Scientist

Daniel Mindiola is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania. He is an organometallic chemist and leads a research group studying organometallic catalysts involved in various industrially relevant chemical transformations. One of the subjects of his research is the activation of the molecule methane, the major component of natural gas, and the long-term application of this research area is to harness methane as a carbon source via non-combustion processes. In addition to the functionalization of methane, his work has highlighted the use of Earth-abundant, early transition metal catalysts in dehydrogenation reactions of linear alkanes that form terminal olefins. Dan views himself as a fundamental chemist, focusing on understanding the mechanism of a given reaction and using that information to optimize the catalytic activity of new compounds. Because his students receive a well-rounded chemistry education throughout their training, he is proud to say that graduating from the Mindiola group leads to successful career prospects. After moving to Michigan from Venezuela with his family, Dan found a passion for the sciences in high school and in college at Michigan State University. Thanks to the encouragement of his undergraduate research adviser, he was a recipient of an ACS Scholars Program fellowship, and he continues to give back to the program, mentoring underrepresented minority students and serving on the Minority Affairs Committee of the American Chemical Society. Dan earned his PhD from MIT, completed a postdoctoral research position at the University of Chicago, started his independent career at Indiana University in 2002, and moved to Penn in 2013, where he established a lab outfitted with a custom nitrogen purification system. He reflects on how his Venezuelan heritage has influenced his career and hopes to encourage young people that a humble background doesn’t preclude them from becoming participants in the scientific workforce.

Scientist is a podcast about people who do science. Hosted and produced by Toshiki Nakashige. Listen to the trailer featuring interview guests from Season 2 of the podcast.

A special announcement: Season 2 of Scientist will start in November! In the meantime, please consider supporting the podcast by becoming a patron for Scientist. I am currently a postdoctoral researcher at The Rockefeller University and will be finishing my position in September to pursue science communication and science media full time, and to this end, I'm starting a business that will formalize my creative projects, including this podcast. My motivation to continue interviewing guests and producing new episodes is inspired by my listeners, and I’d like to ask you for listener support. You can become a patron for Scientist by signing up at my Patreon page. Click the “Become a patron” button, and you can choose a monthly contribution. For an independently produced podcast like this one, even a dollar a month goes a long way. I strive to personalize every interview with each guest, and this money goes directly to covering travel and production costs. As a patron, I will send you exclusive updates about this podcast, my Japanese American podcast The Big Root, and a science documentary that I am working on with a filmmaker and a group of scientists! I have some exciting news and collaborations to share, and patrons will be the first to hear about them. Nevertheless, regardless of your patronage, all episodes of the Scientist will be free. Stay tuned for the trailer for Season 2 in your feed soon!

I’m happy to announce that I’m starting to work on a new season of Scientist. I finished the first series of episodes in November 2018, and after producing 31 consecutive weekly episodes, I needed a few months to think about where to go from there. In the meantime, I started a different podcast called The Big Root, which has little to do with science but has been extremely therapeutic in balancing my left and right brain. In March, my live interview with Victor Torres sparked renewed inspiration. I have new ideas, as well as better recording equipment and editing software, and I feel like I have something to say. Science is a human endeavor, and there are so many stories to tell. To make Season 2 meaningful to you (the listener), I want your feedback. I’m looking for new interview guests. Season 1 featured scientists who represented diverse scientific backgrounds, institutions, and professional experiences, and my goal is to highlight the diversity of people who do science in future episodes. They can be your scientific mentor, a colleague, a friend who works in a research lab, or someone you heard on the news. If you have any suggestions for interview guests you want me to interview, please let me know! Send me your suggestions on the contact page or on social media. Please stay tuned!

Victor Torres is Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology at New York University School of Medicine. We talk about Staph infections, vaccinations, and Puerto Rico. This is a special live episode in collaboration with RockEDU at The Rockefeller University. For more information: Victor Torres’ lab website Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website on Staphylococcus aureus RockEDU Science Outreach website

Kathryn Ibata-Arens is Vincent de Paul Professor of Political Science and Director of the Global Asian Studies Program at DePaul University in Chicago, IL. We talk about political economy, service to the Japanese American community, and having a family. For more information: Beyond Technonationalism: Biomedical Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Asia by Kathryn C. Ibata-Arens MITI and the Japanese Miracle: The Growth of Industrial Policy, 1925-1975 by Chalmers Johnson Depaul University Global Asian Studies Program website US-Japan Council TOMODACHI Initiative website

Eugene Chang is Martin Boyer Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago in Chicago, IL. We talk about the gastrointestinal microbiome, his role in a collaborative research team, and how mentorship shaped his physician-scientist career. For more information: The Microbiome Center website Michael Field, MD (1933–2014) by Eugene B. Chang, Stefano Guandalini, Mrinalini C. Rao, Joseph H. Sellin, Carol E. Semrad, and Howard Worman I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life by Ed Yong

Kenneth Gillingham is Associate Professor of Economics at the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies of Yale University in New Haven, CT. We talk about energy economics, methodology, and the federal government. For more information: Solar power is contagious. These maps show how it spreads. by Brad Plumer White House Council of Economic Advisers website William Nordhaus 2018 Nobel Prize Winner video and article Climate Feedback website

Gregory Plunkett is Director and Curator of the Cullman Program for Molecular Systematics at the New York Botanical Garden. We talk about phylogenetic analysis, naming plants, and Vanuatu. For more information: Traditional Shelters, Cyclone Houses, and the Temptations of Modern Construction on the New York Botanical Garden website Linguist K. David Harrison to Document Plants, Languages in Vanuatu by Ryan Dougherty

Michael Balick is Vice President for Botanical Science and Director of the Institute of Economic Botany at The New York Botanical Garden. We talk about ethnobotany, collaboration, and chewing on ginseng. For more information: Plants, People, and Culture: The Science of Ethnobotany by Paul Cox and Michael Balick Plants and People of Vanuatu project description Category 5 Cyclone Pam Devastates Vanuatu by Alan Taylor Ancient Wisdom, Modern Practices: Three Decades of Studying the Plants and People of Belize on the New York Botanical Garden website 2015 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology lecture by Tu Youyou

Alexandra Horowitz is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Barnard College in New York. We talk about the umwelt of dogs, teaching nonfiction writing, and what I learned about walking my black lab Jayden. For more information: Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know by Alexandra Horowitz On Looking: Eleven Walks with Expert Eyes by Alexandra Horowitz Being a Dog: Following the Dog Into a World of Smell by Alexandra Horowitz Watch Shigeru Miyamoto measure things for The Tonight Show by Owen S. Good

Paula Diaconescu is Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles. We talk about organometallic chemistry, Romanian inorganic chemists, and why she applied to 42 graduate schools. For more information: Ferrocene by Lars Öhrström SoCal Organometallics website

Christine Shearer is Senior R&D Engineer at Annie’s Homegrown in Berkeley, CA. We talk about food science, socially responsible practices, and innovation. For more information: Annie’s Homegrown website A Crack in Creation: Gene Editing and the Unthinkable Power to Control Evolution by Jennifer A. Doudna and Samuel H. Sternberg Sporkful podcast BBC’s The Food Chain podcast

Jason Kandybowicz is an Associate Professor of Linguistics at The Graduate Center of The City University of New York. We talk about linguistic field methods, endangered and fictional African languages, and how Japanese and Yoda’s speech are similar. For more information: Africa’s Endangered Languages: Documentary and Theoretical Approaches, edited by Jason Kandybowicz and Harold Torrence World’s Languages Dying Off Rapidly by John Noble Wilford Endangered Language Alliance website Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages website When Languages Die: The Extinction of the World’s Languages and the Erosion of Human Knowledge by K. David Harrison Linguistics and Pop Culture: Language, Culture, and Black Panther by Clare Harshey Shiritori: a simple game that’s great for practicing your Japanese vocab by Peter Backhaus Khayelitsha, an essay I wrote about my experience in Cape Town, South Africa

Roger D. Peng is a Professor in the Department of Biostatistics at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. We talk about statistics, podcasts, and responsibilities of the data scientist. For more information: Data Science Specialization on Coursera The Effort Report podcast Not So Standard Deviations podcast Scriptnotes podcast Hello Internet podcast

Stefano Sacanna is Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry at New York University. We talk about colloidal materials, interdisciplinary research, and wearing GoPro cameras in lab. For more information: Micro-particles self-assemble into spinning gears video Colloids and Interface Symposium website Colloid Open Access Library Colloid synthesis tutorials

Elaine Fuchs is Rebecca C. Lancefield Professor, Howard Hughs Medical Institute Investigator, and Head of the Robin Chemers Neustein Laboratory of Mammalian Cell Biology and Development at The Rockefeller University in New York. We talk about stem cells, grantsmanship, and fearlessness. For more information: Elaine Fuchs: The Drive to Succeed, World Science Festival President Obama Awards National Medal of Science and Medal of Technology, October 2009 Seven Actionable Strategies for Advancing Women in Science, Engineering, and Medicine by Kristin A. Smith, Paola Arlotta, Fiona M. Watt, The Initiative on Women in Science and Engineering Working Group, and Susan L. Solomon

Psyche Loui is Assistant Professor of Music and Psychology at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. We talk about cognitive neuroscience, liberal arts education, and skin orgasms. This episode is hosted by Jeremy Auerbach. For more information: Psyche Loui's website How Our Brains Learn to Like Music by Psyche Loui (TEDxCambridge 2011) Tone Deafness: A New Disconnection Syndrome? by Psyche Loui, David Alsop and Gottfried Schlaug Music, language, and the brain by Aniruddh D. Patel Laurel or Yanny? What science has to say by Amanda Jackson Thrills, chills, frissons, and skin orgasms: toward an integrative model of transcendent psychophysiological experiences in music by Luke Harrison and Psyche Loui The strange phenomenon of musical 'skin orgasms' by David Robinson Psyche Loui's music

Joyce White is the Director of the Middle Mekong Archaeological Project and Director of the Ban Chiang Project at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Philadelphia, PA. We talk about Ban Chiang, monographs, and tourism. For more information: Penn Museum website Chester Gorman by Froelich Rainey Ban Chiang Archaeological Site Ban Chiang Museum on TripAdvisor Middle Mekong Archaeological Project Operation Antiquity, Institute for Southeast Asian Archaeology

Omar Abdel-Wahab is an Associate Member in the Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program and Attending Physician in the Department of Medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. We talk about specializing in hematology, working at a cancer research institution, and being a physician-scientist. For more information: Abdel-Wahab Lab website Frequent pathway mutations of splicing machinery in myelodysplasia by Seishi Ogawa and coworkers Finding Nirvana: Paths to Becoming a Physician-Scientist by Aimee S. Payne and Skip Brass

Gaelin Rosenwaks is a marine scientist and the Founder and President of Global Ocean Exploration. We talk about bluefin tuna, expedition science, and outreach. For more information: Gaelin Rosenwaks’ website Gaelin Rosenwaks’ Instagram Global Ocean Exploration Giant Trevally: Fishing for Science in Seychelles Gallery Review: Gaelin Rosenwaks’s “Science at Sea” by Calleigh Smith Gaelin Rosenwaks on CBS News for World Oceans Day Netflix's Chasing Coral trailer Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Sushi Recommendation

Adam Summers is Professor of Biology and School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences at the University of Washington Friday Harbor Laboratories on San Juan Island, WA. We talk about fish, fish burritos, and animated fish. For more information: Natural History: An Engine for Bioinspiration by Adam Summers How Sharing Big Data is Changing the World by Adam Summers X-ray Reconstruction of Moving Morphology oVert Thematic Collection Network Q&A: Fabulous fact fisher by Daniel Cressey Picturing Science

Gabriela González is Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA. We talk about LIGO, women in physics, and Argentina. For more information: LIGO NSF Press Conference in February 2016 LIGO Livingston website 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics Gabriela González's 2017 TED Talk Gabriela González's 2016 TEDxCórdoba Talk Love and the two-body problem by Valerie Jamieson

Jelani Nelson is Associate Professor of Computer Science John L. Loeb Associate Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA. We talk about algorithms, programming contests, and Ethiopia. For more information: Jelani Nelson on Quora Jelani Nelson's MIT classes Jelani Nelson's TEDxAddis talk on streaming algorithms Jelani Nelson on EBS TechTalk with Solomon (Part 1 and Part 2) AddisCoder

John C. Mather is Senior Astrophysicist at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. He is currently Senior Project Scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope. We talk about cosmic microwave background, building telescopes, and the role of science in society and government. For more information: John C. Mather's Nobel Prize Telephone Interview, Biographical, and Lecture TEDx talk on gravitational waves Interview with American Visionary Art Museum

Marcelo Ang is Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Acting Director of the Advanced Robotics Center at the National University of Singapore. We talk about self-driving cars, robotics competitions, and international collaborations. For more information: Marcelo Ang's TEDxNUS talk Singapore unveils self-driving scooter, ideal for phone-obsessed walkers by Yiming Woo nuTonomy

Eng Eong Ooi is Professor and Deputy Director of the Emerging Diseases Programme at Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore. We talk about dengue fever, Singapore, and family. For more information: Eng Eong Ooi's 2011 Open Conversations Interview at Duke-NUS Eng Eong Ooi's 2013 Interview with the Cognitive Neuroscience Lab at Duke-NUS Eng Eong Ooi's 2014 Interview with AsiaNews

Rich Cohen is the Associate Director of Technical Programs at Bolt Threads in Emeryville, CA. We talk about spider silk, applied science, and my biotech startup idea. For more information: Bolt Threads Website This Limited Edition Hat Is Made From A Bioengineered Silk And Natural Wool Blend by Rachel Arthur Sustainable Silk, Stella McCartney Industrial brewing yeast engineered for the production of primary flavor determinants in hopped beer by Keasling and coworkers Clean Meat: How Growing Meat Without Animals Will Revolutionize Dinner and the World by Paul Shapiro cleanmeat.org

Catherine Bliss is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. We talk about sociogenomics, qualitative methodology, and personal genetic testing. For more information: Race Decoded: The Genomic Fight for Social Justice by Catherine Bliss Social by Nature: The Promise and Peril of Sociogenomics by Catherine Bliss The Genome Factor: What the Social Genomics Revolution Reveals about Ourselves, Our History, and the Future by Dalton Conley and Jason Fletcher Ambiguity and Scientific Authority: Population Classification in Genomic Science by Aaron Panofsky and Catherine Bliss Dealing in Desire: Asian Ascendancy, Western Decline, and the Hidden Currencies of Global Sex Work by Kimberly Kay Hoang

Heran Darwin is a Professor in the Department of Microbiology at the New York University School of Medicine in New York. We talk about the proteasome, basic science, and mentorship. For more information: The Ligo Project Art of Science Performance Art Proteasome Heran Darwin's Twitter

Alison Olechowski is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Toronto in Canada. Kapil Amarnath is a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Physics at the University of California, San Diego. Amanda Vernon is a graduate student in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in Cambridge, MA. We talk about technology, popular culture, and claiming scientists. For more information: The Eighth Day of Creation, book by Horace Freeland Judson Simone Giertz's website Adafruit Why you should be rooting for The Martian come Oscar Sunday by Kapil Amarnath A Faster Horse, documentary Mom and Dad Are Fighting, podcast by Slate Science Vs, podcast by Gimlet Media The Ever-Tightening Job Market for Ph.D.s by Laura McKenna

Sarah Gaither is Assistant Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University. We talk about social psychology, biracial identity, and wedding photos. For more information: Duke Identity & Diversity Lab 'Racial Impostor Syndrome': Here Are Your Stories, NPR Code Switch What You'll Never Understand About Being Biracial by Brianna Moné She’s Biracial, And It’s Not A Secret: Meet Duke Psychologist Sarah Gaither by Amanda Magnus and Frank Stasio

Martin Chalfie is University Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Columbia University. We talk about green fluorescent protein, 2008, and Douglas Prasher. For more information: Martin Chalfie's Nobel Prize Telephone Interview, Biographical, and Lecture The Thrill of Defeat by Bob Goldstein Implications for bcd mRNA localization from spatial distribution of exu protein in Drosophila oogenesis by Shengxian Wang and Tulle Hazelrigg Glowing Gene's Discoverer Left Out Of Nobel Prize, NPR Morning Edition Articles about Douglas Prasher by New York Times, Discover Magazine, and The Scientist How Bad Institutional Support Cost Douglas Prasher a Nobel Prize by Maggie Delano Here's what the Obama administration did for science by Jason Lederman and Sara Chodosh

Margaret Polaneczky is a gynecologist at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York. We talk about women's health, ethics, and New York. For more information: The Blog That Ate Manhattan, Margaret Polaneczky's blog Breast Screening Decisions A Doctor Prescribes Clarity on Mammography by Jonathan Cohn Facilitating informed decisions about breast cancer screening: development and evaluation of a web-based decision aid for women in their 40s Responsible Conduct of Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center course No-Knead Bread, 10 Years Later by Mark Bittman The Tuskegee Timeline

Ken Buesseler is Senior Scientist of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. We talk about measuring radioactivity after the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear disasters, crowdfunding, and dealing with foreign governments and online trolls. For more information: Cafe Thorium, research group website Our Radioactive Ocean, citizen science initiative Ken Buesseler's 2014 Reddit AMA Ken Buesseler's 2016 Reddit AMA WHOI Center for Marine and Environmental Radioactivity (CMER) Welcome to the Cafe Thorium where Chemist Ken Buesseler serves up a brew of fresh espresso and solid science by Tom Gidwitz U.S.-Japan Council March 2016 newsletter

Michael Eisen is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and Professor of Genetics, Genomics and Development at the University of California, Berkeley. We talk about fruit flies, Open Access, and running for political office. For more information: it is NOT junk, Michael Eisen's blog Eisen Lab at UC Berkeley PLOS: Public Library of Science, Open Access publisher and advocacy organization Publisher for the People by Will Harper Q&A: Michael Eisen bids to be first fly biologist in the U.S. Senate by Jon Cohen The Largest Number Of Scientists In Modern U.S. History Are Running For Office In 2018 by Alexander C. Kaufman Here’s How The Scientists Running for Office Are Doing by Ed Yong How The Word 'Scientist' Came To Be, Science Friday