WISEST STEM Podcast

Welcome back to the WISEST STEM podcast, where we feature interviews with experts, researchers, educators, and enthusiasts who share their knowledge and experiences about STEM education and careers. Tune in for each episode as we delve into the latest in STEM— from cutting-edge research to the remarkable stories of trailblazing women and gender-diverse folks making their mark. 

For the next few episodes, we will be in the Mentor Lab. The Mentor Lab is a space where we share stories that reveal the science of the world around us and explore the relationships that make us who we are. 

In this audio-only episode (watch for upcoming video podcasts), we will talk with Noor Al-Zanoon (she/her). Noor is a PhD candidate at the University of Alberta and a head and neck cancer rehabilitation researcher. Noor was a senior business partner with Alberta Innovates until recently, leading health research and innovation programming to build talent. Noor was a co-chair at WISER, a network of WISEST and a group of passionate STEM professionals. UA-WiSE, a student group at Ualberta, and WISER come together to create a community comprised of individuals in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics involved in government, academia, and industry whose primary goal is to support the advancement of women and under-represented groups in these fields. 

Best of all, Noor is an excellent storyteller and avid volunteer. Please tune in while we discuss what it means to be a good mentor, mentee, and passionate STEM professional. 

Want to find out more about WISEST? Connect with us on social media (Instagram, Facebook, X, and YouTube - @WISESTUalberta) or subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter.

Produced and edited by Treesa Friesen and AJ Stadnyk

This episode wraps up our Navigating the Pandemic mini series! We dive into how to have hard conversations, especially when misinformation is at the centre of it. We sit down with two experts, Dr. Krishana Sankar and Timothy Caulfield. Dr. Krishana Sankar is the Science Advisor and Community Partnerships lead at ScienceUpFirst, a national initiative that works with a collective of independent scientists, researchers, health care experts and science communicators to debunk misinformation online.  Timothy Caulfield is the Canada Research Chair in Health law and Policy, a professor in the Faculty of Law and the School of public health and research director of the health law institute at the University of Alberta and a member of the Executive Advisory Team at ScienceUpFirst. In this episode, we discuss tips and strategies on how we can approach hard conversations, especially related to the pandemic.

We mention a few resources in the episode. At the beginning of the episode, we suggest that you learn more about the 94 calls to action laid out in the Truth and Reconciliation. Here is the website that Helen was referring to where you can get more information about what those calls to action are, and the progress Canada has made to fulfill each one. https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/longform-single/beyond-94?&cta=1

Near the end of the episode, we talk a bit more about ScienceUpFirst and how you can get involved. You can visit https://www.scienceupfirst.com/ to learn more about ScienceUpFirst! You can also find them on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube @ScienceUpFirst in English, and @LaSciencedAbord in French.

Want to find out more about WISEST? Connect with us on social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter - @WISESTUAlberta) or subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter (https://confirmsubscription.com/h/d/E376A85886885DB9). Have a question? Email us at [email protected]. If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love it if you could like, share and subscribe to our podcast! It helps us spread the word and helps us understand what kind of content you like, so we can create more of it!

Produced and edited by Clara Vicera and Helen Yip.

It has been over two years since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. We asked students what their concerns are at this stage of the pandemic, and we received responses ranging from student mental health to how to listen to and talk to people with differing views, to how to navigate these times of uncertainty and also how to recognize fake news on social media especially around public health measures, vaccine information and of COVID prognoses. This episode is the second episode of a 3 part mini-series diving into the topic of student wellness.

In this episode, we sit down with Christine Cabildo from the Wellness Supports Team at the University of Alberta to talk about what strategies students can employ to help manage their wellbeing. Joining us, we also have student guests, Krishna Patel, Simran Pherwani, Hannah Bayne, and Peyton deMoissac who talk about what they did to nurture their mental health and overall wellbeing during the pandemic.

If you, or someone you know is struggling right now, we’ve created a resource list of support services in Alberta and across Canada to help you. You can access it here.

Want to find out more about WISEST? Connect with us on social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter - @WISESTUAlberta) or subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter. Have a question? Email us at [email protected]. If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love it if you could like, share and subscribe to our podcast! It helps us spread the word and helps us understand what kind of content you like, so we can create more of it!

Produced and edited by Clara Vicera and Helen Yip.

It has been over two years since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. We asked students what their concerns are at this stage of the pandemic, and we received responses ranging from student mental health to how to listen to and talk to people with differing views, to how to navigate these times of uncertainty and also how to recognize fake news on social media especially around public health measures, vaccine information and of COVID prognoses. With this episode, we’re launching a new mini-series to dive into a few of the topics of concern shared by our students.

In this episode, we talk to Dr. Veena Netrakanti, a physician who is currently contracted by Google Health to support Google in prioritizing medically sound information on the search engine regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. She shares tips and tricks for how we can cultivate a more critical lens in how we approach information shared online, and how we can ensure that we don’t feed into the spread of misinformation.

Want to find out more about WISEST? Connect with us on social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter - @WISESTUAlberta) or subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter (https://confirmsubscription.com/h/d/E376A85886885DB9). Have a question? Email us at [email protected]. If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love it if you could like, share and subscribe to our podcast! It helps us spread the word and helps us understand what kind of content you like, so we can create more of it!

Produced and edited by Clara Vicera and Helen Yip.

We're re-releasing this episode just in time for this year's Summer Research Program! If you're a grade 11 student contemplating applying for the program or are someone who is in the process of putting together your application already, we encourage you to listen to this episode! Join Helen (WISEST Outreach Coordinator) and Bridget (WISEST Program Coordinator) as they discuss what it takes to put together a polished application!

For more information about the Summer Research Program and to start your application, visit: https://www.ualberta.ca/women-in-scholarship-engineering-science-technology/programs/summer-research-program/index.html.

Want to find out more about WISEST? Connect with us on social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter) @WISESTUAlberta or subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter (https://confirmsubscription.com/h/d/E376A85886885DB9). Have a question? Email us at [email protected]. 

Produced and edited by AJ Stadnyk, Helen Yip and Parul Singh Kanwar.

A note for our audience, this episode is completely in French!

WISEST est à la recherche de nouvelles façons de connecter avec notre communauté francophone. Pour cet épisode, Hannah Bayne assume le rôle d'animatrice pour interviewer Geneviève Degré-Timmons, une étudiante mature qui étudie pour son doctorat à l'Université Laval. Geneviève a travaillé partout au Canada et 6 ans après avoir terminé son B.Sc. en biologie à l'Université du Québec à Rimouski, elle est retournée aux études pour approfondir ses connaissances en conservation de la faune, notamment pour les espèces en péril d'importance culturelle. Nous discutons de faire des sciences bilingues, de l'importance de la langue et les sciences et des avantages et des défis d'être bilingue en milieu de travail. Nous discutons également de ce que c'est d'être un étudiante mature qui revient à l'école après avoir travaillé.

Depuis l’enregistrement de cette épisode (en novembre), Geneviève a décidé d’effectuer un passage accéléré au doctorat et a soutenu avec succès son proposé de recherche le 10 janvier. Nous lui souhaitons le meilleur des succès dans cette nouvelle aventure!

Vous voulez en savoir plus sur WISEST ? Connectez-vous avec nous sur les médias sociaux (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter - @WISESTUAlberta) ou abonnez-vous à notre bulletin électronique mensuel (https://confirmsubscription.com/h/d/E376A85886885DB9). Avoir une question? Envoyez-nous un courriel à [email protected]. Si vous avez aimé cet épisode, nous serions ravis si vous pouviez aimer, partager et vous abonner à notre podcast! Cela nous aide à faire passer le mot et nous aide à comprendre quel type de contenu vous aimez, afin que nous puissions en créer plus!

Produit et édité par Hannah Bayne et Helen Yip.

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WISEST is looking for new ways to connect with our French community so for this episode, Hannah Bayne takes the role of host to interview Geneviève Degré-Timmons, a mature bilingual PhD student at l’Université Laval. Geneviève has worked across Canada and 6 years after completing her B.Sc. in biology at University du Québec à Rimouski, she returned to school to expand her knowledge in wildlife conservation, particularly for species at risk of cultural importance. We chat about doing bilingual science, the importance of language in science, and the advantages and challenges of being bilingual in the workplace. We also discuss what it’s like to be a mature student coming back to school after working.

Since recording the episode in November, Geneviève has decided to complete an accelerated path towards her PhD and has successfully defended her research proposal as of January 10th. We wish her the best of luck with her new adventure!

Want to find out more about WISEST? Connect with us on social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter - @WISESTUAlberta) or subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter (https://confirmsubscription.com/h/d/E376A85886885DB9). Have a question? Email us at [email protected]. If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love it if you could like, share and subscribe to our podcast! It helps us spread the word and helps us understand what kind of content you like, so we can create more of it!

Produced and edited by Hannah Bayne and Helen Yip.

We're wrapping up 2021 by finishing off our 3 episode mini series on Pivoting in your STEM Career! In today’s society, pivoting in a career often feels like failure because you end up somewhere you didn’t necessarily set out to be in the first place. However, this happens more often than not, but is rarely ever talked about. So, we’re trying to flip the script by shedding light on the many reasons that influence someone to pivot in their career.

In this episode, join us as we sit down with Heidi Cossey, PhD student in Geoenvironmental Engineering at the University of Alberta. Heidi is currently midway through her PhD program but what you may not know is that she didn't start her post-secondary education in the STEM field, rather, she started in the arts! She shares what influenced her to make that pivot to pursue engineering (the answer might surprise you), and gives advice to students who are thinking of switching their majors!

Want to find out more about WISEST? Connect with us on social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter - @WISESTUAlberta) or subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter (https://confirmsubscription.com/h/d/E376A85886885DB9). Have a question? Email us at [email protected]. If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love it if you could like, share and subscribe to our podcast! It helps us spread the word and helps us understand what kind of content you like, so we can create more of it!

Produced and edited by Parul Singh Kanwar and Helen Yip.

In our new mini-series, we’re diving into the topic of pivoting in your STEM career. In today’s society, pivoting in a career often feels like failure because you end up somewhere you didn’t necessarily set out to be in the first place. However, this happens more often than not, but is rarely ever talked about. So, we’re trying to flip the script by shedding light on the many reasons that influence someone to pivot in their career.

In this episode, join us as we sit down with Dr. Cassandra Donatelli (@CMDonatelli), a postdoctoral researcher, who made a pivot from an engineering degree to an academic career in fish biomechanics where she studies the many different ways fish swim and move. She shares about how her passions and a really important mentor helped her navigate her place in STEM.

Want to find out more about WISEST? Connect with us on social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter - @WISESTUAlberta) or subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter (https://confirmsubscription.com/h/d/E376A85886885DB9). Have a question? Email us at [email protected]. If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love it if you could like, share and subscribe to our podcast! It helps us spread the word and helps us understand what kind of content you like, so we can create more of it!

Produced and edited by Parul Singh-Kanwar and Helen Yip.

To kick off the new academic year, we’re rolling out a new mini-series! For the next three episodes, we’re going to be diving into the topic of pivoting in your STEM career. In today’s society, pivoting in a career often feels like failure because you end up somewhere you didn’t necessarily set out to be in the first place. However, this happens more often than not, but is rarely ever talked about. So, we’re trying to flip the script by shedding light on the many reasons that influence someone to pivot in their career. In this episode, join us as we sit down with Brittany Conradi, an environmental consultant, who made a number of pivots in her career due to changing life circumstances. She shares about the challenges she faced, the support she had and ultimately how she found her place in STEM.

Want to find out more about WISEST? Connect with us on social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter - @WISESTUAlberta) or subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter (https://confirmsubscription.com/h/d/E376A85886885DB9). Have a question? Email us at [email protected]. If you enjoyed this episode, we’d love it if you could like, share and subscribe to our podcast! It helps us spread the word and helps us understand what kind of content you like, so we can create more of it!

Produced and edited by Hannah Bayne and Helen Yip.

AJ Stadnyk takes on the role as host this episode as they interview Luam Araya, a Biochemistry Masters student at the University of Alberta on their journey in navigating the science world as a queer scientist. We ask them about what it’s like finding spaces of belonging, what the STEM world can do to make spaces more inclusive for queer folks and the importance of having successful queer folks to look up to.

During this episode, 2SLGBTQIA+ is replaced with the word queer and queer community. We would like to recognize that queer can be a heavy word for some folks. Queer in this context is defined as a word that describes sexual and gender identities other than straight and cisgender. For more information about the term queer check out this link: https://lgbtqhealth.ca/community/queer.php

Want to find out more about WISEST? Connect with us on social media  (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter) @WISESTUAlberta or subscribe to our  monthly e-newsletter (https://confirmsubscription.com/h/d/E376A85886885DB9). Have a question? Email us at [email protected].

Produced and edited by Hannah Bayne, AJ Stadnyk and Helen Yip.