Minorities in Stem Podcast

Roberto Polanco
Minorities in Stem Podcast

The MIS podcast is a platform to highlight and share stories of successful people of color in STEM. Twice a month we talk to Scientists, engineers, technologists, and medical professionals of all ages and similar walks of life. We will discuss a number of topics such as upbringings, experiences, obstacles, career and successes as minorities in STEM. You will find out what these people do, and how they got there. These interviews are intended to create a community that will inspire, motivate, and educate on the opportunities and impact of STEM.

Episodes

  1. Episode 10 | "Dr. Andre Samuel- The Citizens Science Lab"

    02/01/2023

    Episode 10 | "Dr. Andre Samuel- The Citizens Science Lab"

    On episode 10 of the Minorities in STEM podcast we get to meet Dr. Andre Samuel!  Dr. Andre Samuel, was raised in Washington, DC and graduated from the University of the District of Columbia with a degree in Biology. Following graduate study at the George Washington University in Genomics and Bioinformatics, he received his PhD in Biology from Duquesne University. At Duquesne, his research focused on studying the structure and function of the cold shock related proteins in E. coli. As a Ph.D. candidate, Dr. Samuel founded the S.I.G.M.A Science Mentorship Initiative, a summer study program designed to introduce diverse ninth graders to the University’s lab with the long-term goal of encouraging the pursuit of careers in scientific research. Dr. Samuel’s research experience includes studying toxicology and carcinogenicity effects of novel drugs, hookworm vaccine development under the direction of Dr. Peter Hotez and tuberculosis reactivation in non-human primates in the laboratories of Dr. JoAnne Flynn. Dr. Samuel has a passion for STEM education and life science research. He believes that creating fun engaging and hands-on lab experiences for people is the best pathway to an interest in STEM. As Founder and CEO of The Citizen Science Lab Dr. Samuel has received a number of awards for its work throughout the community. In 2015 Dr. Samuel was awarded the BMe leadership award recognized for his excellence and positive impact Through The Citizen Science Lab on black males. In 2016 The Citizen Science Lab received four awards for their participation and Seaperch and The Citizen Science Lab was also selected to participate in the Navy embark program. This program selects highly recognized educators to travel  to the Naval Base in San Diego and spend 24 hours on a deployed aircraft carrier. Also, in 2016 Dr. Samuel received the President's Volunteer Service Award from the Obama Administration. In 2017 The Citizen Science Lab received the PSAYDEN after school champion award and the Iota Phi Foundation’s Excellence in Education Award. Dr. Samuel has also been selected as an inaugural member of the Lead Now Pittsburgh cohort created by Leadership Pittsburgh and just recently, in 2020, received the Carnegie Science Center’s Leadership in STEM education.  Host - @berto609 (instagram/twitter)    Guest - @drafro71 (instagram/twitter)   *As always if you are inspired by something you hear on the podcast or would like to connect with one of the guests to talk about any questions you may have, feel free to reach out to myself to get you in contact or you may reach out to the guest directly.*    Click the link for Podcast audio links & Social Media - https://linktr.ee/minstem    If you'd like to share your experiences in a STEM career reach out on social media or by email!  Please subscribe, follow & Share!

    40 min
  2. TRAILER

    "Minorities in STEM Podcast" Trailer

    Hello everyone this is Roberto from the Minorities in STEM podcast. For those that don't know STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math. Being a minority in the STEM field has been a life changing experience for me so far in my career. I am an Electrical and Computer engineer graduated from Rutgers University C/O 2015. I have experience as an electrical design engineer and most recently as a testing & commissioning engineer. Even though it wasn't an easy road, I am thankful for the opportunities that engineering has provided me and for the experiences i've had so far. I've gotten the opportunity to travel to various countries such as Sweden, Germany, Mexico and various other states on behalf of the company. I've been the lead engineer responsible for multi-million dollar projects. I've also even had the opportunity to meet many successful and intelligent individuals working on very interesting projects and issues facing our society. Engineering for me specifically has also provided me the ability to serve the community and work on my passion. Recently I've been really thinking about the past year that we've all experienced in 2020 and the work that I do as an engineer. i came to the realization that the US and the world around us as a whole is rapidly evolving towards a heavy information driven, and technologically advanced society. Not to mention the Corona Virus has significantly changed the way we function and go about our day to day. Given the fact that this societal shift is causing STEM to grow at a rapid pace, there are not enough people of color, especially black and brown represented in the field. I think minorities are both under-represented and under-informed on the importance and benefits of STEM careers. Too many times we see minorities not have access to the same resources and opportunities. With these challenges it can be difficult to excel or seek motivation. It's tough enough that most of us from minority backgrounds don't come from money. But it's also tough knowing that sometimes we become a product of our environments due to the extra struggles and distractions around us. I think there are not enough advocates for education in our communities or enough diverse role models to show all the opportunities out there and to motivate the youth. I intend to interview POC who are in a field related to STEM. I hope to have these interviews create a community that will inspire, motivate, and educate on the opportunities and impact of STEM on society and on a personal level. My goal is to promote STEM career paths to minorities and to the next generation as well as to change the perception that there aren't enough ways to make it. I want to see all of us become successful and make an impact on society. If this sounds like something you'd be interested in, stay tune for the first episode starting March 1. You can also follow me on social media. MIS  is on Instagram, and twitter. The episodes will be on spotify, apple podcast, google podcast, and more. Everything will be listed in my linktree link. If you have any questions or may like to be a part of a future show, feel free to send an email to MinStempod@gmail.com or message me on any of the socials. Lastly if you find that you enjoy our podcast, please be sure to spread the word to any friends, family, co workers, etc. that you think would find value in our podcast. Thanks for the support. https://linktr.ee/minstem

    2 min

Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

The MIS podcast is a platform to highlight and share stories of successful people of color in STEM. Twice a month we talk to Scientists, engineers, technologists, and medical professionals of all ages and similar walks of life. We will discuss a number of topics such as upbringings, experiences, obstacles, career and successes as minorities in STEM. You will find out what these people do, and how they got there. These interviews are intended to create a community that will inspire, motivate, and educate on the opportunities and impact of STEM.

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada