This Grad Life Podcast thisgradlife

Meet Dr. Alexander Bay, Chair of the Department of History. This history buff uses his studies on a modernizing Japan to help fight diseases today. You see, many of the challenges a modernizing nation faced are paralleled in developing nations today. Turns out, it's much more than making sewers and indoor toilets. It's about fighting ignorance telling people to wash their god damn hands. Also discussed is the power donuts have on writing.

Meet Richa Yeshvekar, plant biologist at University of Leeds. This agricultural scientist wants to help feed people. But along the way, she stumbled upon an interesting question regarding flowers. Most living creatures have a ton of variation within the species. Folks, for example, come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. But flowers of a species all look the same! Turns out, they try real hard at making it that way. In this episode, Richa will talk about why. But this research ain't no bed of roses (except when it literally is). She also coordinates a student wellness group on campus. When all else fails, there is always chai.

Meet Dr. Carey Huh, neuroscientist at UCI. She looks at the connections in the brain, and how they might explain amblyopia, also known as lazy eye. Using the latest and greatest in brain imaging, she can SEE neurons firing in REAL TIME. That’s gonna help her develop new therapies to help adults with this condition. As a bonus discussion, we talk about science communication and getting down to what we are all about. You know, good ol’ fashion nihilistic fun. To learn more about Carey, head on over to www.thisgradlife.com/careyhuh

Meet Scott Kiliansky. This friendly sci-fi nerd got into neuroscience in order to live out his sci-fi nerd fantasies. He researches how memories are changed and strengthened as we sleep. It's the first step on his way to figuring out how to connect our brains to machines and turn us into cyborgs! We also talk about our shared experiences through therapy, and all of the things we have gotten out of it. Also discussed is what is easily the most struggle meal I've come across on this show. To learn more about Scott, head on over to www.thisgradlife.com/podcast/scottkiliansky.

Meet Kendra Walters, who examines the mobility of microbes. These little dudes are an important part of *cue music* the circle of liiiiiife! They eat all the dead stuff, so all the new stuff can grow! But how the heck did they get there? Well, with lots of fun (existentially dreadful) long term studies, Kendra hopes to find out! Listen to how she battles her perfectionism in the face of months long experiments. Spoiler alert, the solution is cheese. The melty-gooey kind.

Meet Jaclyn Beck. She studies the aging process of microglia, which make up the brain's personal immune system defense force. While important, these cells are heavily implicated in Alzheimer's disease. Since age is the biggest risk factor for this disease, she's trying to figure out a way to artificially age these cells. That way, they can be studied more easily. And she gave up a stable NASA job in order to do so! Why yes, I too prefer ice cream when dealing with my own impostor's syndrome.