The Office Hours Podcast: Recent Episodes
Zachary Nistad
Welcome to The Office Hours Podcast! My name is Zach, and I am an Undergraduate Psychology student at Colorado State University. In this podcast, I interview faculty at CSU who teach in a wide array of academic disciplines. These conversations are meant to explore topics these professors are experts in, and hopefully spark new interests in listeners as well as motivate students at large universities to build relationships with faculty as they are a great wealth of knowledge. Notes: Not affiliated with CSU. Audio is recorded via zoom during the pandemic, so apologies for any sound issues.
On this episode of the podcast, I sat down with Dr. Anne Marie Merline, a professor in the Honors department at CSU. While she teaches an array of courses, we focused on a class I took with her that explored the topic of community resilience and sustainability. We also discussed the E4 crises, which are the economic, ecological, equity, and environmental issues we are facing as a globe. We discussed how building better communities can help us deal with these issues and more. I hope you enjoy!
On this episode of the podcast, I sat down with Biologist, Professor, and Director of the University Honors Program at CSU to discuss his research in crustaceans as well as his experience working in the University Honors Program. I really enjoyed this conversation and hope you will as well!
Hi everyone. On this episode of the podcast, I had a discussion with my Advanced Writing Instructor, Tom Conway. Tom works out of the English Department at CSU, and teaches an array of classes. He is very knowledgable about writing, as well as rhetorical theory, which is a main focus point of the class I take with him. I had no idea how engaging a writing class could be before taking this course, and I was lucky enough to discuss some concepts from class in this episode. We discuss the importance of writing, the concept of ideology, and the idea of moving from normative thinking to a more structural approach to solving societal problems. I hope you enjoy!
In this episode of the podcast, I sat down with Professor Denise Apodaca, a professor that works out of the Music Department, the Honors Program, as well as the Women's Studies and Gender Research Department at CSU. I was lucky enough to take my first ever college course with her, in which we discussed cultures around the world through the lens of music. We discuss this course, as well as her experience studying music in an academic setting, and more. I hope you enjoy!
In this episode of the podcast, I had a conversation with Professor Shawn Brady, an instructor in the Philosophy department at CSU. Shawn is one of the most passionate and engaging professors I've had, and I had the opportunity to take his class titled Moral and Social Problems, in which we explored modern day issues through the lens of moral theory. We discuss this class, as well as his interest in philosophy, his approach to teaching about such controversial issues, the importance of examining one's beliefs, the value of philosophy, and more. I hope you enjoy!
In this episode of the podcast, I sat down with Dr. Karla Gingerich, a professor in the Psychology Department at CSU. She teaches a wide variety of psychology courses at CSU, as well as supervises graduate students in the Counseling Psychology doctoral program. We specifically focused on topics pertaining to the psychology of personality. We also discussed the general pathway to becoming a licensed psychologist, as well as her experiences teaching courses on Semester at Sea, a study abroad program that takes place on a cruise ship that travels the world over the course of a semester. This was a really fun conversation - I hope you enjoy!
In this episode, I delve into conversation with Dr. Mallory Mentele, a professor in the Department of Chemistry at Colorado State University. We discuss her approach to teaching something as complex as chemistry to students, chemistry in our everyday lives, as well as microfluidic devices - a topic that pertains to her research in graduate school. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.
Hello! Welcome to the first episode of The Office Hours Podcast! In this episode, I engage in conversation with Dr. Nicole Vieira, a professor in the Honors Program at CSU, who teaches classes that address wildlife, sustainability, and many more interesting topics. In this episode, we discuss the issues of the intersection of culture and wildlife, trying to see the world in an animal’s perspective, and wolf reintroduction in Colorado. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. Thanks for listening!