PODCAST · science
From where does it STEM?
by JP Flores
Studying STEM can be daunting, difficult, and inaccessible- especially to students in marginalized, underrepresented communities with first-generation, low-income, LGBTQ+, and BIPOC identities. Eminent scientists seem to have something innate which discourages students from pursuing STEM. However, there is more than meets the eye. In this podcast, I set out to capture the adversity, upbringings, and failures that have built and shaped many diverse scientists. What do they attribute their success to? We want to get down to the roots and get to the real question... from where does it STEM?
Episodes
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Introducing a New Atlas for Latin American Scientists: Camila, Maria, Joss, & Esteban
JP hosts a roundtable with four early-career scientists launching the Atlas of Inspiring Latin American Scientists, a new project amplifying representation, mentorship, and global collaboration. A powerful conversation about imposter syndrome, visibility, returning home, and why becoming what you...
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Redefining Success in Science: Sheeva Azma
What happens when the academic path doesn’t work out but the love for science never fades? Sheeva Azma shares how she left her PhD, built a career in science journalism and policy, founded Fancy Comma LLC, and found a new way to contribute to science beyond the lab.
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Careers in Space Biology: Dr. Chris Mason & Dr. Afshin Behesti
From physics to genomics to NASA, Dr. Chris Mason and Dr. Afshin Beheshti share the unconventional paths that led them into space biology. We talk about collaboration, GeneLab working groups, how high school and undergraduate students can join real NASA projects, and why curiosity, not…
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Building the Tools That Built Genomics: Dr. Steve Henikoff
HHMI Investigator Steven Henikoff shares the untold story behind BLOSUM matrices, centromere biology, and the early days of computational genomics. From being drafted during Vietnam to shaping how we align every protein sequence today, this episode explores how curiosity, collaboration, and...
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From Manjimup to Manhattan: Dr. Shane Liddelow
NYU neuroscientist Shane Liddelow shares his path from a small town in Western Australia to Stanford and beyond: how mentorship shaped him, how he builds lab culture with feedback and trust, and why confidence, community, and clear communication matter as much as grit.
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Behind the Desk at Cell and Inside the Minds of Scientific Editors: Dr. Emma Yee & Dr. Janhavi Kohle
What happens after you submit a paper to a journal like Cell? In this episode, JP talks with two scientific editors from Cell Press about how peer review really works, how editorial decisions are made, and what it’s like to build a career in scientific editing. From presubmissions and reviewer...
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Shifting the System: Dr. David Asai
In this special episode, From where does it STEM? co-host Angelique Allen talks with Dr. David Asai about reimagining science education, equity in STEM, and why changing the system means changing what (and who!) we value."
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From Information to Innovation: Dr. Melissa Haendel
Dr. Melissa Haendel just joined UNC as its newest faculty member, shaking up the world of biomedical data. We talk big data, open science, and how she’s working to make research more connected, collaborative, and impactful.
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The Future of Marine Science: Dr. Monica Medina
Corals, symbiosis, and scientific courage—Dr. Mónica Medina dives deep into what it means to study and protect life underwater. We talk about reef conservation, community, and leading with heart in science. This episode was co-hosted with HHMI Gilliam Fellow Danny Olivares-Cordero, a researcher...
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The Evolving Role of Scientists in Leadership & Impact: Dr. Keith Yamamoto
Policy powerhouse, science champion, and advocate for equity—Dr. Keith Yamamoto has done it all. In this episode, we talk about precision medicine, open science, and how bold ideas can reshape the future of research.
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Breaking Down Barriers for Hispanic/Latinx Scientists: Dr. Benjamin Garcia
Mass spec, mentorship, and making science more inclusive—Dr. Ben Garcia does it all. In this episode, we talk about his journey through proteomics, pushing the boundaries of epigenetics, and lifting up the next generation of scientists. This episode was co-hosted with Jovan Tomes Vaquerano, a...
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Balancing Civic Service & Science: Mayor Barbara Foushee
Trailblazer, community builder, and scientist—Mayor Barbara Foushee wears many hats. In this episode, we talk about making history in Carrboro, leading with purpose, and staying rooted in service every step of the way
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Shaping the Future of Bioengineering: Dr. Kaitlyn Sadtler
In this episode, I chatted with Dr. Kaitlyn Sadtler, who is pushing the boundaries of biomedical science. Co-hosted with HHMI Gilliam Fellow and ChemE PhD Candidate Sydney Floryanzia, we talk about their groundbreaking research, the twists and turns of their scientific journeys, and the power of...
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Making Waves in Science, Science Communication, and Representation: Jaida Elcock
In this episode, I chat with Jaida Elcock, a marine biologist studying basking sharks, and co-host with HHMI Gilliam Fellow Danny Olivares-Cordero, a researcher studying coral and coral reefs. We dive into their journeys, their research, and what keeps them hooked on the ocean’s mysteries!
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Bridging Science & Story: Sabrina Imbler
In this episode, we chatted with Sabrina Imbler, a science writer exploring the wonders of the natural world. They also wrote one of my favorite books of all time: How Far the Light Reaches! Co-host, Angelique Allen, a scientist and HHMI Gilliam Fellow made their podcast debut. She is passionate...
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Educating Communities through Global Experiences: Zingfa Wala
In this episode, I co-hosted Zingfa Wala with fellow Occidental Alumnus Julissa Larios. Both work at the Organization of Tropical Studies (OTS) and are passionate about science outreach, education, and community.
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Inspiring the Next Generation of Filipino Scientists: Dr. Sheila Teves & Dr. Lawrence David
In this episode, I interviewed Dr. Sheila Teves (UBC) and Dr. Lawrence David (Duke U) with a fellow graduate student at Duke, Enya (@DewarsEnya)! Words cannot explain how fun it was chatting with other Filipino scientists 😊🇵🇭 #representationmatters
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Finding Fulfillment in Science : Dr. Harmit Malik
In this episode, I interviewed Dr. Harmit Malik.
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Rethinking How We Teach Science : Dr. Bryan Dewsbury
In this episode, I interviewed Dr. Bryan Dewsbury, an Associate Professor of Biology at Florida International University (FIU). Per the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI): He is the Principal Investigator of the Science Education And Society (SEAS) research program, which blends research on…
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Bring Others Up With You: Dr. Michael Johnson
In this episode, I interviewed Dr. Michael Johnson, an Associate Professor of Immunobiology and Associate Dean for Basic Science Research and Graduate Studies in the College of Medicine at the University of Arizona. He is also the Director of the National Summer Undergraduate Research Project...
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Representation Matters: Dr. Andre Isaacs
In this episode, Dr. Zack Drum, a postdoc in my lab, and I interviewed Dr. Andre Isaacs. Andre is originally from Jamaica and moved to the US to attend College of the Holy Cross, where he received his BA in Chemistry. He then went on to pursue his PhD at the University of Pennsylvania and his...
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What Makes a "Good" Scientist? : Dr. Roshni Patel & Dr. Rachel Ungar
In this episode, I interviewed Dr. Roshni Patel & Dr. Rachel Ungar. As graduate students at Stanford University in the Pritchard and Montgomery labs, respectively, they created a genetics & ethics course and published about it! Check it out here: Increasing equity in science requires better…
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Science is Fallible: Angela Saini
In this episode, I interviewed Angela Saini with Dr. Mike Love. Angela is a prominent author interested in bridging science and society. Her works include the fantastic books: Inferior: How Science Got Women Wrong and the New Research That’s Rewriting the Story Superior: The Return of Race…
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A Night at the American Museum of Natural History: Dr. Sean Decatur
In this episode, I interviewed Dr. Sean Decatur, the President of the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) with my lab's amazing manager, Sylvie Parkus.
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Authenticity & Moving the Culture of Science Forward: Dr. Raven Baxter
In this episode, I interviewed Dr. Raven Baxter, otherwise known as Raven the Science Maven. She is a prominent scientist, science communicator, and STEM educator. She is also the President of the The Science Haven.
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Bridging Science & Society : Dr. Alondra Nelson
In this episode, I interviewed Dr. Alondra Nelson, the Harold F. Linder Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey. Per her website: Dr. Nelson was formerly deputy assistant to President Joe Biden and acting director of the White House Office of Science and Technology...
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Building Trust in Science Requires Diversity: Dr. Freeman Hrabowski
In this episode, I interviewed Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, the President Emeritus of The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). Per his website: He has given numerous TED talks and chaired the National Academies’ committee that produced the report, Expanding Underrepresented Minority...
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Science is a Living, Breathing Process: Dr. Holden Thorp
In this episode, I interviewed Dr. Holden Thorp, the Editor-In-Chief of Science Magazine. Formerly, he was Provost of Washington University in St. Louis and spent three decades at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), where he was Chancellor, Dean of the College of Arts and...
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Directing the National Science Foundation (NSF) : Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan
In this episode, I interviewed Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan, the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF).
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Empowering Women in STEM: Dr. Marcia McNutt
In this episode, I chatted with Dr. Marcia McNutt. A decorated scientist who was the 15th Director (and 1st woman) of the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the President and CEO of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), a Professor of Marine Geophysics at Stanford University...
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Helping Underrepresented Students Move Up the Socioeconomic Ladder : Dr. Robert Fernandez
In this episode, I chatted with Dr. Robert Fernandez, the Executive Director of Cientifico Latino, and a United States Obama Leaders for the Obama Foundation Leaders USA Program. He is a former PD Soros Fellow and a former undocumented immigrant who once had a dream of becoming a scientist. His...
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Empowering the next generation of Hispanic/Latinx Scientists: Dr. Tina Termini
When Doris (formerly UNC PREP Postbac Scholar, Currently University of Michigan PhD student) was applying to graduate school, JP connected her with Dr. Christina Termini, the creator of the List of 100 Inspiring Hispanic/Latinx Scientists. In this conversation, we mentioned expanding that list…
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Getting Everyone to their Destination: Dr. Lyric Jorgenson
In this episode, I interviewed Dr. Lyric Jorgenson, the Associate Director of Science Policy and the Director of the Office of Science Policy at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Per the NIH Office of Science Policy website, she provides senior leadership in the development and oversight…
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How Can Artificial Intelligence (AI) be kind? : Dr. Yim Register
In this episode, I interviewed Dr. Yim Register (they/them). A recently minted DOCTOR. Per their website, they are an NSF GRFP Fellow and got their PhD from the University of Washington (UW) Information School. At UW, they studied the ways that AI algorithms can cause harm, and the best practices...
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Giving People Power to Change : Dr. Beronda Montgomery
In this episode, I interviewed Dr. Beronda Montgomery, an amazing mentor, leader, and author of "Lessons from Plants". Per her website, she is a writer, researcher, and scholar who pursues a common theme of understanding how individuals perceive, respond to, and are impacted by the environments…
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Hearing it from the Top: Dr. Neali Lucas
In this episode, I interviewed Dr. Neali Lucas. She has been at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for 14 years, where she is currently the Senior Science Advisor in the Office of the Commissioner, Office of the Chief Scientist. She was the first African-American scientist to graduate from…
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Impact Through Science Policy: Dr. Adriana Bankston
In this episode, guest co-host Rami Major and I interviewed Dr. Adriana Bankston. Per her website, she is an advocate for scientific research and innovation at the federal level. For close to a decade, Adriana has worked to nurture U.S. competitiveness in science and technology through a number…
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Finding your Science Communication Identity : Dr. Pallav Kosuri
In this episode, I interviewed Dr. Pallav Kosuri. Per Pallav's website, he studied physics in college at KTH in Stockholm, Sweden (where he's from). As a PhD student in the lab of Julio Fernandez at Columbia University, he studied the mechanics of protein folding and discovered that we can…
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Mentoring the Next Generation of Diverse Scholars : Dr. Mike Summers
Dr. Michael Summers is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, and the Robert E. Meyerhoff Chair for Excellence in Research and Mentoring and Distinguished University Professor at UMBC. He is also an Investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Research in his laboratory is aimed…
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Staying Inspired and Empowered in STEM : Dr. Antentor O. Hinton Jr.
In this episode, I interviewed Dr. Antentor Hinton Jr. Per his biosketch on his lab website, he is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics in the Vanderbilt School of Medicine Basic Sciences at Vanderbilt University and a member of the…
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The Frontier of Women's Healthcare : Dr. Crystal Schiller
In this episode, I interviewed Dr. Crystal Schiller, a clinical psychologist specializing in women’s mental health. She studies how hormones trigger changes in mood over the course of the reproductive life span—during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, postpartum, and the transition to menopause.…
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Building Science Community through Social Media: Dr. Ubadah Sabbagh & Dr. Daniel Gonzales
In this episode, I interviewed Dr. Ubadah Sabbagh & Dr. Daniel Gonzales. Ubadah is a Syrian neuroscientist and NIH K00 Fellow at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT, and Daniel just started a faculty position at Vanderbilt University in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. They...
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Directing the NHGRI : Dr. Eric Green
In this episode, I co-hosted Dr. Eric Green, Director of the NHGRI with Parth and Chinmay, the co-hosts of Biocast. He is the third NHGRI director, having been appointed by NIH director Dr. Francis Collins in 2009. In this episode, we talked about mentorship, baseball, and what it's like to head…
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Reunion! : A Follow-up with Dr. Karolin Luger and the Hosts of Biocast
In this episode, I co-hosted Dr. Karolin Luger with Chinmay and Parth, the co-hosts of a partner podcast with From where does it STEM? called Biocast. Biocast is a biology podcast made to serve as a resource for anyone interested in biology: whether it be about recent breakthroughs in research,...
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Field Safety in Field Biology: Dr. Murry Burgess
In this episode, I interviewed Dr. Murry Burgess. When I interviewed Murry in 2023, she was a PhD candidate at North Carolina State University, and now she is a tenure-track Assistant Professor at Mississippi State University. She is an ornithology and urban ecology researcher, but she is also a...
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Preventing Global Pandemics: Dr. Dimie Ogoina
In this episode, I interviewed Dr. Dimie Ogoina. Dr. Ogoina is a Nigerian Infectious Disease Physician-Scientist and Professor of Medicine at the Niger Delta University. He is also the chief medical director at its teaching hospital and the President of the Nigerian Infectious Diseases Society.…
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When Pigs Fly: Dr. Muhammad Mohiuddin
In this episode, I had a conversation with Dr. Muhammad Mohiuddin. Dr. Mohiuddin and his team transplanted the first gene-edited pig heart into a human. Currently, he is the Director of the Cardiac Xenotransplantation Program at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. He...
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Incorporating Patient Engagement: Lisa McCorkell
In this episode, I had a conversation with Lisa McCorkell, a Long COVID Patient-Researcher and Advocate. She received a Masters in Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles. Currently, she…
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From Los Angeles to New Jersey: Dr. Mike Levine
Dr. Mike Levine is the Director of the Lewis Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics at Princeton University. Originally from Southern California, Mike sat down with me and Marielle Bond to talk about his scientific journey and how he ended up in New Jersey ("of all places!"). He was an…
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Science isn't a "One Person Show": Dr. Diana Greene Foster
Dr. Diana Greene Foster is a Professor at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and the Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH) program. She was just named a 2023 MacArthur Fellow and in 2022, was named by Nature as one of the top 10 scientists shaping science today....
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Studying STEM can be daunting, difficult, and inaccessible- especially to students in marginalized, underrepresented communities with first-generation, low-income, LGBTQ+, and BIPOC identities. Eminent scientists seem to have something innate which discourages students from pursuing STEM. However, there is more than meets the eye. In this podcast, I set out to capture the adversity, upbringings, and failures that have built and shaped many diverse scientists. What do they attribute their success to? We want to get down to the roots and get to the real question... from where does it STEM?
HOSTED BY
JP Flores
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does From where does it STEM? have?
From where does it STEM? currently has 50 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is From where does it STEM? about?
Studying STEM can be daunting, difficult, and inaccessible- especially to students in marginalized, underrepresented communities with first-generation, low-income, LGBTQ+, and BIPOC identities. Eminent scientists seem to have something innate which discourages students from pursuing STEM. However,...
How often does From where does it STEM? release new episodes?
From where does it STEM? has 50 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to From where does it STEM??
You can listen to From where does it STEM? 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 From where does it STEM??
From where does it STEM? is created and hosted by JP Flores.
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