The World We Want

In this episode of the "World We Want" podcast, Márcia Balisciano interviews Catherine Neish, Associate Professor, Western University. In this episode, they discuss how women still face lower participation in many STEM fields and unequal opportunities in funding and senior positions. They also discuss initiatives to address this gender bias and what changes are needed to attract more women in science.

Catherine Neish 

Catherine Neish is a planetary scientist specializing in orbital radar observations to study planetary geology, particularly impact cratering. Her work focuses on planets with thick atmospheres like Venus and Saturn’s moon Titan, using radar to reveal surface features not visible with optical data. She is involved in several spacecraft missions, including the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter’s Mini-RF, and was previously an associate member of the Cassini RADAR team. Catherine began her career at the University of Arizona, where she researched radar observations of Titan, Earth, and Venus. Her passion for exploration extends beyond space, as she also enjoys SCUBA diving. 

In this podcast, she explains how despite progress in gender representation, women’s contributions to research and innovation remain complex. Women’s representation has increased across all career stages, yet parity in participation does not equate to equality in opportunities like funding and senior positions. Women have gained more grants but not enough to match their growing numbers. They excel in multidisciplinary research, crucial for solving global challenges. However, fewer papers by women are published, and men’s publications are cited more, though this gap narrows with career advancement.

In this episode of the "World We Want" podcast, Márcia Balisciano interviews Michael L. Senna, founder and principal of ‘Michael L. Senna Consulting AB’, an expert in connected and automated vehicles, author of The Real Case for Driverless Mobility, and publisher and editor of The Dispatcher. In this episode they discuss about how and why we should be focusing on SDG goals that are directly related to transportation.

Michael L. Senna

Michael is an expert in connected and automated vehicles, digital map databases, and navigation, and holds degrees in architecture and urban planning from Princeton University. Since 1983, he has been running his consulting practice, serving clients globally. He has also been an expert delegate to the European and ISO committees on Intelligent Transport Systems. His efforts are focused on ensuring that everyone has equal access to transportation by implementing innovative vehicle designs that improve safety and affordability.

Michael emphasizes on recognizing the importance of the United Nations’ SDGs and prioritizing transportation-related goals. Transportation, according to him, enables access to food, employment, and medical services, and contributes to a decent quality of life. He therefore aims to address the most critical SDGs related to transportation. His approach involves optimizing multiple goals simultaneously, rather than maximizing one at the expense of others. This comprehensive strategy ensures a balanced focus on climate, poverty reduction, and gender equality, guiding our efforts to support the United Nations’ objectives.

In this episode of the "World We Want" podcast, Márcia Balisciano interviews Marty Odlin, Founder and CEO, Running Tide. They discuss Running Tide's business model and how it plans to mitigate ocean acidification while remaining self-sustainable in the long run.

Marty Odlin 

Marty Odlin is the founder and CEO of Running Tide, a global ocean health company. He is a systems engineer from a fourth-generation fishing family and founded the company in 2017 after witnessing the devastation caused by climate change in his own community. Running Tide, headquartered in Portland, Maine, creates and implements cutting-edge diagnostics and comprehensive interventions to help balance the carbon cycle, decarbonize global supply chains, restore marine ecosystems, and revitalize coastal communities. It aims to address some critical United Nations sustainable development goals, such as global hunger, by reducing ocean acidification and restoring ocean health. The company is expanding globally in partnership with leading investors, businesses, scientific institutions, and governments.

In this episode of the "World We Want" podcast, Márcia Balisciano interviews Dr. Ana Maria Porras, Assistant Prof of Biomedical Engineering, Crochet Artist, and Science Communicator. They discuss how biomedical engineering is helping develop better treatment strategies for tropical disorders, which have historically received very little attention.

Ana Maria Porras 

Dr. Ana Maria Porras is an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Florida and serves as an IF/THEN Ambassador for the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She is well-known for creating crochet versions of microorganisms to reach a larger audience, particularly children in her native Colombia. She was named a UF International Center Global Fellow in 2021, a Cornell Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow, 2019-2022, and an American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellow, 2015-2016. She co-founded the LatinX in Biomedical Engineering (LatinXinBME) community with Brian Aguado, a Professor of Bioengineering at the University of California, San Diego. Additionally, Porras has received the Society for Biomaterials Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award 2024, which recognizes outstanding achievements and contributions to the biomaterials field, mainly promoting anti-racism and fostering diversity in the STEM disciplines, especially in biomaterials. She has also been honored with the Early Career Award for Public Engagement with Science by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 2024. 

Dr. Porras has authored academic papers on the human microbiome, tissue engineering, biomaterials, global health, and infectious diseases. She intends to use her engineering expertise to create more complex models in the lab, bridging the gap between cells in a petri dish and animal models to test hypotheses and better understand tropical diseases through biomaterial-based approaches.

In this episode of the "World We Want" podcast, Márcia Balisciano interviews Marco Richter, Global Head of Customer Success, LexisNexis Intellectual Property Solutions. They discuss how businesses and policymakers can leverage intellectual property (IP) frameworks to promote environment-friendly technologies and practices.

 Marco Richter 

Marco Richter is the Head of Global Customer Success and Managing Director of LexisNexis® PatentSight®, a LexisNexis Intellectual Property subsidiary. He has over 15 years of experience in the IP space, starting in the IP consulting business and running projects for DAX 30 and Fortune 500 companies. He established the Data Harmonization Team and the Consulting & Customer Success Team at PatentSight, a German start-up, into a global software provider. Moreover, he also helped integrate the PatentSight application into LexisNexis IP Solution's SaaS and DaaS offerings. He has strong ties to academia and international patent offices and actively engages with intellectual property leaders and practitioners. He believes that SDG-related patent analytics can assist policymakers in understanding the involvement and identifying gaps in sustainable technological development, allowing them to develop strategies to foster and incentivize investment and innovation in these areas.

In this episode of the "World We Want" podcast, Márcia Balisciano interviews Karin Sempf, CEO and Founder of Innova Nation. The talk about how Innova Nation accelerates sustainability ideas from children and teenagers and provides a framework for transforming these ideas into reality.

Karin Sempf 

Karin Sempf is the CEO and Founder of Innova Nation, an educational lab that motivates and empowers the next generation of entrepreneurs, innovators, and sustainability advocates. They provide interactive learning opportunities for children and teenagers, fostering creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities while also encouraging them to pursue their interests and ideas. Innova Nation has created its own methodology to nurture young minds' talent and potential while incubating ideas about entrepreneurship and sustainability. This framework enables children to identify the most pressing issues confronting our planet today and work toward achieving goals that will result in solutions.

In this special edition of "The World We Want," Márcia Balisciano interviews Diana Mbogo, the Founder and Managing Director of Millennium Engineers in Tanzania. Diana, an award-winning entrepreneur, focuses on renewable energy solutions and is currently implementing the Sardine Fishing Industry Business Project. The project aims to transition the traditional, environmentally harmful methods of the sardine fishing industry toward more sustainable practices using solar drying facilities. Diana emphasises the critical connection between access to energy, particularly for women, and the broader goal of achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Throughout the discussion, Diana shares her journey, challenges, and the transformative impact of her work on communities, highlighting the positive changes brought about by her innovative approach to the sardine industry.

Diana Mbogo

Diana Mbogo is the Founder and Managing Director of Millennium Engineers – a 100% women founded and led social enterprise that specialises in renewable energy. Their primary focus is identifying untapped energy poverty markets across various sectors. They excel in creating tailored and innovative business solutions by analysing the requirements of specific industries, communities, or business value chains. Currently, Millennium Engineers is implementing the “Sardine Fishing Industry” business project which aims to transition the low-income sardine fishing industry in Lake Victoria, away from pressurised kerosene/LED lead acid powered batteries lamps and conventional methods of sardine drying towards more climate friendly solar drying facilities to ensure sustainable fishing practices in the region.

In this episode of the "World We Want" podcast, Márcia Balisciano interviews Lene Bjorn Serpa, Director, Head of Corporate Sustainability & ESG, A.P. Moller - Maersk. They discuss how her work at Maersk aligns with the United Nations sustainable development goals and how companies can contribute to a positive change by engaging with sustainability from a corporate standpoint.

About Lene Bjorn Serpa 

Lene Bjorn Serpa is the Director of Head of Corporate Sustainability & ESG, A.P. Moller – Maersk. She leads Maersk's worldwide initiatives in sustainability and environmental, social, and governance strategy, encompassing reporting, governance, stakeholder engagement, and trend analysis. She earned a master’s degree from the Copenhagen Business School. With a remarkable 25-year track record in corporate sustainability, she serves on corporate boards and holds the Chair of the Global Compact Network Denmark. Lene is also a co-author of the insightful book 'Squaring the Sustainability Circle,' which delves into integrating sustainability seamlessly into corporate strategies. 

In this episode of the "World We Want" podcast, Márcia Balisciano interviews Judy Kuriansky, an award-wining journalist, clinical psychologist, lecturer, and United Nations NGO representative. They discuss sustainable development and global goals for education, health, peace, and gender equality.

About Judy Kuriansky 

Dr. Judy Kuriansky is an academic, a world-renowned clinical psychologist, a Professor of Psychology and Education at Columbia University Teachers College, a certified sex therapist, and a popular speaker. She is also the founder of radio call-in advice, a former television reporter, and a newspaper columnist. Dr. Judy, a humanitarian and philanthropist, is a first responder who has provided psychosocial support worldwide in the aftermath of major disasters such as the attacks on the US World Trade Center, school shootings, the tsunami in Japan, floods in St. Martin, and earthquakes in Iran and Haiti. She is the Policy Advisor to Sierra Leone's Mission at the United Nations and has been representing NGOs for over 20 years, advocating for mental health and well-being. She is a strong supporter of women's and girls' rights, having founded a Girls Empowerment Camp in Lesotho, edited a book called "Women Around the World," and backed the Sierra Leone First Lady's "Hands Off Our Girls" initiative.

In this episode of the "World We Want" podcast, Márcia Balisciano interviews Nicholas Murdock, Sustainability Program Manager, NASA. They discuss how his experience in engineering, construction, and operations contribute to the multifaceted sustainability efforts at NASA.

About Nicholas Murdock 

Nicholas Murdock is NASA's Sustainability Program Manager, in charge of developing and implementing the agency's sustainability initiatives across all centres. He earned a bachelor’s degree in civil/environmental engineering and a master’s degree in engineering management from the University of Central Florida. At NASA, Nicholas recognizes the importance of pursuing and achieving the current administration's goals. He is passionate about problem solving, building strong teams, and creating a safe, collaborative, and inclusive environment. Prior to his current position, he worked in a variety of roles supporting environmental functions, engineering, construction, and operations and maintenance