The Sci'more Podcast

Welcome back to part 2 of our series on science policy! Last time, we talked with Adriana, Ona, and Vivian about hot topics in science policy and how we as voters can learn more about how our electoral candidates view science. This time, we’ll be doing a deepdive into Ona and Vivian’s organization, the Johns Hopkins Science Policy and Diplomacy Group. Through this group, Ona and Vivian engage other graduate researchers in the world of science policy, providing them valuable opportunities to work out their science policy chops. Their goals: To get more students interested in science policy and to make said students competitive candidates for the highly sought after science policy fellowships. Listen to this episode to learn more. Enjoy!

If you have questions for Ona and Vivian, you can reach them at the organization’s email: [email protected].

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We rely on listeners like you to ask us questions! Submit any questions you have at: https://anchor.fm/scimore, email us at [email protected], or message us on Twitter (@ScimoreP), Instagram (@scimore_podcast) or Facebook (@scimorepodcast). Follow our social media to stay up-to-date on the latest episodes!

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Links and Resources

Embassy visits, a series organized by the JHSPDG to learn about diplomatic and scientific relations between the US and its allies

Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, they run an annual introduction to science policy course for JHU students

Green and Connected Forum at JHU, 2023 posting about a forum focusing on sustainable solutions for urban agriculture in Baltimore City

Johns Hopkins Science Policy and Diplomacy Group website

2015 Paris Agreement, an international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and minimize the effects of global warming

A list of popular science policy fellowships

STEMulate the Vote initiative, a JHSPDG program to provide info about science policy, raise awareness about elections, and foster discussion about science issues on the ballot

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Credits

Music: Downloaded from Freesound.org

Editing: Michael Dryzer

Intro & Outro: Michael Dryzer

Interviewers: Michael Dryzer

Interviewees: Dr. Adriana Bankston, Ona Ambrozaite, Vivian Su

With help from other members of the Sci’more Podcast team!

Happy 2024! This year is an election year, and a very big one at that. What do you look for in a candidate? We at the Sci’more Podcast look for people with an interest in science, both as a worthwhile investment and as a tool for the betterment of our communities. In this episode, we speak with scientists actively involved in bridging the gap between science and policymaking, a key facet of the field of science policy. For this episode, we invited Dr. Adriana Bankston, an expert in science policy and advocacy with years of experience and former Senior Fellow in Science Policy at the Federation of American Scientists, to discuss hot button topics in science policy, what we can expect from the next Congress, and much more! We also talked with Ona and Vivian, graduate researchers at Johns Hopkins University and officers of the Johns Hopkins Science Policy and Diplomacy Group, which focuses on immersing graduate students in science policy. We hope you enjoy this episode!

If you have questions for Adriana, Ona , or Vivian, you can reach them at their respective emails.

Adriana: [email protected]

Ona and Vivian: [email protected]

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We rely on listeners like you to ask us questions! Submit any questions you have at: https://anchor.fm/scimore, email us at [email protected], or message us on Twitter (@ScimoreP), Instagram (@scimore_podcast) or Facebook (@scimorepodcast). Follow our social media to stay up-to-date on the latest episodes!

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Links and Resources

Adriana’s website, which covers her work in science policy and advocacy

CHIPS and Science Act, signed into law in 2022, this act invests in R&D, semiconductor development, training for early-career scientists, and many other aspects of the US research ecosystem

Farm Bill, a bill that Congress passes every 5 years to update federal policy on agriculture, conservation, nutrition, and forestry

Federation of American Scientists, an evidence-based policy and advocacy organization created to use science and technology to benefit humanity

House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, a recently created committee to assess and advise on the strategic competition between the United States and China

Johns Hopkins Science Policy and Diplomacy Group website

Keep the STEM Talent Act, a bill that would make it easier for international graduate researchers to work in the United States

NSF Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP), a new directorate dedicated to investing in US research infrastructure and streamlining the translation of technologies from the lab to industry

Science and the law forum, a conversation on how science and the law agree and disagree on the role of evidence and facts

CQ Webinar on what to expect from different branches of the federal government in 2024

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Credits

Music: Downloaded from Freesound.org

Editing: Michael Dryzer

Intro & Outro: Michael Dryzer

Interviewers: Michael Dryzer

Interviewees: Dr. Adriana Bankston, Ona Ambrozaite, Vivian Su

With help from other members of the Sci’more Podcast team!

Today, we will bring you a special episode, which is the live recording of the Science Gong Show. The Gong Show is a science communication event where scientists give brief explanations of their research without using any jargon. The audience can ring cowbells or hit the Gong when they capture jargon. At this moment, the speaker needs to pause and explain the jargon in more understandable terms. In this episode, we will bring you five intriguing talks that covers mosquitos, the echolocation system of bats, how to design strong structure with artificial intelligence, how the brain focuses on a conversation in a noisy environment, and technologies to analyze tremors. We hope you enjoy this episode and please tune in for the Gong Show special part two!

Huge thanks to Project Bridge for organizing the event, Charm City Meadswork for providing the venue, and Jason for recording the live audio!

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We rely on listeners like you to ask us questions! Submit any questions you have at: https://anchor.fm/scimore, email us at [email protected], or message us on Twitter (@ScimoreP), Instagram (@scimore_podcast) or Facebook (@scimorepodcast). Follow our social media to stay up-to-date on the latest episodes!

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Links and Resources

Gong show slides: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1PKoT4YnlSvwSQn8Tc05hq2dUM2h0X0G-?usp=share_link

Project Bridge: http://www.projbridge.org/johns-hopkins.html

Charm City Meadswork: https://charmcitymeadworks.com

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Credits

Music: ‘Lucky Massive Dangerous’ by Speck. "Sensual Jazz" by Grand Project, "Halloween" by The Mountain, "Joyful Calm Light Entertainment Kids Friendly Music" by REDproductions, "Science Inspiring Technology" by PaulYudin are downloaded from http://pixabay.com. Mosquito, drum roll, nature, and cowbell sound effects are also downloaded from http://pixabay.com.

Live audio recording: Jason Carter ([email protected])

Editing: Yun-Fei Liu

Intro & Outro: Elaine Zhelan Chen

With help from other members of the Sci’more Podcast team!

It’s time for the final episode in our virology series, which we’re producing in partnership with the American Society for Virology! Last time, we met Dr. Chris Beyrer, Director of Duke University’s Global Health Institute and an expert on all things mpox and HIV. We spoke with him about what mpox (formerly, monkeypox) is, where it comes from, and why outbreaks have been happening around the world in the past year. In this episode, we continue our discussion on mpox by learning more about how it spreads, what the symptoms of mpox are, why it has been such a huge problem for the world’s gay community, and ways we can treat mpox infections. We hope you enjoy this episode, and Happy Pride!

If you have questions for Dr. Chris Beyrer, you can reach him at his email: [email protected].

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We rely on listeners like you to ask us questions! Submit any questions you have at: https://anchor.fm/scimore, email us at [email protected], or message us on Twitter (@ScimoreP), Instagram (@scimore_podcast), Facebook (@scimorepodcast) or Reddit (u/scimore_podcast). Follow our social media to stay up-to-date on the latest episodes!

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Links and Resources

CDC mpox page: https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/mpox/index.html

CDC page for the mpox Jynneous vaccine: https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/mpox/interim-considerations/jynneos-vaccine.html

CDC mpox fact sheet: https://npin.cdc.gov/publication/what-mpox

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Credits

Music: ‘Lucky Massive Dangerous’ by Speck

Editing: Michael Dryzer

Intro & Outro: Michael Dryzer

Interviewers: Michael Dryzer and Camille Wouters

Interviewees: Dr. Chris Beyrer

With help from other members of the Sci’more Podcast team!

It’s time for the long-awaited part three of our virology series, which we’re producing in partnership with the American Society for Virology! In this two-parter, we cover mpox, or the virus formerly known as monkeypox. We brought out former Bluejay Dr. Chris Beyrer, the current Director of Duke University’s Global Health Institue. Before his transition to Duke, Dr. Beyrer spent years developing public health and human rights education at Johns Hopkins as well as setting up the HIV/AIDS research apparatus at our university. And before that, he spent years all over the world studying HIV and possible vaccines for that tricky virus. In this episode, Dr. Beyrer shares his thoughts on mpox and its connection to other viruses like the virus behind COVID-19 and HIV. We hope you enjoy this episode!

If you have questions for Dr. Chris Beyrer, you can reach him at his email: [email protected].

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We rely on listeners like you to ask us questions! Submit any questions you have at: https://anchor.fm/scimore, email us at [email protected], or message us on Twitter (@ScimoreP), Instagram (@scimore_podcast) or Facebook (@scimorepodcast). Follow our social media to stay up-to-date on the latest episodes!

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Links and Resources

CDC mpox page: https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/mpox/index.html

CDC page for the mpox Jynneous vaccine: https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/mpox/interim-considerations/jynneos-vaccine.html

CDC mpox fact sheet: https://npin.cdc.gov/publication/what-mpox

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Credits

Music: ‘Lucky Massive Dangerous’ by Speck

Editing: Michael Dryzer

Intro & Outro: Michael Dryzer

Interviewers: Michael Dryzer and Camille Wouters

Interviewees: Dr. Chris Beyrer

With help from other members of the Sci’more Podcast team!

Ticks: little bugs, with big appetites for your blood. They won’t bleed you dry, but it’s what they leave behind that hurts. For this two-part episode of the Sci’More Podcast, Phil and Chris interviewed three tick and tick-borne disease experts to get the scoop on tick safety, Lyme disease, and Alpha-gal syndrome, in which a tick bite can cause a red meat allergy.

Our guests this episode (part 1 and 2):

Nicole Foley: [email protected]

Nicole Baumgarth: https://publichealth.jhu.edu/faculty/4363/nicole-baumgarth

Onyi Iweala: https://iwealalab.web.unc.edu/

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DISCLAIMER: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speakers’ own and do not necessarily represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of affiliated institutions or employers. Official CDC health recommendations can be found below in “Links and Resources” that link to pages hosted within the <www.cdc.gov> domain. 

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We rely on listeners like you to ask us questions! Submit any questions you have at:, email us at [email protected], or message us on Twitter (@ScimoreP), Instagram (@scimore_podcast) or Facebook (@scimorepodcast). You can also submit questions using our Google form:. Follow our social media to stay up-to-date on the latest episodes!

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Links and Resources

NEVBD (Tick resources for the Northeast US): https://www.neregionalvectorcenter.com/ticks

University of Rhode Island Tick Encounter: https://web.uri.edu/tickencounter/

University of Maryland Mail-In Tick Identification service: https://health.maryland.gov/phpa/OIDEOR/CZVBD/Pages/Tick-Identification.aspx

NYS Tick-Blitz: https://www.neregionalvectorcenter.com/new-york-state-tick-blitz.php

CDC on Tick-borne relapsing fever: https://www.cdc.gov/relapsing-fever/index.html

CDC on Lyme Disease: https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/index.html

Todar’s Online Textbook of Bacteriology on Lyme disease: http://textbookofbacteriology.net/Lyme.html

CDC on Alpha-gal syndrome: https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/alpha-gal/index.html

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Credits

Music: ‘Lucky Massive Dangerous’ by Speck

Editing: Philip Danziger

Intro & Outro: Philip Danziger

Interviewers: Philip Danziger and Christopher An

With help from other members of the Sci’more Podcast team!

Ticks: little bugs, with big appetites for your blood. They won’t bleed you dry, but it’s what they leave behind that hurts. For this two-part episode of the Sci’More Podcast, Phil and Chris interviewed three tick and tick-borne disease experts to get the scoop on tick safety, Lyme disease, and Alpha-gal syndrome, in which a tick bite can cause a red meat allergy.

Our guests this episode (part 1 and 2):

Nicole Foley: [email protected]

Nicole Baumgarth: https://publichealth.jhu.edu/faculty/4363/nicole-baumgarth

Onyi Iweala: https://iwealalab.web.unc.edu/

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DISCLAIMER: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speakers’ own and do not necessarily represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of affiliated institutions or employers. Official CDC health recommendations can be found below in “Links and Resources” that link to pages hosted within the <www.cdc.gov> domain. 

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We rely on listeners like you to ask us questions! Submit any questions you have at:, email us at [email protected], or message us on Twitter (@ScimoreP), Instagram (@scimore_podcast) or Facebook (@scimorepodcast). You can also submit questions using our Google form:. Follow our social media to stay up-to-date on the latest episodes!

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Links and Resources

NEVBD (Tick resources for the Northeast US): https://www.neregionalvectorcenter.com/ticks

University of Rhode Island Tick Encounter: https://web.uri.edu/tickencounter/

University of Maryland Mail-In Tick Identification service: https://health.maryland.gov/phpa/OIDEOR/CZVBD/Pages/Tick-Identification.aspx

NYS Tick-Blitz: https://www.neregionalvectorcenter.com/new-york-state-tick-blitz.php

CDC on Tick-borne relapsing fever: https://www.cdc.gov/relapsing-fever/index.html

CDC on Lyme Disease: https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/index.html

Todar’s Online Textbook of Bacteriology on Lyme disease: http://textbookofbacteriology.net/Lyme.html

CDC on Alpha-gal syndrome: https://www.cdc.gov/ticks/alpha-gal/index.html

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Music: ‘Lucky Massive Dangerous’ by Speck

Editing: Philip Danziger

Intro & Outro: Philip Danziger

Interviewers: Philip Danziger and Christopher An

With help from other members of the Sci’more Podcast team!

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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scimore/message

Time for an episode on the coronavirus pandemic! Don’t worry, in this episode we’ll give the virology discussion a break and explore how the pandemic has disrupted our communities. More specifically, we’ll take a look at the housing and eviction crisis as well as changes in primary and secondary education. To do this, we interviewed Tori Tavormina, a public health and business student at Johns Hopkins University who spent some time investigating the housing and eviction crisis in Texas. Phil and Michael will then share some of the lessons they learned about how the pandemic affected housing and education. Learn more in this episode of the Sci’more Podcast!

If you have questions for Tori, you can reach her at her email: [email protected].

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We rely on listeners like you to ask us questions! Submit any questions you have at: https://anchor.fm/scimore, email us at [email protected], or message us on Twitter (@ScimoreP), Instagram (@scimore_podcast) or Facebook (@scimorepodcast). You can also submit questions using our Google form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1iEG6sAkBBx9JFrBK2xyo5QKex13oBI1irP9jpMZaQWE/edit. Follow our social media to stay up-to-date on the latest episodes!

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Links and Resources

List of Baltimore Sun articles about the housing/eviction crisis in Baltimore and Maryland: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1R3CHtlwoKlnGjZgqRoecDK6eKghzL3TkumAjF5OIwaw/edit#gid=0

Article about vacant homes in Baltimore: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/baltimore-has-more-than-16000-vacant-houses-why-cant-the-homeless-move-in/2015/05/12/3fd6b068-f7ed-11e4-9030-b4732caefe81_story.html

CDC timeline of the pandemic: https://www.cdc.gov/museum/timeline/covid19.html

World Bank Blog on pandemic learning loss: https://blogs.worldbank.org/developmenttalk/learning-loss-covid-19-mass-casualty

The Educational Opportunity Project at Stanford University: https://edopportunity.org/recovery

New York Times on California school district disparities: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/28/briefing/pandemic-learning-loss.html

Harvard Center for Education Policy Research on remote schooling: https://cepr.harvard.edu/files/cepr/files/5-4.pdf?m=1651690491

Associated Press on students who dropped out of school during the pandemic: https://apnews.com/article/covid-school-enrollment-missing-kids-homeschool-b6c9017f603c00466b9e9908c5f2183a

Resources that Tori shared with us

Map of tenant protections (by state/locality) from the National Low Income Housing Coalition: https://nlihc.org/tenant-protections

Federal rental assistance tracker from the National Low Income Housing Coalition: https://nlihc.org/era-dashboard

National map of eviction filing rates from the Eviction Lab at Princeton University: https://evictionlab.org/map/?m=modeled&c=p&b=efr&s=all&r=counties&y=2018&z=5.48&lat=40.26&lon=-78.33&lang=en

Federal resource detailing the moratoriums and CARES act: https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IN/IN11516

Health Care for the Homeless, a housing and health care advocacy group in Baltimore (you can volunteer!): https://www.hchmd.org/

Baltimore Safe Haven, LGBTQ advocacy group and wellness center in Baltimore (you can volunteer!): https://www.baltimoresafehaven.org/

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Credits

Music: ‘Lucky Massive Dangerous’ by Speck

Editing: Michael Dryzer

Intro & Outro: Michael Dryzer

Interviewers: Philip Danziger and Michael Dryzer

Interviewees: Tori Tavormina

With help from other members of the Sci’more Podcast team!

“Brrraaaaiiiinnsssss!” No, that’s not a zombie looking for a snack; it’s the crowd at Brainfest! Brainfest is a free spring event put on by graduate students at Johns Hopkins University meant to make neuroscience cool, fun, and educational for everyone. To learn more about this event, we talked with Blake and Isis, neuroscience graduate students at JHU and the directors of this year’s Brainfest. If you want to know more about this event, then check out this episode!

Brainfest will take place on Saturday April 1 from 11 am - 3 pm at the Cherry Hill branch of the Enoch Pratt Library (606 Cherry Hill Rd, Baltimore, MD 21225). See you there!

If you’d like to know more about Brainfest, check out their website: https://www.brainfest.org.

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We rely on listeners like you to ask us questions! Submit any questions you have at: https://anchor.fm/scimore, email us at [email protected], or message us on Twitter (@ScimoreP), Instagram (@scimore_podcast) or Facebook (@scimorepodcast). You can also submit questions using our Google form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1iEG6sAkBBx9JFrBK2xyo5QKex13oBI1irP9jpMZaQWE/edit. Remember, every question you submit increases your chances of winning the monthly prize! Follow our social media to stay up-to-date on the latest episodes!

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Links and Resources

Brain Awareness Week: https://www.brainawareness.org/

Project Bridge: http://www.projbridge.org/

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Credits

Music: ‘Lucky Massive Dangerous’ by Speck

Editing: Michael Dryzer

Intro & Outro: Michael Dryzer and Steven Jerjian

Interviewers: Michael Dryzer and Steven Jerjian

Interviewees: Blake Creighton and Isis Wyche

With help from other members of the Sci’more Podcast team!

Valentine’s day coming up may have many of us weak at the knees. But elite athletes, like those set to play in Superbowl LVII, go through detailed training and conditioning schedules to strengthen joints like the knee, prepare for big games, and reduce the risk of injuries. If they do occur, how are sports injuries assessed and treated in high-level athletes? Why are we told to bend our knees when landing from a jump? And what else can athletes do to reduce the risk of injury?

Learn all about these topics and more from this episode’s guest, Dr. Andrew Cosgarea, an experienced orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and current head team physician of the Johns Hopkins Athletics Department.

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We rely on listeners like you to ask us questions! Submit any questions you have at: https://anchor.fm/scimore, email us at [email protected], or message us on social media (Facebook : @scimorepodcast, Instagram: @scimore_podcast, and Twitter: @ScimoreP). Every question you submit increases your chances of winning a monthly prize! And follow us on social media to stay up-to-date on our latest episodes!

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Links and resources:

Dr. Cosgarea’s Hopkins medicine profile, including his research work

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/profiles/details/andrew-cosgarea

5 tips for preventing sports-related injuries, by Dr. Andrew Cosgarea

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/sports-injuries/5-tips-for-preventing-sports-related-injuries 

Follow the latest news and progress of JHU Athletics:

https://hopkinssports.com/

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Credits

Music: ‘Lucky Massive Dangerous’ by Speck

Editing: Varun Chokshi & Steven Jerjian

Host: Steven Jerjian

Guest: Dr. Andrew Cosgarea

With help from other members of the Sci’more Podcast Team!