STEM Southwest Podcast

In our New Economy, where innovation and ideas are exploding, it’s important for STEM professionals to understand the different ways to protect their intellectual property.  Today’s guest, Richard Krukar, will share his tips and experience on this important issue.

Show Notes

Richard Krukar worked as a Research and Development engineer on both coasts and in the State of New Mexico after receiving a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Mexico.  Richard moved to intellectual property law to see if it was fun and has spent the past 14 years as a lawyer. He Indicates that “it's been a life of building wonderful machines, writing elegant code, and helping others protect their own creations.”

Loza and Loza LLP

Richard Krukar

United States Patent and Trademark Office

World Intellectual Property Organization

The "Alice" decision

Becoming a Patent Attorney

 

Book Recommendation:

Toy of the Gods, by Sonja Dewing

Rule 34, by Charles Stross

Books by Stephen Baxter

Inancu v. Brunetti

 

Contact:

Richard Krukar,

[email protected]

 

 

 

 

 

 

In an effort to build the STEM Southwest Workforce, Albuquerque science museum, EXPLORA, is making a strong investment in teens and workforce education.  Leading the initiative is Allison Brody who shares her personal STEM journey, and the variety of programs and the exciting initiatives that we can be looking for at our family’s all-time favorite children's museum.  Allison has been a science educator for more than 20 years and listeners will be excited by her knowledge and passion for STEM educational programming.

Show Notes

Allison Brody, Director of STEM Education and Workforce Development, oversees the development and implementation of a variety of programs and community engagement initiatives, including training and educational programming, for formal and informal audiences throughout New Mexico.  Allison came to the Explora Science Center and Children’s Museum from Las Vegas, Nevada, where she was a project manager at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and the Clark County Wetlands Park.  She has been a passionate informal science educator for more than 20 years, including working at the Oklahoma City Zoological Park and Botanical Garden and the Bronx Zoo/Wildlife Conservation Society.  Allison holds a B.S. in Biology, an M.S. in Ecology and a D.A. in Biological Education. 

Explora Science Center and Children's Museum

New Mexico Science Fiesta

Teen Night at Explora

The Pear Institute

 

Book Recommendation:

Flight Behavior: A Novel, by Barbara Kinghodler

 

Contact:

[email protected]

In this weeks episode, we talk with Parker, an amazing high school student working on creating and building a miniature satellite to launch into space! This young woman is not afraid of hard challenges and will inspire listeners young and old. She proves that young people really want to be challenged by hard things and that the only limit is what we think of ourselves.   Listeners can be a part of her project; just listen in to learn how!     Show Notes

Parker is a rising junior in high school.  She has been interested in STEM for as long as she can remember, especially Aerospace Engineering.  She was recently accepted into a highly selective program at her school named the Odyssey Scholars Program, a two-year program in which students do an in-depth study of a subject of their choice.  For this program, she will be building a CubeSat, or a miniaturized satellite, that will measure the magnetic field of the Earth.

Strandbeest

Theo Jansen

Lego Mindstorms EV3

Ender 3 3D-Printer

Prusa i3 MK3

CubeSat

Interorbital Systems (IOS)

Space Mission Analysis and Design, 3rd edition (Space Technology Library, Vol. 8), by Wiley J. Larson and James R. Wertz

 

Contact:

[email protected] (use this email if you would like to support Parker)

 

Dr. Vincent P. Clark is an expert in Neuropsychology.  With an interest in brain stimulation for neuroenhancement and brain stimulation for the treatment of chronic pain, addiction, schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease, and motor illness, Dr. Clark and his team are making a real difference in the way that we use science to heal.  Join us as we explore thoughts and ideas of how to harness the power of our brains with this week’s scientist.

Show Notes

Dr. Vincent P. Clark, Professor of Translational Neuroscience, has worked with the Mind Research Network (MRN) as Director of Neuroscience, then as Scientific Director recruiting scientists and helping MRN to increase its grant portfolio by expanding into new areas of research such as addiction, accelerated learning, and multimodal imaging.  In association with the Department of Psychology at the University of New Mexico where he is Founding Director of the new Clinical Neuroscience Center, he and his associates investigate the relationship between mind and brain.

Mind Research Network

Dr. Vincent Clark

2019 BrainSTIM Meeting

 

Contact:

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]) – also use for volunteers for research studies

This special episode of STEM Southwest is hosted by Shelly along with daughters Makenzie and Bethany.  Today we celebrate the power of STEM Moms!

 

Show Notes

Ulrika Peroni, Professional Water Skier and mom coach of ‘Da Swedish Fish,' a team that competes in VEX robotics VRC competition.  Da Swedish Fish took robotics on the road that has led to an adventure across the country participating in robotics while traveling in a motorhome.  They turned to the robotics community for help when she had an accident while traveling that has become a real blessing to their family.  Ulrika shares how their journey has helped them to form new friendships, deepen sibling ties, and make a difference in the lives of kids she knows that were challenged.

 

 

Gwen Valentino, Massage Therapist and mom coach of the First Lego League H.O.T. Squad.   They will also participate this summer in the Apollo Competition.  “Forced” by her daughter to start a team over a trophy, this mom’s story is inspiring. Learning that competition is both offensive and defensive and has helped to grow their character and strengthen their resolve.  She shares her belief that robotics competitions are reflective of the real world and opportunities to seek out powerful mentor relationships.  Gwen’s favorite outcome of competitive robotics is how her child has come out of her shell and is no longer afraid to communicate with others and mentor other teams.

 

 

Kim Edgar is a Molecular Biologist and owner of Science From the Very Beginning.  This STEM Mom who confesses about being “spatially challenged” helped to start a BEST Robotics team, R4Robotics, in hopes that it would capture her son’s interest in building.  In the end. Dustin found a different kind of passion through his involvement, and his sister, Abbey, would eventually pursue a career as a technical writer for Raytheon.  Kim shares their story and how BEST robotics was a vehicle to launch her kids into their life careers and impact their professional lives.

 

 

Russ Fisher-Ives This interview is certainly one of our favorites as we talk all things STEM in the Southwest and how the Southwest has influenced many countries beyond our borders including China, Japan, Estonia, Canada, Mexico and so many more! Russ Fisher-Ives is a science teacher turned robotics rock star. Years ago he teamed up with Intel and put his philosophy of Inquiry-based learning to work for students through his business, Inquiry Facilitators. His dynamic personality teams up with the heart of an educator to inspire students across the world as he challenges them to think big through the robotics competition he founded, RoboRAVE. Now an international program, Russ travels the globe inspiring both young and old with his dynamic energy and ability to get the world to communicate in one unified language…. Robots!

Show Notes:

RoboRAVE International

RRPS Student Research Expo

Inquiry Facilitators

 

STEM Hero and Rockstar

George Gorospe

Benjamin Franklin

 

Contact Information:

[email protected]

Whatsapp (505-385-7109)

 

Russ also has several TED talks and speeches our listeners might enjoy:

Native Voices through Technology

Beyond Testing

 

Today’s guest is an executive leader with 25 years of experience as an engineer and innovator who shifted from solving complex robotics programs at FANUC America to encouraging young people to solve complex robotics programs at the Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation.  The students compete in VEX robotics competitions across the globe, and Dan’s leadership has promoted growth and development of a program that is making robotics education attainable and affordable for students worldwide.

We met Dan at the Google Girl Powered event where, during his keynote address, he encouraged girls to take action and get involved in making a difference in the world during his keynote address.  In today’s episode, Dan shares some amazing things including how he worked with the Girls Scouts to establish an affordable, easy to implement badge curriculum on robotics engineering.  We are in agreement with Dan that our communities, and especially the many organizations that support competitive robotics (FIRST, BEST, RoboRave, and Botball to name a few), need to collaborate to create a strong STEM Ecosystem for our students that will positively impact the STEM Workforce Pipeline.

Show Notes

Dan Mantz is Chief Executive Office and Chairman of the Board for the REC Foundation.  Dan is responsible for the long-term strategy, structure, and fiscal health of the organization.  He acts as a direct liaison between the REC Foundation and the Board.  Prior to joining the REC Foundation, Dan was President of RackSolutions for four years and spent 19 year in the industrial robotics industry at FANUC Robotics.

REC Foundation

Girl Powered

VEX Robotics

VEX Worlds

 

Contact:

[email protected]

Linkedin

Twitter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Understanding our bodies and caring for them is critical to a long and happy STEM life.  Often, when people are striving to be their very best as STEM professionals, they are faced with the importance of self-care.  On this episode, our hosts speak with nutritionist, Shelley Rael, about the different self-care strategies that are critical for a healthy and wealthy life.

                                                                                                                                                

 

Show Notes

Contrary to her title, Shelley Rael, MS RDN doesn’t believe in diets.  A registered dietitian nutritionist since 1999, she helps people change their mindset about food, eliminating rules and judgment while supporting a lifestyle that gives you sustainable energy.  Rather than gimmicks, supplements, or fad diets, Shelley works with individuals to create Customized Nutrition Blueprints, or action plans, for sustainable all-day physical and mental energy.  Having worked in wellness, health promotion and disease prevention/risk reduction her entire career, she knows there is no one diet that works for everyone and helps people choose a way of eating that works for them year-round, not just before a big event, vacation, season or change of the calendar.  Fads, trends, and quick fixes will come and go, but eating will always be necessary.

Shelley Rael

Quest for Energy (webinar)  

Eating is not Cheating (webinar)

Six Tips Ebook

Blog

Real World Nutrition (Facebook)

 

Book Recommendation:

Scarcity: The New Science of Having Less and How It Defines Our Lives, by Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir

Snake Oil Science: The Truth about Complementary and Alternative Medicine, by R. Bauker Bausell, PhD

 

Contact:

[email protected]

(505) 373-0407

Facebook

Linkedin

Twitter

Pinterest

Future space tourists will have today's guest, Chief Pilot David Mackay of Virgin Galactic, to thank for their adventures into the cosmos.  This fit family man is working with entrepreneurial king, Sir Richard Branson, to make travel into space accessible to all.  David recently completed a successful Virgin Galactic test flight where he traveled approximately 55 miles above the Earth’s surface and had with him the company’s first test passenger.  In this episode, David shares the pain of a sobering tragedy that killed Pilot Michael Alsbury as Virgin Galactic prepared to launch its space program.  David also gives listeners a vivid description of what Earth looks like from the vantage point of a pilot’s seat, and shares his thoughts on the upcoming transition of Virgin Galactic’s commercial space program from Mojave, California to Truth or Consequences, the location of Spaceport America.

 

Show Notes

David Mackay was born in Scotland and studied Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Glasgow. He joined the Royal Air Force in 1979 during which time he became a test pilot.  After retiring from the Royal Air Force in 1995, David became a commercial pilot for Virgin Atlantic.  A chance meeting led him to join Virgin Galactic in 1995 for which he has served as its Chief Pilot since 2011.  On February 22, 2019, David piloted the SpaceShipTwo VSS Unity into space with a test passenger whose purpose was to evaluate the customer experience and cabin.

Virgin Galactic

David Mackay (pilot)

Virgin Galactic Space Flight on February 22, 2019

Spaceport America

 

STEM Rockstar:

Beth Moses

 

Contact information:    

LinkedIn

Dr. Shelly Gruenig is typically the one on the show asking questions, but today we put her in the hot seat.  She recently won the Coach/Advisor of the Year at the annual STEMYs Excellence in STEM event hosted by the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  As a robotics coach since 2005, her teams have amassed a lot of wins.  What drives her most in continuing to coach are the victories that her students have achieved in preparing for their future and launching their lives through the opportunities provided as part of the robotics team.  Shelly has a strong desire to help others plan and launch their lives in a way that will bring them satisfaction and joy for years to come.  She is an expert in Workforce Development and has worked with companies such as Levi Strauss, American National Bank, University of California, and the Brunswick Corporation.  Shelly is on a mission to help others identify the steps that they need to take to ensure their best life launch!

Joining us today is guest co-host, Makenzie Gruenig

 

Show Notes

Life Launch Academy

Home Learning Life Launch Academy (Facebook)

R4 Creating

 

Contact information:    

[email protected]