Ordinarily Extraordinary - Conversations with women in STEM Kathy Nelson

Sheryl Recinos is a physician, author, speaker and advocate. She is a locums hospitalist. After spending her teen years homeless and living on the streets in Los Angeles, she got a Bachelor's Degree in Cellular and Microbiology and later went back to school for her MD. Her childhood trauma helps her identify trauma in patients she sees and she advocates and works with homeless in Los Angeles. She has written several books about homelessness including a memoir, Hindsight, which chronicles her childhood.

What do we talk about in this episode?
Sheryl's traumatic childhood and how she survived and became a physician.How the trauma she grew up with helps her in her job as a physician.How she strives to be the parent she always wanted to have.Her writing career. She has written a memoir about her childhood, a series of young adult books, and is about to publish a children's book.How the system not only failed her as a child, but actually worked against her.Her life now a physician, author, speaker, and mother.Music used in the podcast: Higher Up, Silverman Sound Studio
You can support my podcast on Patreon here: https://patreon.com/user?u=72701887
Resources
You can find lots of information and resources and work Sheryl is doing here: https://sherylrecinosmd.com
"Hindsight: Coming of Age on the Streets of Hollywood":  https://www.amazon.com/Hindsight-Coming-age-streets-Hollywood-ebook/dp/B07HYJTPKZ/ref=sr_1_1?qid=1583000285&refinements=p_27%3ASheryl+Recinos&s=digital-text&sr=1-1&text=Sheryl+Recinos
My Friend's Place - For 33 years and counting, My Friend’s Place has been
assisting and inspiring youth experiencing homelessness
to build self-sufficient lives. (https://www.myfriendsplace.org)
There's a lot of information and statistics on foster care system that can be found here: https://www.aecf.org/blog/child-welfare-and-foster-care-statistics
One in every five foster youth is homeless when they age out of the system at 18. Ten percent of foster children are placed in institutions and group homes, many of whom are older teenagers. Four percent of foster cases have the goal of emancipation, but over 50 percent have the goal of reunification. (https://www.fosterva.org/blog/what-happens-to-foster-children-when-they-turn-18#:~:text=One%20in%20every%20five%20foster,have%20the%20goal%20of%20reunification.)

Karen Laos, Communication Expert and Confidence Cultivator, is on a mission to eradicate self-doubt in 10 million women by giving them simple strategies to ask for what they want in the boardroom and beyond. She guides corporations and individuals with a proven model and is known for her actionable tips and ability to build trust quickly. During her corporate career, she led a team of facilitators while traveling the globe consulting industry leaders on the seemingly soft skills that impact the bottom line. Karen is the author of Trust Your Own Voice: Growing Your Influence Through Confident Communication, as well as the host of her highly ranked podcast, Ignite Your Confidence.

What do we talk about in this episode?
How Karen got into confidence coaching.Karen's signature "Confidence Cocktail"TM.Karen provides advice and tips on how to improve your confidence.Her influences in childhood that helped her build her confidence.How to introduce yourself using the PPU method.Creating a Celebration Portfolio.Music used in the podcast: Higher Up, Silverman Sound Studio
You can support my podcast on Patreon here: https://patreon.com/user?u=72701887
Resources
Karen Laos' website: https://karenlaos.com
"Trust Your Own Voice: Growing Your Influence Through Confident Communication" book. (https://karenlaos.com/book/)
"Ignite Your Confidence" Podcast (https://karenlaos.com/podcast/)
Between the ages of 8 and 14, girls' confidence levels fall by 30 percent. At 14, when girls are hitting their low, boys' confidence is still 27 percent higher. (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/01/well/family/confidence-gap-teen-girls-tips-parents.html)
"Pioneers in Skirts" An Emmy-nominated 60-minute documentary about the issues that affect a woman’s pioneering ambition. Real-life stories and frank commentary leave viewers seeing their role in the solution, feeling hopeful, and motivated to act. (https://www.pioneersinskirts.com)
The phrase “Women must be seen and not heard” originates from an old English proverb, “Children must be seen and not heard”. This proverb first appeared in a book by John Mirk published in the 15th century titled Mirks Festial. (https://doseofwonani.wordpress.com/2021/08/23/why-i-have-a-problem-with-women-must-be-seen-and-not-heard/#:~:text=The%20phrase%20“Women%20must%20be,15th%20century%20titled%20Mirks%20Festial.)

Liz Lee Heinecke is an author and media figure for science and STEM. She has loved science she was young which drew her to study molecular biology where she worked in research for ten years. As she transitioned to parenting, she began sharing her love of science through experiments with her kids which became the basis for her books and media appearances. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Art and a Master's Degree in Bacteriology.

What do we talk about in this episode?
How Liz got involved in writing and media appearances in STEM.How you can potentially get involved in presenting STEM on TV.Her philosophy about saying "yes" and trying anything which has led to great experiences.Teachers can put kids on a good or bad trajectory. They have a lot of influence - good or bad.Math is a language and should be taught as a language.Experiment Outside the Box.Music used in the podcast: Higher Up, Silverman Sound Studio
You can support my podcast on Patreon here: https://patreon.com/user?u=72701887

Resources

Liz's website with her books and appearances: www.lizleeheincke.com
Connect with Liz here: Email at lizleeheinecke@gmail.com or find her @lizheinecke on Instagram, @kitchpantrysci on Twitter and Liz Heinecke, The Kitchen Pantry Scientist on Facebook.
Books:
Biology for Kids
Kitchen Science Lab for Kids, Edible Edition
Outdoor Science Lab for Kids
Chemistry for Kids
STEAM Lab for Kids
Kitchen Science Lab for Kids
Star Wars The Padman Cookbook
Ecology for Kids
Physics for Kids
Star Wars Maker Lab
Sheet Pan Science
Kitchen Science for Kids
She Can STEM: 50 Trailblazing Women in Science From Ancient History to Now
Super Fun Kitchen Science Experiments for Kids: 52 Family Friendly Experiments From Around the World
Radiant: The Dancer, The Scientist, and a Friendship Forged in Light

Pamela Kellert is a strategic leadership coach focusing on women in STEM. She works with individuals and organizations to elevate their leadership skills, confidence and organizational impact. She is the Founder of Women Leading in STEM. Prior to starting her own business, she spent 16 years in the corporate world leading strategy within technical companies in the transportation sector.

What do we talk about in this episode?
Pamela's work as a career coach and strategist.The importance of mentors, networks, and community.We discuss how far women have come in leadership roles. Men have been leaders for thousands of years. It's been very recent that women have been in leadership. Sometimes we get discouraged thinking we're not making progress fast enough, but we are making progress! It's an important perspective.How can we make a better and more productive user experience for women in STEM at work.Do we need "job therapy"?We discuss the systems we work in and how they affect women's views of themselves.
Music used in the podcast: Higher Up, Silverman Sound Studio

You can support my podcast on Patreon here: https://patreon.com/user?u=72701887

Resources

www.womenleadinginstem.com

https://www.facebook.com/groups/womenleadinginstem

List of elected and appointed female heads of state and government: The first woman to be democratically elected as prime minister of a country was Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka), when she led her party to victory in the July 1960 general election. (Wikipedia)

Fewer than a third of UN member states have ever had a woman leader. Women currently serve as the head of government in just 13 of the 193 member states of the United Nations. And fewer than a third of UN countries have ever had a woman leader, according to a Pew Research Center analysis. (https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/03/28/women-leaders-around-the-world/)

Research has shown that firms with more women in senior positions are more profitable, more socially responsible, and provide safer, higher-quality customer experiences — among many other benefits. (https://hbr.org/2021/04/research-adding-women-to-the-c-suite-changes-how-companies-think)

Countries led by women had “systematically and significantly better” Covid-19 outcomes, research appears to show, locking down earlier and suffering half as many deaths on average as those led by men. (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/18/female-led-countries-handled-coronavirus-better-study-jacinda-ardern-angela-merkel)

Between the ages of 8 and 14, girls' confidence levels fall by 30 percent. At 14, when girls are hitting their low, boys' confidence is still 27 percent higher. (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/01/well/family/confidence-gap-teen-girls-tips-parents.html#:~:text=and%20their%20parents.-,Between%20the%20ages%20of%208%20and%2014%2C%20girls%27%20confidence%20levels,is%20still%2027%20percent%20higher.)

Dr. Alison Banwell is a Glaciologist and Research Scientist in the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES), part of the University of Colorado Boulder. She studies glaciers in the Arctic and Antarctica and glacial lakes that form from glacial ice melt. She has led many field expeditions in Antarctica and has also conducted fieldwork on the Greenland Ice Sheet, Svalbard and the Himalaya. She has a PhD in Polar Studies from the University of Cambridge.

What do we talk about in this episode?
What is a glaciologist or glacier scientist and how she got interested in this field.How climate change is affecting glaciers throughout the world and how studying glaciers can help understand climate change.What her field work experiences in Antarctica and the Arctic.What it's like to be a glaciologist when you hate the cold!How does one get to Antarctica for work (it's a really long commute)?Penguins in Antarctica...they're so cool!Music used in the podcast: Higher Up, Silverman Sound Studio
You can support my podcast on Patreon here: https://patreon.com/user?u=72701887
Resources
Contact Dr. Banwell: email: alison.banwell@colorado.edu; Instagram & Twitter: @alibanwell

Info on Dr. Alison Banwell and links to her publications: https://cires.colorado.edu/researcher/alison-banwell

3.2% of all climbers are women. 

Longyearbyen is the administrative centre of Svalbard, is a tiny Norwegian metropolis with 2,400 residents from almost 53 different countries. Longyearbyen is the gateway to the nature-based experiences and the starting point for most adventures in Svalbard. (https://en.visitsvalbard.com/visitor-information/destinations/longyearbyen)

As powerful predators, polar bears pose a major risk to human life and property. Throughout the polar bear’s range, attacks on humans and property continue to rise. In recent years, more than 20 direct attacks on humans have been reported within the polar bear’s range. (WWF)

Leopard seals are the only seals known to regularly hunt and kill warm-blooded prey, including other seals. Although rare, there are a few records of adult leopard seals attacking humans. (www.doc.govt.nz)

A glacier is an accumulation of ice and snow that slowly flows over land. At higher elevations, more snow typically falls than melts, adding to its mass. (https://nsidc.org/learn/parts-cryosphere/glaciers)

Mer de Glace, (French: “Sea of Ice”) one of the longest glaciers in the Alps, extending for 3.5 miles (5.6 km) on the northern side of Mont Blanc near Chamonix, France. (Britannica)

McMurdo Station is located on volcanic rock marking  the southernmost solid ground accessible by ship, it is the gateway of most all scientific, private, and touristic jaunts into the Antarctic. (https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/mcmurdo-station)

The Drake Passage is the body of water between South America's Cape Horn, Chile, Argentina and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica. It connects the southwestern part of the Atlantic Ocean (Scotia Sea) with the southeastern part of the Pacific Ocean and extends into the Southern Ocean. The passage is named after the 16th-century English explorer and privateer Sir Francis Drake. The Drake Passage is considered one of the most treacherous voyages for ships to make. Currents at its latitude meet no resistance from any landmass, and waves top 40 feet (12 m), hence its reputation as "the most powerful convergence of seas". (Wikipedia)

Nancy Joie Wilkie worked for over thirty years in both the biotechnology industry and as part of the Federal Government’s biodefense effort. Nancy is now retired and explores many creative pursuits including writing, composing original music, playing a variety of instruments, and is recording many of her compositions. Nancy has a BA degree in Biology and a MS degree in Bio-Chemistry.

What do we talk about in this episode?
Nancy recently published a book "Faraway and Forever", a collection of 5 novelettes combining STEM, science fiction, and faith. Nancy shares how she brings together her STEM career, music, writing, and art into her life in retirement. She shares how she got into biochemistry in the late 1970s and her successes and challenges.
How Nancy weaves art, music, and writing into her life now that she is retired.How her grandfather influenced her which led to her becoming a biochemist.Her experience working at NIH and developing the second known small pox vaccination.Faith and science. One does not preclude the other.Music used in the podcast: Higher Up, Silverman Sound Studio
You can support my podcast on Patreon here: https://patreon.com/user?u=72701887
Resources
http://www.mindsights.net - Nancy's website featuring her art, music, and writings.
"Faraway and Forever" by Nancy Joie Wilkie. A collection of 5 novellas.
Radiocarbon dating, or carbon-14 dating, is a scientific method that can accurately determine the age of organic materials as old as approximately 60,000 years. First developed in the late 1940s at the University of Chicago by Willard Libby, the technique is based on the decay of the carbon-14 isotope. (news.uchicago.edu).