Saturday Morning Lab

Pedro Leao says don't take yourself too seriously!

On this week's episode I chat with Professor Pedro Leao at the University of Radboud in Nijmegen, Netherlands. Pedro talks about growing up in a Brazil, his early passion for sports and how it influences his outlook as a scientist. He also talks about a how a series of unlikely circumstances accelerated his training and maturity as an independent investigator.  

Tanina Arab says be yourself because we need you!

Tanina Arab is an Associate Research Scientist at Yale University. On this week's episode, she and I talk about her experience growing up in a small mountain village in Algeria, her thesis training in France, and her move to the US to complete her postdoctoral studies. We also chat about the challenges facing academia today and the spillover of politics on academic relationships. 

Let's Get Coffee! Ashley Cole Episode

On this week's episode of LGF, I look back on my discussion with Professor Ashley Cole. I also reflect on her thoughtful question of how we would describe ourselves without mentioning our work. I also learned much about the rich Potawatomi culture (https://www.potawatomiheritage.com/) and came across the book Braiding Sweetgrass by the Potawatomi botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer (https://www.amazon.com/Braiding-Sweetgrass-Indigenous-Scientific-Knowledge/dp/1571313567). As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts at SaturdayMorningLab@outlook.com!
 

Anna Ciaunica says our mind and body are intimately interconnected!

Professor Anna Ciaunica studies self-consciousness, embodiment and social interactions in Humans and Artificial Agents. On this week's episode we discuss the remarkable evolution of her research focus and her groundbreaking work on what makes the "self" and reconceptualizing the relationship between the mind and body. As always, your questions and input are welcome at SaturdayMorningLab@outlook.com!

Let's Get Coffee! Rahaf Salim Episode

This week on Let's Get Coffee, I reflect on my discussion with Rahaf Salim and how our uniqueness can be strengths in the research endeavor. I also revisit some old Arabic poetry I learned as a kid a long time ago. As always, your questions and input are welcome at SaturdayMorningLab@outlook.com!

Daniel Manrique-Castaño says work where you feel valued!

In this week's episode, I sit down with Dr. Daniel Manrique-Castaño, a Data Curation Officer at the Digital Research Alliance of Canada. Daniel shares his rich experiences growing up in Colombia, where he developed an early interest in psychology that eventually blossomed into a research career in neuroscience. He recounts completing his thesis in Germany during the pandemic and reflects on the challenges he encountered during his postdoctoral training in Canada. Now working in the field of data science and data integrity, Daniel reflects on the broader challenges of data management, scientific publishing, and the evolving landscape of science communication. As always, your questions and input are welcome at SaturdayMorningLab@outlook.com!

Let's Get Coffee! Elvira Forte Episode

In this episode of "Let's Get Coffee", I sit back and ponder Elvira's question and read a passage from Ulysses by the 19th Century English poet, Alfred Lord Tennyson. As always, your questions and input are welcome at SaturdayMorningLab@outlook.com!

Ashley Cole says don't put yourself in a box!

Dr. Ashley Cole is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Oklahoma State University. Ashley grew up in Oklahoma as a member of Potawatomi Nation. In this week's episode she and I discuss her successful journey to academic independence and the impact of her cultural background on her research focus. Ashley also shares her perspective on academia and mentorship. In her career as an academic, Ashley brings her values of compassion, support, respect, and intellectual vigor to life as she trains the next generation of scholars. As always, your questions and comments are welcome at SaturdayMorningLab@outlook.com!

Let's Get Coffee! Ashley Kopec Episode

Hey pals! “Let’s get coffee” is a short midweek episode companion to our longer Saturday episodes. In these bite-sized offerings, I sit back and comfortably reflect on last week’s discussion. This week I reflect on my discussion with Ashley Kopec and her question of what moments in the past week have given us a sense of fulfillment. I'd love to hear from you! Send me an email at SaturdayMorningLab@outlook.com with your thoughts!

Rahaf Salim says your uniqueness is your strength!

On this week's episode, I sit down with Rahaf Salim, a talented, charismatic, and purpose-driven graduate student from Purdue University who hopes to turn her bench-side discoveries into treatments for osteoarthritis, a complex and painful disease and a leading cause of disability. She discusses her background as a Palestinian American growing up on the East Coast and how her values shaped her career ambitions. She highlights the importance of entrepreneurial and industry literacy to empower primary investigators to efficiently translate their discoveries into available therapies. She also stresses the importance of harnessing human diversity in the most practical and genuine sense. She challenges us to think about how our individual characteristics and perspectives uniquely empower us in our respective fields.