STEMS AND LEAVES

By Ezra M

a queer, brown MidWesterner and a rotating cast of co-host friends ponder life aka

we all started in STEM adjacent career paths, got radicalized, and now we're all over north america being cute

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· Society & Culture

5

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FAQs about STEMS AND LEAVES:

How many episodes does STEMS AND LEAVES have?

The podcast currently has 14 episodes available.

STEMS AND LEAVES episodes:

March 17, 2023 Danceable Cities aka Research on urban dance phenomena in China
This episode we chat about dance as a consideration in urban design. In China, millions of residents participate in urban dance as a way to enhance their health and foster social connection. These groups practice in parks and ‘waste spaces’ around cities, accompanied often by live music. However, this practice has run into some resistance from the central and city governments. Complaints of too much noise have forced cities to ban these dancing retirees to parking lots and bridge underpasses. But the dancers persist, sometimes as an act of resistance. We unpack all that an more this episode of STEMS and Leaves.
Links:
Designing the Danceable City: How Residents in Beijing Cultivate Health and Community Ties Through Urban Dance’ by Caroline Chen
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14min
March 17, 2023 Wild City Food aka A brief history of urban foraging
This episode we discuss the practice of urban foraging. That act of harvesting wild grown food is a practice as old as humanity. From society’s earliest days, we have depended on the fruits, nuts, berries, and herbs we’ve found along the way to secure our food supply. Although, a recent surge in popularity of foraging in cities and a lasting legacy of racist and classist laws often prevent some groups from foraging in public spaces. This episode unpacks why and how we forage and recommends some interesting research papers that discuss an ideal future of foraging laws.
Sources:
Falling Fruit . org
Food Law Gone Wild by Baylen Linnekin
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14min
March 17, 2023 2019 July | Interview w/ Shauna
[From the archive] Another interview out of DC this week, my guest Shauna has worked as a freelance programmer for 9 years. She left neuroscience after a long reckoning with the uncertainty. Shauna found herself challenged by a big question: How do we quantify and understand the vast potential of human behavior with hard tools? Maybe we can’t. Or at least not in the ways we want to.
Shauna and I discuss these interesting ideas from her work and how she’s grown professionally. We also touch on the significance of queer identities in these spaces and handling mental health. I was curious to know how she keeps herself accountable and practices self-care in a sometimes isolating work space. Shauna tells me all her great tips and tricks as she continues her journey of growth and learning.
Discussed this episode:
PyLadies
Minority Postdoc
Galaxy Rise Consulting
Shauna on LinkedIn
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41min
March 17, 2023 2019 August | Interview w/ Sujata Emani
[From the archive] In this episode, Sujata Emani and I spend a good amount of time discussing women of massive determination and how we work everyday to emulate their example. Sujata also shares some insight into her identity as a caregiver for her grandmother; an identity that was chosen for her and certainly changed the trajectory of her life in her mid-twenties.
Discussed in this episode:
Beltway Science Podcast
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Department of Energy
National Labs
Research Article: Designing the Danceable City
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50min
March 12, 2023 2020 February | Appalachian Planning with Jason Pyles
Planning in Appalachia, convincing a community that you’re not taking their jobs, and the future of autonomous vehicles in rural places. My guest this week, Jason Pyles, and I discuss all this in more in one of my favorite interviews yet. As a kick off to our discussions centered around Geography and Geographic Information Science, I turn to Jason for his expertise.
Jason works for the Buckeye Hills Regional Council as one of two GIS professionals supporting the agency’s work. His position is unique in that he is sort of a one-man-GIS-show and does all the work entailed in GIS from top to bottom. He shared some great insights into what it means to serve his regional community through his role in technology.
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1h 11min
April 30, 2022 Columbus' legacy of urban racism aka what redlining did to our black neighbors
Columbus Ohio is all too typical of the physical imprint of racism on urban spaces. Redlining, urban highways, white flite, prohibitive zoning... All of these things and more have manifested in the economic and racial segregation that plagues Columbus. This episode shares some insight on Columbus' "urban problems" and offers several resources for planners and non-planners alike to learn more and do better.
Discussed in this episode: Strong Women Strong Places, Tamika Butler, Dr. Destiny Thomas, The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein, Columbus Ohio Redlining Maps,Kirwan Institute Study on Infant Mortality, 500 Cities Health Data for Columbus, University of Toronto Study, Communication So White Reading List
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18min
October 05, 2021 Tea-ism, New Tunes Goofin', and A book that will chill you to your bones
It's the end of August, the uniquely American Labor Day is almost upon us and we are sleepy. Moss procured an excellent bit of tea history and shares wisdom from the OGs. Ezra's got some music reccs featuring a nifty tool that Anchor gave us. Also recommended in this episode, 'The Power' by Naomi Alderman.
The Book of Tea by Kakuso Okakura
REI AMI
Hobo Johnson & the Lovemakers
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45min
August 17, 2021 'Educated' Plant Parents aka Moss n' Ezra did their homework
We set ourselves up for success with homework last episode,,, which Moss actually did while Ezra pulled two books off the shelf fifteen minutes before recording. The Moss Mixtape begins to take shape with Janelle Monae and Moses Sumney as standout artists. Ezra highlights two non-binary educators/creators/leaders that share accessible content to educate on a variety of topics. Moss comes in with plant knowledge and at least one science fact and Ezra supplements with a poem and resources for the foraging-curious among us.
STEMS AND LEAVES 2021
Discussed in this episode:
Nature's Garden: Edible Wild Plants by S. Thayer , Early grrrl by Marge Piercy , Janelle Monáe , Moses Sumney , Christine and the Queens , Black Forager (Alexis Nikole)

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37min
August 06, 2021 The Hero Dies at The End aka Book Recc ‘The Song of Achilles’
It’s spoiler warnings on a several thousand year old myth, so there’s that. Lila is back on the mic as a cohost and we gush about Madeline Miller’s finest work ‘The Song of Achilles’. It touched both our hearts and we highly recommend this beautifully written, visceral retelling of one of myth and legend’s most tragic lovers. Ezra has lots of feelings and Lila has some erudite observations to share.
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28min
August 02, 2021 2019 June | Interview with Dr Woodburn McNair
[From the archive] This episode features Dr Amber Woodburn McNair of the Ohio State University. She serves as an assistant professor in the Knowlton School as well as the Center for Aviation Studies (both within OSU's College of Engineering. We sat down to discuss Dr Woodburn's research and experiences in academia and how her identity and presentation as a woman has affected her journey. She also shared some wonderful advice about navigating the murky waters that await after graduation and the importance of keeping the hustle strong.

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31min

FAQs about STEMS AND LEAVES:

How many episodes does STEMS AND LEAVES have?

The podcast currently has 14 episodes available.