technology. Mr. Mounce recently founded the New Mexico COVID-19 Emergency Supply Collaborative, bringing together government, non-profit, and private sector organizations from across the state to provide Personal Protective Equipment to Healthcare Providers in need due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Captain Roger S. Anderson oversees operations of Space Force Accelerators at the Air Force Research Lab for Space Vehicles at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. He aligns start-up company innovation with Space Force needs and vectors start-up technology for success through the Hyperspace Challenge and Catalyst Accelerator programs. He also oversees the Space Vehicles' professional development program that immerses young acquisition professionals inside of innovation units and teaches agile acquisition concepts.

Air Force Research Laboratory New Mexico Tech Engagement Office

Space Vehicles Directorate

Hyperspace Challenge

Catalyst Accelerator

U.S. Space Force

Important links to other STEM Southwest Interviews that touch on factors that are involved in building the Second Golden Age of Space.

Brian Barnett, Solstar Space; EP 055 Text Messaging to Space

Rachel Gupton, Sandia National Laboratories, EP 043 Satellites to Security

Shelly Gruenig, Be Greater Than Average, EP 041 NASA Social Media to Space

George Gorospe, NASA, EP 038 From Educator to NASA Engineer

Matt Fetrow, AFRL, EP 031 AFRL reaching out to Entrepreneurs

Contact:

Linkedin - Gabe Mounce

Linkedin - Captain Roger Anderson

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Join us this week when we talk about STEM repatriation with the leaders of STEM Boomerang. After noticing a brain drain in the STEM community, STEM Boomerang stepped in to support the journey home for many New Mexicans. Other states are pursuing a similar program to ensure that the STEM workforce pipeline remains enriched. It all started here in the Southwest and we are going to uncover the important information! We will discuss everything from STEM careers to internships - don't miss this episode!

Show Notes

Fall STEM Learning offered by Be Greater Than Average - online and in-person for learners.

Also, check out the Be Greater Than Average Resources webpage to get your copy of STEM Ebook: A Semester of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Activities.

Help us grow our STEM programs through the Be Greater Than Average Facebook page.

Maggie is retired from UNM, where she was a Regents Professor of Biology, and an adjunct in Computer Science and Molecular Genetics and Microbiology and a full member of the UNM Cancer Center. Maggie chose to come to UNM because her mother was from Mexico and the students made her feel like she was among family. Her current work is to help some of the 600+ students that she mentored at UNM and nationally to come back home to their families for great STEM careers, and to support economic development in New Mexico.

Monica Sandoval-Johnson, PhD is the co-Director at STEM Boomerang and has a passion for building up the STEM workforce in New Mexico. Monica is a UNM alumni, who has received higher education at both the University of Colorado and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Since returning to New Mexico, her mission has been on recruiting and repatriating New Mexico's high-tech and innovation economies.

STEM Boomerang

STEM Boomerang - Job Seekers

STEM Boomerang - Employers

CNM Ingenuity Info Session

Contact:

STEM Boomerang - Contact

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We often take electricity technology for granted, until it isn't there anymore. With one flip of a light switch, we become part of the largest machine in the country! During this week's episode, we will explore the importance of and developments in renewable energy, what careers are available, and how local and regional power companies are partnering with consumers to change what used to be a one-way road into a two-way street by using technology to build the smart grid. Join us as we discuss this and much, much more with our guests from PNM, Alaric Babej and Jon Hawkins.

Show Notes

Fall STEM Learning offered by Be Greater Than Average - online and in-person for learners.

Also, check out the Be Greater Than Average Resources webpage to get your copy of STEM Ebook: A Semester of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Activities

Help us grow our STEM programs through the Be Greater Than Average Facebook page.

Alaric J. Babej is the Product Development Manager at PNM and works to design and implement customer programs for electrification and voluntary renewables. Major initiatives include transportation electrification to aid in the adoption of electric vehicles, and programs to assist customers meet their sustainability goals. Alaric has a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Rhode Island where he focused on automotive technology, and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Washington with a focus in renewable energy systems. He enjoys learning languages and playing hockey in his free time.

Jon Hawkins is the Associate Director for Innovation and Communications at PNM Resources. Jon's team is responsible providing research and development of new technologies used in the generation, distribution, and use of energy as well as design, implementation, and maintenance of telecommunications and network systems across PNMR. Jon has his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Mexico, is a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and has been author or co-author on multiple publications primarily focused on integration and optimization of PV with energy storage.

PNM

PNM - Electric Vehicles

Contact:

Contact Us

[email protected]

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As a girl, Ann dreamed of being an astrophysicist. Her journey into a STEM career led her into the defense industry. After years of success, she enrolled in an MBA program and there, during a math class, she had the opportunity to help other women understand. That moment, when she taught until "the light came on," and her classmates' new confidence with math, changed them and her. That experience would change her and shift her career from math to money. Her dream is to support women in STEM to be comfortable building their financial success and designing their financial future. What small financial change could you make that would end in financial freedom?

Show Notes

Fall STEM Learning offered by Be Greater Than Average - online and in-person for learners; the schedule will be released in late August.

Also, check out the Be Greater Than Average Resources page to get your copy of STEM Ebook: A Semester of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Activities

Help us grow our STEM programs through the Be Greater Than Average Facebook page.

Please check out R4Creating, whose mission is to provide support for those organizations making valuable contributions to increase the number of STEM opportunities for students.

Ann Shubert started her professional career planning to be an astrophysicist, receiving a BA in Physics from Princeton University and an MS in Astrophysics from the California Institute of Technology. After realizing that she was not cut out to be a pure research scientist, Ann shifted gears into a 30-year career in the defense industry, first designing and building software systems and later managing multi-million-dollar aerospace programs. In 2014, while enrolled in the University of New Mexico's Executive MBA program, Ann made another major career transition, becoming a licensed Financial Advisor. Three years later, she co-founded Intentional Finance LLC, an independent, woman-owned, Registered Investment Adviser firm. Ann enjoys working with women in STEM, combining science-based approaches to financial planning, risk management and investing with her interest in behavioral finance and how people make decisions about money. Because she knows what it is like to be a woman in a male dominated workplace, Ann feels a special kinship with women in the STEM fields, and loves helping them to reach a place of confidence about their finances so they can keep their energies focused on their STEM passion, whether in research, education or business.

Intentional Finance LLC

Contact:

Ann Shubert

[email protected]

Intentional Finance LLC

7770 Jefferson Street NE, Suite 430

Albuquerque, NM 87109

(505) 563-4500

[email protected]

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Inspired by the Apollo missions to the moon, Brian Barnett has been dreaming of being an astronaut since he was a little boy. Not only does he plan to be a commercial astronaut in the near future, but he also hopes to inspire a new generation in the race to space. His innovation and ideas have led him to develop the Space Wide Web, allowing earth-to-space communications. Join this family man and hear how his children have been involved in his business, Solstar Space, from very early on. Listen in to some of his amazing stories and ideas for STEM-minded individuals.

Show Notes

Join Shelly and host, Betsy Jewell, on the latest episode of High School Hamster Wheel podcast (episode #040)

Fall STEM Learning offered by Be Greater Than Average - online and in-person for learners; the schedule will be released in late August.

Help us grow our STEM programs through the Be Greater Than Average Facebook page

M. Brian Barnett is a serial entrepreneur with 33 years' experience in commercial space, the mobile satellite services industry, as an aerospace technologist at NASA, and at KPMG Consulting as a management consultant. He is Founder and CEO of Solstar Space Co. (Solstar), the first internet service provider for people, Internet of Things, and machines in space, that is developing technologies to build a Space Wide Web. On April 29, 2018, Solstar demonstrated the first commercial two-way data and wi-fi hotspot service in space and Tweet from space aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard crew capsule, using Barnett's patent-pending technology. Brian began his career at NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center where he provided Space Shuttle payload integration services at the Payloads Project Office. He also provided astronaut crew training in the Mission Operations Laboratory for Spacelab missions. At Johnson Space Center, Brian worked in the Missions Operations Directorate, and later worked on JSC's 1992 Strategic Plan. He also managed a contract to document all Space Shuttle operations processes as directed by Congress after the Challenger accident. Later, as a management consultant for KPMG's Space and High Technology group, Brian wrote dozens of business plans and market assessments for commercial space companies. He led the Team that wrote the initial business plan and helped identify the best location for the spaceport that eventually became Spaceport America in New Mexico. Brian earned a B.S. in microbiology from the University of Oklahoma, a Masters in Administrative Science from the University of Alabama in Huntsville and is a graduate of the International Space University. He is a classically-trained rock and reggae drummer and is founder and producer of DrumsAstro®, an organization Connecting Artists and Musicians of all Genres to Space and Space Exploration.

Solstar Space

Contact:

M. Brian Barnett

(505) 389-2299

[email protected]

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What does a good book and a video game have in common? This week's guest will share his thoughts on using virtual reality as classroom literature, and why it is time for us to step up and make a difference! Join us in this episode where we learn more about Esports and the possibility of it being a career. Dr. Miles Harvey will share his experiences as a gamer and streamer, and how he is using that platform to make a difference in the lives of so many students!

Show Notes

Dr. Miles Harvey is a scholar gamer, middle years Esports coach, streamer, and teacher educator from the University of New Mexico researching media literacy and digital game-based learning. He is a K-12 Language Arts and Media Literacy educator in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He also instructs classes at the Central New Mexico Community College. Miles' research interests focus on how students make sense of their learning through multimodal experiences afforded by mixed reality, video games, and research-based instructional strategies. He coaches New Mexico's first-ever middle school Esports team and competed in the North America's first international middle school Esports competition against Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Dr. Miles Harvey - Google Scholar

Miles of Learning

James Monroe Middle School Raiding Raptor Esports

APS Esports

Contact:

Linkedin

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TikTok

This week's guest had a serendipitous journey to her career in STEM. In an effort to diagnose her son and improve the quality of life for her mother, Karen Crow set out to learn more about sleep which led to a breakthrough in wearable sensors. Now, as the CEO of the startup, NeuroGeneces, Karen shares about the impact of technology on the study and the science of sleep. Gone are the days of sleep studies with wires and adhesives attached while you try to "sleep" in a strange bed. The growth of wearable sensors is skyrocketing! The data those sensors are collecting can be life-changing and the opportunity for careers in the relatively unexplored science of sleep is unprecedented. As a bonus, Karen will even share how you can get involved in the beta testing of a new NeuroGeneces product!

Show Notes

Karen Crow is the co-founder and CEO of NeuroGeneces, a woman-owned start-up focused on improving memory and cognitive performance through sleep science. Karen started her business career in management consulting, and was a partner at Mercer Management Consulting where she was responsible for managing teams of consultants and clients addressing complex problems. While at Google, she led Sales Operations for Fortune 1000 accounts in North America, Latin America, and Asia Pacific, managing over 500 people and $1.3 billion in annual revenue. Karen is a recipient of Google Founders Award, in recognition of outstanding contribution and entrepreneurial accomplishment. She is co-founder and head of Product Development at WiserGiving, a non-profit creating donor education tools.

Neurogeneces

WiserGiving

Contact:

[email protected]

Linkedin

Contact (Neurogeneces)

Follow Us – Neurogeneces (including signing up for beta test)