Mattia Emma: Physics and Philanthropy, Building a Girls’ School in Kenya

Hi Darling!This episode was recorded on a hike in the Rocky mountains with Mattia Emma, a gravitational wave astrophysicist who is finishing up his PhD at the Royal Holloway in London. Mattia shares how a summer volunteer trip led him to setting up the Storm Project, an NGO to support a girls boarding school in a remote part of Kenya. We discuss the many times he was told he was 'too young' by accountants and lawyers, the creation of a league-winning basketball program at the school, and the challenges of COVID which led to teaching being provided on WhatsApp. This conversation moves from the vastness of the universe to the realities of rural Kenya: the power of education, the challenges of culture and tradition, and what it means to balance cutting-edge science with grassroots change.If you’ve ever wondered how someone can chase gravitational waves and transform lives on the ground at the same time, this episode is for you.The Storm Project: @stormprojectonlus instagram https://www.linkedin.com/company/storm-project/ https://mattiamaralal.github.io/stormproject/en/ website - in the process of being updated! https://www.teaming.net/storm donation page