Conversations with a Wannabe Scientist: Recent Episodes
Nicole Felts
Podcast for STEAM undergrad and grad students & early career scientists who want to make a difference in sustainability. Each guest will answer all your questions about how to go from a wannabe scientist to the real thing.
The latest episode of Conversations with a Wannabe Scientist is now LIVE on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Podbean!
Season 02 (Communication) | Ep 03 | Sheeva Azma of Fancy Comma, LLC
In this episode, our host Nicole Felts interviews Sheeva Azma, owner of Fancy Comma, LLC. Sheeva is an MIT and Georgetown grad who spent 10 years as a cognitive neuroscience researcher.
In 2020, just a month before COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, Sheeva founded Fancy Comma, a science writing company that supports people and organizations in all sectors, including industry, nonprofit, academia, government, and the medical field.
Join us as we explore what a career is like as a science writer!
In this episode, Sheeva shares with us * How scientific literacy is the guiding light for her career * Making the transition from scientific research into science writing * Her reflections on sustainability as a freelance science writer
During this episode, we have in-depth conversations about * The importance of networking and connectivity in science careers * Diversity of ideas, community diversity, and workforce diversity * Adapting and learning as you do work in the field
From this episode, you can expect to learn * What the difference is between science journalism and science communication * How to tackle topics that scare you
Timestamps 2:21 - Sheeva talks about how she got into science writing
11:06 - Bridging the gap between science and SciComm
34:59 - Making science culture more inclusive and collaborative
42:02 - The role of scientists in policymaking
45:00 - Entrepreneurship as a science writer
49:31 - Sheeva's book and starting as a science writer
55:42 - Different types of science writing: content writing, copywriting (marketing writing), and science journalism
1:01:50 - What motivates Sheeva in her current work, and her current career goals
1:05:51 - Sheeva’s day-to-day routine and tools she uses to get work done
1:15:53 - The most exciting projects Sheeva’s worked on in the COVID-19 pandemic
1:21:59 - Important skills or traits needed in science writing
1:25:00 - Challenges as an independent business owner and freelancer
1:32:56 - Sheeva’s writing (and thoughts) on sustainability
Correction: at 1 hour & 41 minutes, Sheeva stated that Qatar was in OPEC, but as she later informed us via email, Qatar left OPEC in 2019. The full list of nations is here: https://www.opec.org/opec_web/en/about_us/25.htm.
Connect with Sheeva Sheeva’s LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Website
Fancy Comma’s Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Website
Sheeva's Work Sheeva’s book, How to Get Started in Freelance Science Writing
Science Writing Was Worth It. It Just Took Longer Than I Thought, The Xylom by Sheeva Azma
Scientists Push Back Against Retracted Nature Communications Study on Women Pls, The Xylom by Sheeva Azma
Does Brain Training Really Work?, The Motley Fool by Sheeva Azma
Resources Sheeva mentioned Sheeva’s go-to freelancing tools: Recurpost, Ahrefs, QuickBooks, WordPress
MIT Knight School of Journalism handbook - The MIT KSJ Handbook contains helpful info for aspiring science writers, and specifically, science journalists.
Science’s Exclusionary Language: Why Jargon May Be Driving Away Your Audience, The Fancy Comma Blog, by Stephanie Paoli
For Effective Science Advocacy, Focus on Shared Values, and Speak Up Often, Union for Concerned Scientists Blog, by Sheeva Azma
Sheeva’s interview on the STEM-E Interviews podcast
The Open Notebook, a website dedicated to all things science writing
The Writers’ Co-op Podcast
The National Association of Science Writers, a trade organization for science writers
Free mentoring for aspiring journalists: Digital Women Leaders and Journalism Mentors
SciCommChat, hosted by @SciCommClub, run by Nidhi Parekh
Resources Nicole mentioned And, But, Therefore (ABT) Narrative Blitz - June 9th, 2021 - $10
And, But, Therefore creator: Randy Olson
29:35 University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science Webinar: Changing Weather, Changing Farms, Opportunities to Reduce Chesapeake Harm
Disclaimer: At Conversations with a Wannabe Scientist, we are not endorsing people, products, or services unless a partnership or professional relationship is explicitly stated.
Thanks for tuning in! Stay tuned for new episodes every two weeks!
Special thanks to our amazing volunteer team
Brooke Christiansen, Website manager/designer & podcast logo creator
Stacey Davies, Podcast editor & sound designer
Paula Lee, Podcast assistant & show note designer
Nicole Felts, Podcast host/producer & project manager
In this episode, our host Nicole Felts interviews Elliot David, a developer of business and partnerships at Carbonbase, a climate change fintech startup building a one-stop website service for carbon calculations and offsetting.
Join us as we explore what a career is like as a climate entrepreneur!
In this episode, Elliot shares with us * What motivates Elliot as a climate action polyglot * What sustainability means to him * Carbonbase’s mission to finance projects that net positive impact * Creative depth of offset projects
During this episode, we have in-depth conversations about * Ways to serve climate change from where you are * The difference between greenwashing tactics and real accountability * Defining value in climate-positive communities * The importance of communicating opportunities to youth in underserved communities
From this episode, you can expect to learn * How to get into sustainability entrepreneurship * Insights to drive motivation * How to effectively listen to people with differing perspectives * How to conduct stellar informational interviews * Emphasis on bridging access and opportunities with younger generations to enact change
Timestamps 08:15 Viewing sustainability as a journey instead of a destination
28:28 How to prevent band-aid solutions in the carbon removal world
33:00 What is climate fin-tech?
35:56 How Elliot got into climate fin-tech - climate change work is for everyone!
44:55 Elliot’s current career goals
53:22 Individual action and collective action/ accountability
57:00 The origin of carbon footprint calculators and their flaws
1:05:55 Using dialectics to comprehensively solve climate issues
1:08:25 Are carbon offsets negative?
1:13:15 How to find a job in climate entrepreneurship
1:14:55 How to conduct a successful informational interview
Connect with Elliot Linked In
Carbonbase - Check out their website and find out your carbon footprint!
Resources Elliot mentioned Schwarzman Scholars - Fully-funded one year Master’s degree and leadership program at Tsinghua University
Pildora - Sustainable clothing partner to Carbonbase
Greenlight Climate Festival - Virtual event featuring opportunities for sustainable jobs and panels by keynote speakers
Episode 5 of Carbonbase podcast with Gugu Nonjinge
Project Ark - Carbon neutral marketplace for NFTS funding conservation efforts
Medium Post about Project Ark - Oscars
Ottawa Business Journal
Hillary Clinton GCF Tweet - Hillary Clinton FB Post
Resource Nicole mentioned Public Health Perspectives on Sustainable Diets, Johns Hopkins University course on Coursera (FREE!)
Disclaimer: At Conversations with a Wannabe Scientist, we are not endorsing people, products, or services unless a partnership or professional relationship is explicitly stated.
Thanks for tuning in! Stay tuned for new episodes every two weeks!
Special thanks to our amazing volunteer team
Brooke Christiansen, Website manager/ designer & podcast logo creator
Stacey Davies, Podcast editor & sound designer
Paula Lee, Podcast assistant & show note designer
Nicole Felts, Podcast host/ producer & project manager
What is life like as a forestry graduate research assistant? How does Jesse care for his mental health while in grad school?
----more----
In this episode, Jesse shares with us… * What day to day work looks like as a graduate assistant * How forestry materials sequester carbon and promote sustainability * Why plant conservation and forestry is a cornerstone to stopping climate change * His story as a vegetarian, and how that influenced his work * His perspective on conservation work * How to get your dream job in science!
----more----
Jesse and Nicole share their wisdom about * The value of networking for future opportunities * Taking advantage of resources as student workers * Pragmatic decision making from undergraduate to graduate studies * How capitalism informs science * Challenges and rewards of fieldwork and research * Ethical implications for different types of research * The importance of work-life balance!
Connect with Jesse Jesse’s Twitter
Jesse’s LinkedIn
Check out the 21st Biennial Southern Silvicultural Research Conference where Jesse’s thesis presentation won an award
Article about Jesse from Louisiana Tech University
Drought tolerance may be the key to future wood production by Jesse Cone
Resources Jesse mentioned Purdue University - where Jesse did research work
U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service
Bureau of Land Management
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
USDA Natural Resource Conservation Science
Nicole mistakenly said this paper that was heavily criticized about tree planting was published in the journal Nature; the paper was published in the journal Science. (Timestamp: 20 minutes, 21 seconds)
Job Resources Zintillect
- Great opportunities for recent graduates to gain experience (Undergraduate, graduate, post-doc, etc.) Here’s an example of a unique opportunity
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences Job Board
- A conservation job board that has tons of opportunities in wildlife and plant science ( entry-level positions, graduate opportunities, and advanced positions)
USA Job Board
- For all government hiring professional work
Inside HigherEd Careers
- Job board specifically for academia (graduate opportunities, research assistant positions, and faculty positions)
Thanks for tuning in! Stay tuned for our new episodes every two weeks!
Special thanks to our amazing volunteer team
Brooke Christiansen, Website manager/ designer & podcast logo creator
Stacey Davies, Podcast editor & sound designer
Paula Lee, Podcast assistant & show note designer
Nicole Felts, Podcast host/ producer & project manager
----more----
Check out the rest of our show notes on our website:
www.conversationswithawannabescientist.com
Discover your inherent skills and the power of storytelling to elevate and effectively communicate science.
Interested in becoming a science storyteller?
Tune in to hear the exciting adventures of science storyteller, Laurie McGinley, AIA.
Check out the detailed show notes on our website. https://www.conversationswithawannabescientist.com/
What happens to roadkill? Human skulls sold on eBay??
Interested in becoming a science journalist?
Tune in to hear the exciting adventures of science journalist, Kristin Hugo.
Check out the detailed show notes on our website. https://www.conversationswithawannabescientist.com/
Learn about life as a Ph.D. student and policy expert in the second episode of our season on policy. We interview Christopher Round, a Senior Climate Change and Biodiversity Specialist at Booz Allen Hamilton. Check out the detailed show notes on our website. https://www.conversationswithawannabescientist.com/
Learn about what a career in climate policy looks like through our first policy episode with Vanessa Suarez of Carbon180. Check out the detailed show notes on our website. https://www.conversationswithawannabescientist.com/
Tune in to find out what our pod is all about.
Please SUBSCRIBE and SHARE - we will be releasing our first season, which will focus on the various roles in science policy, in February 2021!
In this episode I chat about the work I will be doing as a research assistant at UMBC for an NSF grant. I talk about metacommunity theory, macroinvertebrates, leaf litter, and streams. I give listeners a more concrete idea of my thesis, and I discuss the classes I'm taking for the spring semester. Lots of homework and large-scale tasks are the bane of my existence in this podcast! Email me at nfelts1@umbc.edu for suggestions and tips for this podcast, or if you would like to be a guest!
In the second episode of Conversations with a Wannabe Scientist, I talk about upcoming exams, ways to improve knowledge retention, how being sick has an impact on EVERYTHING, and how to share science with a non-sciency general public! Email me at nfelts1@umbc.edu for suggestions and tips for this podcast!
Join me in discussing the difficulties of beginning graduate school. I talk about my journey so far as a Master's student. I touch on one practice/hobby that I use to cope with the stress that accompanies the feeling of not knowing anything! Feel free to send me an email: nfelts1@umbc.edu with suggestions for the podcast regarding topics or production-level stuff. Thanks for tuning in!