Show Notes In this episode, Alix Sideris joins me to talk about art as a service, how spirituality plays a role in her life, and how she’s responded to change with a global approach to art-sharing. (0:01:40) A massively hyphenated human: Acting, writing, directing, teaching, movement, intimacy direction and coordination. (0:02:42) A person of service: A purpose to uplift and expand. (0:04:10) What it is to be human: The ultimate exploration and investigation. (0:05:58) The Magnetic North...

Show Notes**** In this episode, we talk about the realities, and challenges faced by today's University students, and professors. Are professors paid enough? Are there too many students today? How can education improve? Dr. Elaine Beaulieu joins me to explore these topics, and share her experience, and opinions, on the topic! (0:01:02) Beyond the Test Tube, research and the Faculty of Science. (0:01:37) Switching to innovation in education: The why and the how. (0:04:04) Working as a...

Show Notes Tania is a public servant who’s also a working artist. In this episode, we talk about what it’s like to be an artist with a job. We also deep dive into design strategy, including design thinking, user research, and service design. (0:02:28) Artists in the office: The challenges and value. (0:03:50) Receiving flak: The art world vs the corporate world. (0:05:42) Finding time for art: Using your leave and dispelling the myths. (0:07:58) Modifying work hours in the public...

Show Notes In this episode, we talk all about predators of North America! What’s the best way to manage predators in a world where humans encroach more and more into their territory? What’s the best way to deter them? Petros Chrysafis joins me to talk about this fascinating topic! (0:00:30) Central Valley and living in California.  (0:01:38) Wildlife in California and North American animals. (0:02:52) Marine Biology and Zoology: The journey to a career. (0:05:50) Social vs solitary...

In this episode, we talk about how we know the climate is changing, as well as how and why we study past climates.We also explore things like mass extinction events, isotopes, and science communication. (0:01:06) So many specialities. (0:01:51) Turonian Global sea levels: Was there ice?  (0:03:45) Geochemical proxies: Helping reconstruct climate. (0:04:49) Milankovitch cycles and our wobbly Earth. (0:05:56) Our dependence on the other planets: A synergy that keeps us alive. (0:07:26) Mars:...

What role might the environment play on autoimmune diseases, like asthma? What could we learn about antibiotic use in pregnant women? Reproductive immunologist, and researcher, Dr. Melanie Conrad joins me to talk about these topics, and about the work she, and her team, are doing to uncover new information about how the immune system works! (0:00:45) Moving to Germany and accents. (0:02:42) Research and the study of asthma. (0:04:07) The journey to studying asthma. (0:06:22) Environmental...

How did Tardigrades evolve? Where can we find them? Are there Tardigrades in Space? All this, and more, with Biologist Dr. Frank Smith! (0:00:55) Tardigrades in concrete. (0:01:35) Finding tardigrades: Moss, leaf litter and lichens. (0:02:50) Marine tardigrades: The contraption and process for collection. (0:05:54) Cryptobiosis and marine tardigrades. (0:06:53) The study of land tardigrades vs marine tardigrades. (0:08:16) Studying the diversity of tardigrades: The tardigrade...

Support Planet B612 on Patreon: https://patreon.com/juliesworld In this episode, we’ll learn all about spiders, specifically jumping spiders, and wolf spiders, with Arachnologist, Trinity Walls! (0:01:09) Loving and studying spiders: The journey. (0:02:51) Wolf spiders and their shining eyes.  (0:04:43) Spider hairs: How spiders sense prey and predators. (0:05:41) Wolf spiders vs Jumping spiders: The key differences.  (0:07:40) The eyes of a jumping spider. (0:08:48) Are jumping spiders...

Dr. Gerold Baier joins me from the UK to discuss machine learning, and his research into algorithmic approaches in disease. He’s been researching rhythms and patterns in epilepsy with the hope that one day, we can predict seizures before they happen! (0:00:55) Biochemistry and decoding the rhythms of the human brain. (0:02:13) The MEG and the study of epilepsy. (0:03:45) Using rhythm and audio recordings. (0:05:10) Epilepsy and the rhythms of seizures. (0:06:07) The goals: Being able to...

In this episode, I talk with plant pathologist, and TikTok scicommer, Sara Stricker about plant fungus, science communication, and agriculture. (0:01:19) The Plant Doctor and the PhD defense. (0:02:20) The PhD process. (0:03:57) Nerves, anxiety and a new job. (0:05:42) Why TikTok? (0:09:01) Vulnerability and coping with personal disclosures. (0:10:45) The importance of visibility and being a role model. (0:12:10) Who is your audience? (0:13:20) Teaching and the journey to grad...

In this episode, we’ll be exploring the world of parasitic copepods! We’ll also talk about Jimmy’s decision to be infected with 50 hookworms in the name of science! (0:00:49) Working at the Natural History Museum: Parasitic Copepods.  (0:02:24) How do you tell if a copepod is parasitic? (0:04:28) What parasitic copepods live on. (0:05:34) Once a host is infected, is it still edible? (0:06:50) How to find a parasitic copepod on a specimen.  (0:07:39) Rock bass and the parasites that live on...

Ever wonder how, and why, we research microscopic life in our oceans? In this episode, I speak with plankton ecologist, and head of the Continuous Plankton Recorder Survey about marine life, research, and more! (0:00:26) Plymouth, England. (0:02:07) Publication and reputation over a PhD in the UK. (0:04:56) What are plankton? Phyto and Zoo. (0:06:27) Zooplankton: Starting small. (0:08:35) Microscopic crustaceans: It's all relative.  (0:09:23) Copepods: A keystone species. (0:10:30) Key...

In this episode, designer and gemologist Kate Hubley joins me to help me understand the difference between various kinds of gold, which gemstones are more valuable, how they’re mined, and which gems are more rare than others. (0:00:52) Beginning a career in gemology and jewellery: So much to learn. (0:02:32) The certification process. (0:03:10) Gems and organic gems. (0:04:06) Canadian Ivory and Amber. (0:05:37) All about the colour. (0:06:46) Where to find gemstones. (0:08:28) How and...

Toronto-based artist Genevieve Langlois joins me to talk about her work as an actress and a painter. We also talk about voice acting and voice-over work, and we talk about imposter syndrome, aging and more! (0:01:37) An artistic family and education. (0:02:47) Moving to Toronto.  (0:03:37) Montreal and Toronto: Family and freedom. (0:05:28) The commercialization of art in Toronto: Past vs present. (0:06:48) The next steps: Trusting inner guidance.  (0:08:15) Slowing down and the...

PhD Student Olivier Belli joins me from Switzerland to talk about genetics and gene editing. We talk about the human genome, epigenetics, and CRISPR technology! (0:00:35) A little background.  (0:01:32) What is Molecular Biology? (0:02:20) Gene editing and the academic path.  (0:03:30) The Human Genome: Where we are.  (0:04:33) The Human Genome: What is it? (0:05:36) Epigenetics. (0:08:10) Genetics: A young field. (0:09:00) Classical genetics of the past vs the present approach. (0:10:23)...

In this episode, I speak with John Launius. He's written a book about the life and work of Charles Parsons. We speak about the reasons why John wrote this book, but he also gives us a bit of a history primer on why the civil war occurred, and what life was like at the time. In order to understand the future, we must understand the past, and this episode aims to shed light on a brutal part of America's past, while also celebrating the people that fought for diversity, the arts, and...

In this episode, I speak with the founder of Commie’s Cupcakes, Amber Comadira-Smith. Amber is a cake designer, and we talk about the best way to bake cakes, how to use fondant, and why she enjoys working with miniature designs! (0:00:40) Queensland, Australia: the sunshine state  (0:02:00) Amber Comadira-Smith: the cake artist and designer (0:02:40) Helping people move from cake decorator to cake designer/artist  (0:03:05) Commie's Cupcakes (0:04:35) Leaving graphic design (0:08:15) The...

** Support Planet B612 on Patreon: https://patreon.com/juliesworld** In this episode, I speak with Arch DevOps CTO, Michael Fritzius. We talk about software testing automation, the purpose of documentation, why tech companies use DevOps, and we also talk about the quirky work environments we’ve worked in in the tech industry! (0:00:45) Who is Fritz? Arch DevOps  (0:01:30) Starting the business - The entrepreneurial path (0:03:10) Software Quality Assurance  (0:04:10) Why...

In this episode, I interview Canadian musician and DJ, Rise Ashen. Based in Ottawa, Rise is a 3-time Juno award nominee who has studied music in NYC, Montreal, and who has explored the various sounds and influences of music around the world. We talk about the arts in Canada, the influence of American music, and why online promotion and streaming isn’t necessarily a good model for today’s music artists. (0:01:00) The many facets of Rise Ashen (0:01:35) Growing up in Montreal (0:01:50) Why...

In this episode, I’m speaking with early universe cosmologist Islam Khan. We talk about inflation theory, the multiverse, dark matter, and so much more! Is there such a thing as a parallel universe? Do we know why the universe has stretched? What does a cosmologist do for fun?  (0:00:50) What does a Cosmologist do?  (0:01:48) Islam Khan's journey into studying cosmology (0:04:50) The Infinite Universe vs The Observable Universe  (0:06:30) The Milky Way in the cosmic web (0:07:50) The scale...

In this episode, I interview Canadian Blacksmith, Lynndon Novak. Lynndon lives and works out of Winnipeg, Manitoba. He’s a welder, and an artistic blacksmith. We discuss what it takes to be a blacksmith, how to create a cheap forge, how artisans are doing in Canada, and why permanence in art is a beautiful thing. (0:01:05)  Canadian Blacksmiths and Bladesmiths group  (0:01:46)  Growing up in Manitoba (0:02:30)  The World of Trades  (0:03:25)  The School for Welding (0:04:05)  Leaving Tech...

In this episode, I speak with Science Writer and Founder of the Joyful Microbe blog and podcast, Dr. Justine Dees! We walk about why she got into content marketing, how she learned how to do it, and we get to talk about microbial life, too! Who is Dr. Justine Dees? (0:01:05) Writing for life sciences companies AND the public! (0:07:28) Learning how to do science writing (0:08:29) Marketing what you write (0:13:12) Influencing other scientists to learn marketing (0:15:28) What can be...

In this episode, I speak with Ben K.D. Pearce, again! This time, we talk about the latest Mars mission, as well as the building blocks for life in meteorites, and whether or not there’s phosphene on Venus! Introduction (0:00:38) Ben’s research on the origin of bio-molecules (0:01:35) Building blocks of life on meteorites (0:03:42) How do scientists know the composition of rocks in space? (0:06:10) What about drilling into asteroids? (0:08:33) Useful data in meteorites that land on Earth...

In this episode, I speak with PhD student Gavin Campbell. Gavin studies the aquatic and terrestrial creatures that inhabit temporary ponds. We also talk about education in Jamaica, research on Mars, and Gavin shares some quirky facts about mosquitoes! Gavin lives and works in Jamaica (0:00:30) Talking about Perseverance on Mars (0:02:12) Collaboration within researchers (0:06:01) Differences between Jamaican and North American universities (0:07:08) Gavin’s research into aquatic and...