PODCAST · science
Double Shelix
by Beta Pleated Chic
Conversations and real talk on women in STEM, the grad school grind, and inclusive science.
Episodes
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Episode 48: First Year of Postdoc with Dr. Kayla Wolf
How can you use the first year of your postdoctoral research position to set yourself up for long-term success? How do you decide if a postdoc is even right for you? In this episode, Sally and Kayla dive into reasons to do (or not to do) a postdoc, how to find a position, and how to get started....
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Episode 47: Writing Your First Paper
If you or someone you're mentoring is new to writing peer reviewed papers, this episode is for you! Kayla and Sally break down the logistics to get you from blank page to final proofs. We discuss planning out your figures, managing your references, crafting an intro, choosing a journal…
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Episode 46: Who can afford to stay in science? With Dr. Erika Moore
After completing her undergraduate degree, Dr. Moore found herself burdened by substantial student debt, prompting her to address the critical issue of financial sustainability in academia. Through her own journey, she has developed an educational program aimed at empowering students with…
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Episode 45: NSF Graduate Fellowship 101
It’s all of our tips for applying to the NSF graduate research fellowship! The National Science Foundation GRFP can fund 3 years of your PhD, and there’s a hidden curriculum for crafting a winning application. Sally and Kayla share their tips for how to prep your application to frame your Broader...
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Episode 44: Personal Statements 101
A well-crafted personal statement can make the difference between aspiration and reality. But what information should you include? What does "personal" really mean? In this episode Kayla and Sally dive into the hidden curriculum of personal statements to empower you when drafting your…
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Episode 43: Anti CV: embracing failures to drive future wins
You won’t get everything you apply for - and that’s ok! In this episode Kayla and Sally dive into some of their biggest fails, rejections, and misses. We go through what we learned and how you can learn from our failures. Kayla shares hard-earned lessons from her (innumerable) application…
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Episode 42: Patient Stakeholders in Biomedical Research, with Kevin Fowler
Join Sally and Kayla as they explore the role of patient advocacy in biomedical research with Kevin Fowler, consultant and owner of "The Voice of the Patient." Kevin shares insights on what patients want to know and how you can get involved in patient advocacy to drive meaningful change in...
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Episode 41: Restructuring academic traineeship, with Dr. Shirley Malcom
Renowned public servant Dr. Shirley Malcom joins Kayla and Sally to discuss the challenges facing graduate students and postdocs during traineeship. We discuss structural barriers keeping trainees in underpaid roles and keeping out those who cannot afford to stay in such roles. Importantly, we...
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Episode 40: Post PhD Paths: Evidence-Based Equity with Dr. Chrissy Stachl
When Dr. Chrissy Stachl realized that her department's culture needed an overhaul, she turned the challenge into her thesis and a consulting career. Using an evidenced-based approach, Chrissy now helps universities and businesses find and implement pragmatic solutions to improve equity and...
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Episode 39: Post PhD Paths: Sally’s Industry Job Hunt
Preparing to apply for industry jobs but have no idea what to expect? In this episode, Sally shares her personal experience and practical advice about finding a job in industry such as how to ace a phone screen and what even is a “hiring manager.” She spent 8 pandemic months looking for her first...
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Episode 38: Post-PhD Paths: Technical Consulting with Dr. Jessica Vargas
Plenty of PhDs go into consulting after graduation, but what do consultants actually do? Dr. Jessica Vargas from Exponent joins Kayla and Sally to discuss her journey from chemistry PhD to technical consultant. We chat about her grad school exit strategy and her transition from individual...
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Episode 37: Post-PhD Paths: Applying to Academia and Industry with Dr. Serah Kang
Sally and Kayla welcome Dr. Serah Kang to discuss her experience applying for academic postdoc positions and industry roles. After completing her PhD, Serah spent two years as a postdoctoral fellow at the Gladstone Institute and now is a senior scientist at Genetech. Serah also discusses how her...
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Episode 36: Parental Leave and Returning to Work
Caring for a new baby is a full-time job - and then some! In this episode, Sally and Kayla share their experience with parental leave and returning to work after the birth of their kiddos. This is a followup to our “Pregnancy in Graduate School” episode and is a must-listen for anyone thinking...
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Episode 35: Pregnancy in Grad School
Is grad school the “right time” to have a baby? What is it like to be pregnant while working in a lab? How should you interact with your pregnant colleagues? In this episode, Sally and Kayla share their experiences and discuss what institutions can do to support pregnant students and student...
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Episode 34: Surviving "The Slump"
Ah, the slump - that mid-PhD abyss when goals are ambiguous, motivation is waning, and stress is overwhelming. Dr. Emily Lingeman joins Sally and Kayla to discuss her own PhD slump and how she got back on track. Dr. Lingerman also shares strategies to destress and know when "just exercise!" won't...
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Episode 33: To PhD or not to PhD with Dr. Raj Kumar
Are you considering a PhD, but not sure if it's right for you? Or, are you deep into a PhD and trying to remember why you started in the first place? In this episode, Sally and Kayla interview Dr. Raj Kumar about the ins and outs of graduate school with a focus on PhDs in STEM. Topics include the...
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Episode 32: Counting the Women in STEM with Claudine Schmuck, Gender Scan
How many women are working in STEM careers? What are the major hurdles to achieving gender equality? Claudine Schmuck founded Gender Scan to find out. While the project originates in France, Gender Scan is expanding to collect data from across the globe. In today’s episode, Kayla and Sally…
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Episode 31: PhD Reflections: Hindsight is 2020
Sally and Kayla GRADUATED! What were some highs and lows of graduate school? What did they wish they had known sooner? In this episode, Sally and Kayla reflect on their experiences while pursuing a PhD as well as share exciting updates for the next season of Double Shelix.
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Episode 30: "What Ph.D. negotiations taught me about landing a job in Industry" with Fatoumata Fall
Are you a recent or soon-to-be graduate stressed about recruiting and how you will find your first "real" job? In this episode, Kayla and Sally talk to Entrepreneur, Career Agent, and Advocate - Fatoumata Fall (Fatu) - about how graduating PhDs can optimize their job search experience. Fatu is…
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Prep your research pitch - skill share!
What do you study? Whether it's to a leading faculty in your field or to your aunt's best friend, you have probably been asked to explain your research many, many times. How can you make your answer count without reciting an entire review paper? Sally and Kayla discuss how to craft an effective...
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Leaving a bad project - skill share!
Sometimes bad projects happen to good people. Kayla and Sally discuss how to identify if your project may be in trouble, talk about these challenges with team members, and say good riddance to a bad project. We also talk about letting go of a good projects that come to an untimely conclusion due…
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Letters of recommendation - skill share!
Requesting, writing, and stressing about letters of recommendation? Been there! Kayla and Sally cover all these letter of rec worries and more! We get into the weeds like what to do when a recommender asks you to "write the first draft for me" and how many "friendly reminder" emails are too many....
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Extracurricular Activities in Graduate School
How involved should graduate students be in activities outside of lab? Sally and Kayla discuss how to strategically choose personally- and professionally-fulfilling extracurriculars while still budgeting time for life.
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Science Policy - From Tax Dollars to Kimwipes
Science policy panelists Andrew Bremer, Stephanie Mack, and Kathy Shield join Sally and Kayla again to discuss how scientific research is funded with a focus on the process of allocating and distributing government funding. The panelists also share how graduate students can be involved in this...
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Dr. Maria Artunduaga on Entrepreneurship, Resilience, and Reinventing Your Dreams
When her first career dreams were absolutely dashed, Dr. Maria Artunduaga reinvented herself, founded a company, and learned to thrive.Trained as a physician in her home country, Colombia, Maria dreamed of coming to the US to become a pediatric plastic surgeon and hustled to make it happen. When...
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Skydeck: Startup University with Caroline Winnett
Skydeck, UC Berkeley’s startup accelerator program, has created a new model for funding education. They provide resources and funding to help university-affiliated founders go from idea to startup, and profits from Skydeck’s venture fund go directly back to the University. Double Shelix is...
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Science Policy - Getting Involved!
Science policy has created some of the biggest research initiatives of our lifetimes, like the Human Genome Project, the Cancer Moonshot, and even the Original Moonshot. It also dictates more mundane (but vital) aspects of scientists' lives like grant funding, and how graduate students' tuition...
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First year as faculty - with Helen Zha, PhD
You’ve secured a coveted faculty position - now what? Double Shelix welcomes Helen Zha, Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. Helen started as a faculty in January 2018, and on this episode, we discuss her experiences on the faculty job…
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Bringing lab skills to industry roles and crushing it with Heidi Norton, scientist at Biomeme
Heidi Norton joins Double Shelix to discuss her transition from graduate school to living her best life as a senior molecular biologist at Biomeme, a biotech startup in Philadelphia. She shares her tips for using enthusiasm as a networking tool, and how students and early career professionals can...
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Summer internships + rotation projects: Leveraging short-term experiences for your future career success!
How can you make the most of a short research or work experience? Sally and Kayla give their tips for how to succeed in a summer internship or research rotation, including how to manage day-to-day responsibilities, demonstrate your curiosity and eagerness, and finish strong to leave a great...
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You do Belong in Science-stravaganza!
We wrap up the You do Belong in Science series with listener stories and lessons learned from this series. Listeners write in with stories about the importance of professors' LGBTQ allyship and dealing with chronic illness in graduate school. We reveal who does not belong in science (spoiler...
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You do Belong #5 - Triumphs and challenges in international research with Dr. Suhair Sunoqrot
Professor Suhair Sunoqrot joins Sally and Kayla to discuss her experiences running her research lab at Al Zaytoonah University of Jordan and what she wishes international colleagues understood about the research climate in Jordan. Also on this episode, a listener is having a hard time fitting in...
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Illuminating the pathways to graduate school - with Christina Fuentes and Shaheen Jeeawoody
A STEM graduate degree can be a gateway to an amazing career, but many undergraduate students are unaware that these opportunities exist or how to navigate the grad school admission process. Guests Christina Fuentes and Shaheen Jeeawoody join Sally and Kayla to discuss strategies for enabling...
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You do Belong #3 - Helping students learn how to learn, with Sherri Messersmith
Many students arrive in college under-prepared for success, and professors have the responsibility - and opportunity - to help them gain skills to enable their success and find belonging in STEM. However, few professors are trained to help students develop these skills, so our guest, Sherri...
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You Do Belong #2: Youth Development through STEM Outreach with Noni Williams
The real value of STEM outreach is the positive youth development and mentorship that students receive. Being inspired to pursue a STEM career? That's just a welcome bonus, says our guest, math graduate student and data scientist Noni Williams. Noni joins Kayla and Sally to discuss effective...
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You do Belong in Science #1 - Finding Belonging with Dr. Tamara Alliston
We kick off our You do Belong in Science series with Dr. Tamara Alliston, PhD, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at UCSF. Tamara discusses her journey into science and academia, and how she found belonging through peer mentorship, despite imposter syndrome. As a mentor, Tamara works to help…
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Wellness in graduate school with Meagan Ita and Michael Magaraci
Going in, graduate students expect they'll have to work hard, but most students are unprepared for the mental anguish that grad school can induce - especially when experiments aren't going well, or when we compare to themselves to others' successes. Penn Bioengineering PhD students Meagan Ita and...
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Technical communication and hot retail trends, with Zoe Leavitt
Zoe Leavitt, senior consumer product and retail analyst at CB Insights, joins Sally and Kayla to discuss what's hot at the intersection of tech and retail. She truly has her finger on the pulse of the latest trends - and the data to back that up! We also talk about her experiences working for…
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Women's health in your 20s (and beyond!) with Dr. Katie Norton
Dr. Kathleen Norton, obstetrician/gynecologist extraordinaire, joins Kayla and Sally to tell us what grad students need to know about women's health! She dispels contraceptive myths and gets real about HPV vaccines, Pap smears, and mammograms. Dr. Norton (Sally's mom, y'all) also discusses her…
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Next-level mentorship for mentors and mentees with Julea Vlassakis
Julea Vlassakis, mentorship expert and Bioengineering PhD Candidate, joins Kayla and Sally to talk mentoring in academia and beyond. Lean how to establish productive mentor/mentee relationships and cultivate the next generation of scientists - yourself included! Beginning mentees and seasoned...
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Double Shelix E008: Teaching for active learning with Dr. LeAnn Dourte!
Award-winning engineering lecturer Dr. LeAnn Dourte joins Kayla and Sally to discuss active learning in engineering classrooms. LeAnn is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania, and has pioneered their biomechanics curricula - students build…
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Double Shelix E007: Millie Dresselhaus + Listener-inspired Magic!
We're back for Season 2, and this episode is inspired by what our listeners want to hear! Kayla and Sally are huge fans of listener-recommended science crush, the late MIT Prof. Millie Dresselhaus: Queen of Carbon Science, tireless advocate for women in STEM, and winner of the Presidential Medal…
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Double Shelix E006: Molly Sheehan // Running for a seat at the (political) table
Megan interviews Molly Sheehan, a bioengineering post-doc who is running for US Congress in 2018. Molly grew up in Pennsylvania, studied biology at Haverford College, and received her PhD in biochemistry and molecular biophysics from the University of Pennsylvania. She is now a post-doc in...
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Double Shelix E005: Emotional (dis)engagement with your work // CZ Biohub
How do you balance the fact that your happiness shouldn't be totally dependent on the outcome of your research with the fact that of course it is? Kayla and Sally tackle this listener question, and things get real. Conclusion: getting great results feels great, but if this is your only source of...
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Double Shelix E004: Qualifying Exams // Conferences
Qualifying exams: who doesn't love months of preparation for a 3 hour oral exam that (potentially) covers everything you've ever learned? Sally and Kayla try to find the bright side, and are moderately successful, but quals are still rough you guys. They also argue that departments where passing...
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Double Shelix E003: Battling imposter syndrome // Writing is part of science
Imposter syndrome sucks, especially when it keeps you from doing your best work. In this episode, Kayla and Sally discuss their own experiences overcoming three types of imposter syndrome: feeling like you were invited by mistake, comparing yourself to a superstar, and realizing that everyone...
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Double Shelix E002: Igniting an Interest in STEM
Megan interviews scientist and entrepreneur, Katy Lassahn. Katy is a co-founder of BioIgnite, a non-profit focused on bringing STEM research and discovery to young students. Megan and Katy chat about BioIgnite's experience with the NSF Innovation Corps for Learning grant, building a business, and...
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Double Shelix E001: Find and Succeed in Your Next First Job
What was your first job? The first thing you were paid to do? Your first position in your field? Kayla and Sally discuss first jobs and how to find your next first job. We argue that it’s silly that in academia your “first job” isn’t until you’re a tenure-track faculty, and that this undermines…
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Double Shelix have?
Double Shelix currently has 48 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Double Shelix about?
Conversations and real talk on women in STEM, the grad school grind, and inclusive science.
How often does Double Shelix release new episodes?
Double Shelix has 48 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Double Shelix?
You can listen to Double Shelix on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Double Shelix?
Double Shelix is created and hosted by Beta Pleated Chic.
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