The Sci-Files On Impact 89FM podcast

#Science #Impact 89FM | WDBM-FM #The SciFiles #Scifiles #SciComm #Science Communication #Research

26:18

How do you know when it’s time to make your next big career move? With International Women’s Day around the corner, we are excited to feature Avni Patel Thompson, Founder and CEO of Milo. Avni is building technology that directly supports the often overlooked emotional and logistical labor that falls on parents—especially women. Milo is an AI assistant designed to help families manage that invisible load more efficiently. In this episode, Avni shares her journey from studying chemistry to holding leadership roles at global brands like Adidas and Starbucks, to launching her own ventures. She discusses how she approaches career transitions, the importance of unpleasant experiences, and why she’s focused on making everyday life easier for parents. [01:26] Avni's University Days and Early Career [04:36] Non-Linear Career Paths [05:16] Pursuing Steep Learning Curves [11:51] Entrepreneurship and Safety Nets [15:22] Lived Experiences and Milo [19:55] Avni’s In Her Ellement Moment [20:03] Reflections Links: Avni Patel Thompson on LinkedIn Suchi Srinivasan on LinkedIn Kamila Rakhimova on LinkedIn Ipsos report on the future of parenting About In Her Ellement: In Her Ellement highlights the women and allies leading the charge in digital, business, and technology innovation. Through engaging conversations, the podcast explores their journeys—celebrating successes and acknowledging the balance between work and family. Most importantly, it asks: when was the moment you realized you hadn’t just arrived—you were truly in your element? About The Hosts: Suchi Srinivasan is an expert in AI and digital transformation. Originally from India, her career includes roles at trailblazing organizations like Bell Labs and Microsoft. In 2011, she co-founded the Cleanweb Hackathon, a global initiative driving IT-powered climate solutions with over 10,000 members across 25+ countries. She also advises Women in Cloud, aiming to create $1B in economic opportunities for women entrepreneurs by 2030. Kamila Rakhimova is a fintech leader whose journey took her from Tajikistan to the U.S., where she built a career on her own terms. Leveraging her English proficiency and international relations expertise, she discovered the power of microfinance and moved to the U.S., eventually leading Amazon's Alexa Fund to support underrepresented founders. Subscribe to In Her Ellement on your podcast app of choice to hear meaningful conversations with women in digital, business, and technology.…

The Sci-Files on Impact 89FM

Series home•Feed

The Sci-Files is hosted by Mari Dowling and Dimitri Joseph. Together they highlight the importance of science, especially student research at Michigan State University.

203 episodes

The Sci-Files on Impact 89FM

updated 8 days ago

Series home•Feed

The Sci-Files is hosted by Mari Dowling and Dimitri Joseph. Together they highlight the importance of science, especially student research at Michigan State University.

203 episodes

#Science #Impact 89FM | WDBM-FM #The SciFiles #Scifiles #SciComm #Science Communication #Research

All episodes

1
Emily Bolger on Understanding the Role of Machine Learning and Text Analysis in Systematic Literature Reviews 21:52

8 days ago21:52

21:52

On this week's episode of The Sci-Files, your hosts Mari and Dimitri interview Emily Bolger. Emily Bolger is a 5th year PhD Candidate in the Department of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering. She works in the Computing Education Research Lab (CERL) with Dr. Danny Caballero. Her dissertation research uses Natural Language Processing to identify and synthesize themes in Instructional Change Strategies in Undergraduate STEM Literature. Systematic literature reviews critically collect and evaluate findings from a specific area of research. In collaboration with her colleagues, the analysis seeks to identify themes in undergraduate STEM education specifically focused on literature highlighting instructional and curriculum strategies. Extending previous work conducted about 15 years ago, the team is repeating the analysis with new literature and assessing the integration of machine learning tools. With developments in Natural Language Processing, the field behind tools like ChatGPT, there are many techniques available for assisting our researchers in extracting information from the literature. The team explores how machine learning methods can provide new insights to traditional methods in systematic literature reviews. Emily also works with her colleagues in CERL to develop curriculum materials for CMSE’s undergraduate Data Science and Computational Modeling courses, particularly assignments that focus on data ethics and algorithmic bias. If you're interested in discussing your MSU research on the radio or nominating a student, please email Mari and Dimitri at thescifileswdbm@gmail.com . Check The Sci-Files out on Twitter and Instagram!…

1
Aubree Marshall on What Dental Calculus Can Tell Us About Past Lived Experiences 14:07

8 weeks ago14:07

14:07

On this week's episode of The Sci-Files, your hosts Mari and Dimitri interview Aubree Marshall. Aubree is a 5th year PhD candidate in the Department of Anthropology. They work in the MSU Bioarchaeology Lab with Dr. Gabe Wrobel, and their research interests include understanding health, diet, and food access in ancient Maya populations, specifically from Central Belize. To do this, Aubree analyzes the proteins and micro-remains extracted from dental calculus - the same stuff your dental hygienist scrapes off your teeth! Dental calculus, or tartar, fossilizes in life, meaning that the materials found in the matrix would have passed through the individual's mouth before death. This method allows bioarchaeologists to study food specificity and access, something that previous dietary study methods cannot provide. In turn, this allows us to begin to understand the relationship between food access and different aspects of social identity (i.e., osteological sex, age, and socioeconomic status). If you're interested in discussing your MSU research on the radio or nominating a student, please email Mari and Dimitri at thescifileswdbm@gmail.com . Check The Sci-Files out on Twitter and Instagram!…

1
Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) Part 2 15:16

9 weeks ago15:16

15:16

Mari and Dimitri interview undergraduate student researchers from Michigan State University's Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP). The second episode of this 2-part series features Chris Lin, Kevin Villatoro, and Darnilla Samuel. If you’re interested in discussing your MSU research on the radio or nominating a student, please email Mari and Dimitri at thescifileswdbm@gmail.com . Check The Sci-Files out on Twitter or Instagram !…

1
Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) Part 1 14:17

10 weeks ago14:17

14:17

Mari and Dimitri interview undergraduate student researchers from Michigan State University's Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP). The first episode of this 2-part series features Kandy Pierre, Mohamed Elgallad, and Isteaq Zim. If you’re interested in discussing your MSU research on the radio or nominating a student, please email Mari and Dimitri at thescifileswdbm@gmail.com . Check The Sci-Files out on Twitter , Facebook , Instagram , and YouTube !…

1
COGS Graduate Academic Conference (GAC): Part 4 9:22

21 weeks ago9:22

9:22

Mari and Dimitri interview student researchers at the 16th annual Graduate Academic Conference (GAC), hosted by the Council of Graduate Students (COGS). The final episode of this four-part series features interviews with Jared Reiling from the Department of Computational Math Science and Engineering, and Priyanka Kathari from the Department of Teacher Education. If you’re interested in discussing your MSU research on the radio or nominating a student, please email Mari and Dimitri at thescifileswdbm@gmail.com . Check The Sci-Files out on Twitter , Facebook , Instagram , and YouTube !…

1
COGS Graduate Academic Conference (GAC): Part 3 18:42

24 weeks ago18:42

18:42

Mari and Dimitri interview student researchers at the 16th annual Graduate Academic Conference (GAC), hosted by the Council of Graduate Students (COGS). The third episode of this four-part series features interviews with Md Fyaz Sadiq from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Marc Freidman from the Plant Pathology Program. If you’re interested in discussing your MSU research on the radio or nominating a student, please email Mari and Dimitri at thescifileswdbm@gmail.com . Check The Sci-Files out on Twitter , Facebook , Instagram , and YouTube !…

1
COGS Graduate Academic Conference (GAC): Part 2 18:15

47 weeks ago18:15

18:15

Mari and Dimitri interview student researchers at the 16th annual Graduate Academic Conference (GAC), hosted by the Council of Graduate Students (COGS). The second episode of this four-part series features interviews with Roselane Kithan-Lundquist, and Ifeanyichukwu Eke from MSU's Microbiology department , and Simon Sanchez from the Department of Biomedical Engineering. If you’re interested in discussing your MSU research on the radio or nominating a student, please email Mari and Dimitri at thescifileswdbm@gmail.com . Check The Sci-Files out on Twitter , Facebook , Instagram , and YouTube !…

1
COGS Graduate Academic Conference (GAC): Part 1 14:59

48 weeks ago14:59

14:59

Mari and Dimitri interview student researchers at the 16th annual Graduate Academic Conference (GAC), hosted by the Council of Graduate Students (COGS). The first episode of this four-part series features interviews with Sam Norcia and Char Dengler from the College of Nursing, and Bismarck Amaniampong from the Department of Chemistry. If you’re interested in discussing your MSU research on the radio or nominating a student, please email Mari and Dimitri at thescifileswdbm@gmail.com . Check The Sci-Files out on Twitter , Facebook , Instagram , and YouTube !…

1
Veona Cutinho about Revolutionizing Cloning: The Power of a Single Protein in Unlocking Nuclear Transfer Efficiency 20:38

1 year ago20:38

20:38

On this week's episode of The Sci-Files, your hosts Mari and Dimitri interview Veona Cutinho. Veona works in the Cellular Reprogramming Laboratory at MSU led by Dr. Jose Cibelli. She works with zebrafish embryos and manipulates them so they can be ideal donors for cloning. These tiny embryos are perfect for studying cloning because their development is quick, easy to see, and happens outside the body! While cloning was once a big deal, it's kind of old-fashioned now because it's tough to get it just right. Veona and team at the Cellular Reprogramming Lab are trying to figure out what the problem is. She's focusing on a troublemaker called H3K9me3, a protein that makes cloning less efficient. By understanding and dealing with this protein, Veona hopes to make cloning much smoother and better. It's like upgrading an old invention to work faster and smarter! If you’re interested in discussing your MSU research on the radio or nominating a student, please email Mari and Dimitri at thescifileswdbm@gmail.com . Check The Sci-Files out on Twitter , Facebook , Instagram , and YouTube !…

1
Yunting Gu about Articulatory Preference: Explaining Universal Sound Patterns 20:34

1 year ago20:34

20:34

Yunting Gu is a PhD candidate in linguistics from Michigan State University. Her research in speech production suggests a basis for several universals regarding the sound pattern of languages. Despite the differences in languages, some sound patterns are common to most languages of the world. For example, cross-linguistically, syllables starting with pl are more frequently observed than syllables starting with pt, which is more frequent than syllables starting with lp. Also, syllables that have a consonant followed by a vowel (such as so) are more common across different languages than syllables which is a vowel followed by a consonant (such as an). The question is — where do the observed linguistic universals come from? There are two possible answers. First, it may merely be a coincidence that languages share some patterns. Second, linguistic universals may come from some shared property of human beings. If you’re interested in discussing your MSU research on the radio or nominating a student, please email Mari and Dimitri at thescifileswdbm@gmail.com . Check The Sci-Files out on Twitter , Facebook , Instagram , and YouTube !…

1
Kiyotaka Suga on The Roles of Speaking and Writing Practice in Second Language Grammar Learning 17:19

1 year ago17:19

17:19

On this week's episode of The Sci-Files, your hosts Mari and Dimitri interview Kiyotaka Suga, a PhD candidate in Second Language Studies. One of the engaging questions for second language (L2) teachers is how to introduce grammar instruction to help adult L2 learners develop their well-balanced communicative abilities. Most L2 teachers may believe intuitively that engaging in output (speaking and writing) practice in L2 classrooms is crucial for adult L2 learners to develop their productive skills. Despite such common beliefs about output practice, the roles of output in L2 grammar acquisition have not been fully explained with empirical evidence. Previous studies that investigated the roles of output practice for L2 grammar learning have reported mixed results, which were limited due to their primary reliance on indirect measures of grammar learning processes (e.g., note-taking, underlining, and retrospective interviews). Since these indirect measures may not have fully captured learners’ learning processes (i.e., how output practice in L2 classrooms can allow learners to pay more attention to the target grammatical feature that they are learning), it is valuable to employ a more sensitive online objective measure (i.e., eye-tracking) to further examine the roles of output in L2 grammar acquisition. In his dissertation study, Kiyo is using eye-tracking to examine how engaging in L2 output practice can push adult L2 learners to pay more attention to grammar features that they are learning and then eventually facilitate their grammar learning. The findings of this study will clarify the roles of output practice in L2 classroom instruction with empirical evidence. Pedagogically, the findings will allow L2 teachers to incorporate empirically-based output practice into their daily teaching practices. If you’re interested in discussing your MSU research on the radio or nominating a student, please email Mari and Dimitri at thescifileswdbm@gmail.com . Check The Sci-Files out on Twitter , Facebook , Instagram , and YouTube !…

1
Bryan Stanley on Understanding and Supporting Informal Physics Programs and their Student Volunteers 17:04

1 year ago17:04

17:04

Bryan Stanley is a PhD student in the Physics Department. He does Physics Education Research (PER), where he primarily studies informal physics programs. Informal physics programs create physics learning spaces outside of the traditional classroom settings. Examples of these types of programs include, but are not limited to, summer camps, planetarium shows, public lectures, student groups, science festivals, and open houses. The events that these programs host are sometimes called public engagement or outreach. These types of programs can impact and support youth and adult audiences and university student volunteers in building their science identity, sense of belonging, and sense of community. Bryan studies the structures of informal physics program to better understand the fundamental aspects of these spaces and to help support informal physics practitioners. He also studies how these programs impact their university student volunteers, finding that volunteering can influence students' career paths. If you’re interested in discussing your MSU research on the radio or nominating a student, please email Mari and Dimitri at thescifileswdbm@gmail.com . Check The Sci-Files out on Twitter , Facebook , Instagram , and YouTube !…

1
Natasha George about a "Cool" Approach to Unraveling Antibiotic Resistance 21:27

1 year ago21:27

21:27

When you get a scrape or cut, you might reach for a tube of Neosporin, but have you ever wondered what exactly this antimicrobial ointment does to bacteria, or how bacteria might avoid being killed? Bacteria possess a dizzying variety of specialized protein machinery that help them resist our medicines, complicating treatment of infection. Natasha, a graduate student in the department of microbiology and molecular genetics, studies these antibiotic resistance machines with the help of cryo-electron microscopy, a technique that uses high-powered microscopes and frozen samples to capture snapshots of protein molecules in action and build 3D models that reveal their intricate structures. This visual approach can help us make sense of microbial behavior, understand why certain antibiotics are not effective on some types of bacteria, and hopefully help us develop more effective medications to treat infections. If you’re interested in discussing your MSU research on the radio or nominating a student, please email Mari and Dimitri at thescifileswdbm@gmail.com . Check The Sci-Files out on Twitter , Facebook , Instagram , and YouTube !…

1
Logan Soule on Blood Storage: Even Red Blood Cells Get a Sugar Crash 22:18

1 year ago22:18

22:18

Blood transfusions can be life-saving procedures for patients in need. However, they can also impart much more devastating complications, leading to poorer outcomes than prior to transfusion, such as infection, inflammation, and even death. This is in part due to the red blood cell “storage lesion”, which refers to the irreversible metabolic and physiological damages that occur to red blood cells (RBCs) during their storage period, such as membrane damage, protein/lipid oxidation, glycation, cell lysis, and many other detrimental changes vital to proper RBC function. Logan Soule is a 5th year PhD candidate in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Logan’s work focuses on attempts to alleviate the development of the storage lesion. His lab believes that a culprit behind these damages is the significantly high sugar content in RBC preservatives, which is 8x higher than diabetic patients. His work highlights the benefits of storing RBCs at physiological glucose levels, leading to exceptionally better RBC functionality than traditional hyperglycemic storage. However, normoglycemic storage requires “feeding” the cells with a concentrated glucose solution as the RBCs metabolize the glucose, limiting this technique’s application, until now. Logan has designed and implemented an automated glucose feeding device to successfully maintain normoglycemic conditions of stored RBCs. These findings implicate exciting changes in transfusion medicine that are more feasible than ever before. Storing blood under normoglycemic conditions is now not only possible but has significant potential to lead to better patient outcomes. If you’re interested in discussing your MSU research on the radio or nominating a student, please email Mari and Dimitri at thescifileswdbm@gmail.com . Check The Sci-Files out on Twitter , Facebook , Instagram , and YouTube !…

1
Nupur Huria and Harsna Chahal about Factors Impacting Perceptions and Stigma Surrounding Menstruation: Michigan State University Perspective 19:54

1 year ago19:54