Breaking Silos: Recent Episodes
An Interdisciplinary Student Led Podcast
Welcome to Breaking Silos! We are an interdisciplinary student run podcast that exists to foster interdisciplinary development in higher education. We believe this can be done by breaking down the “academic silos” and showcasing interdisciplinary ideas, conversations, and providing professional development for graduate students with the ultimate goal of preparing them to solve real world problems in academia, or industry.
Marc "Marky" Mason (B.S. Chemical engineering, Ph.D. student in Environmental Engineering) discusses harmful PFAS chemicals, their proliferation in our drinking water, and how he is on the frontline to end them!
Embark on a journey into the realm of science communication with Erin Welsh, co-host of the highly acclaimed "This Podcast Will Kill You." Join hosts Prakrit & Scott for a Quarantini and Placeborita as they delve into Erin's transition from epidemiologist to passionate science communicator. Uncover the intriguing origin story of "The Erins" and their mission to demystify medical knowledge through engaging podcasting. Gain insights into the secrets behind producing a successful science podcast and discover firsthand the intricacies of navigating interdisciplinary science communication projects. This episode promises laughter, knowledge, and a heartfelt toast to making science accessible to all! 🥂👩🔬👨🔬 #TPWKY #ScienceCommunication #BreakingSilos
What is gravity? How was it explained by Newton, and how did Einstein improve our understanding of it with his theory of General Relativity? Peyton Stewart (Masters in Physics, Clemson University) joins us to explore the strange relationship between shape, matter, and energy.
Peyton Stewart on LinkedIn
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Paper on black holes and dark energy here
If any glaring errors were stated please feel free to contact us and let us know where we went astray.
Self-described lizard biologist and evolution enthusiast, Matt McTernan has been awarded numerous grants and proposals while pursuing his Ph.D. at Clemson University. We sit down and discuss crazy beers, his research, and how you can improve the way you write your grants! Enjoy! Get the Ghost pepper stout here ! Breaking SilosTwitter: @SilosBreaking (link)Instagram: Interdisciplinarysilos Matt McTernanTwitter: @Matt_McT (link)
In this week's episode, we delve into the world of first-generation graduate students. In this thought-provoking conversation, Scott and Prakrit engage with Misty Stewart, Director of Student Success at the Clemson Graduate School, and Melanie Garcia, a PhD student in Biological Sciences.
Discover the challenges faced by first-generation students in higher education, from financial constraints to navigating a complex academic landscape. Misty and Melanie share their personal stories of resilience and triumph, offering valuable strategies for overcoming obstacles along the way.
Explore the crucial role of support systems in graduate school and learn how academic and student affairs can provide essential assistance to first-generation students. Discover the power of mentorship and faculty support in fostering success and well-being.
As the discussion unfolds, Misty and Melanie shed light on the significance of interdisciplinary education and its impact on their academic journeys. Gain inspiration from their experiences as they share valuable advice for listeners who can relate to the first-generation experience in higher education.
Papers and Resources Mentioned in the Episode:
- The First-generation Student Experience: Implications for Campus Practice, and Strategies for Improving Persistence and Success by Jeff Davis (2010)
- The Making and Breaking of Affectional Bonds. I. Aetiology and Psychopathology in the Light of Attachment Theory (Bowlby 1977)
- The Voices of Senior Scholars on Mentoring Graduate Students and Junior Scholars (Espinoza-Herold et al., 2007)
- Center for First-generation Student Success, an initiative of NASPA and The Suder Foundation
More Episodes: https://anchor.fm/interdisciplinarysilos
Dr. Misty Stewart: https://www.linkedin.com/in/misty-stewart-ed-d-89386858
Melanie Garcia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanie-garcia-north-central-college
Check us out on social media:
Follow Breaking Silos on Instagram and Twitter
In this week's episode, Prakrit discusses with Dr. Chelsea Murdock, the Director of the Clemson Writing Lab and Lecturer in the English Department at Clemson University, about the struggles of teaching undergraduates how to write well. We also discuss Dr. Murdock's "process-driven pedagogy" in teaching undergraduate and graduate writing. If you are a graduate student in writing mode, there are some writing tips interspersed throughout the episode that will help you to develop healthy writing rhythms, in addition to learning about good teaching practices associated with writing! Enjoy, and happy writing!
More Episodes: https://anchor.fm/interdisciplinarysilos
Dr. Chelsea Murdock's Website: https://chelseajmurdock.com/
Clemson Writing Lab: https://www.clemson.edu/centers-institutes/writing/index.html
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Follow Dr. Murdock on Twitter: @ChelseaJMurdock
Follow Breaking Silos on Instagram and Twitter
Jack Carson (genetics/computer science) joins us to discuss his company geneTunes, a computer software program that converts genetic nucleotides into art and music. geneTunes won the 2022 Clemson College of Science inaugural Catalyst competition, an entrepreneurship program where students pitch ideas for seed funding, and then develop their ideas into a minimum viable product. Enjoy!
Don't forget to check out the Catalyst pitch competition happening March 15th (see here)
Check out what Catalyst is all about here
Follow Jack on LinkedIn here
Follow us on Instagram and Twitter
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Matt McTernan, a PhD student in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology in the Biological Sciences program at Clemson University, joins us for a conversation to discuss the anatomy of a winning travel grant! In this episode, we refer to the Graduate Student Travel Grants from the Clemson University Graduate Student Government, but these tips are applicable to any travel grant. We hope you find this episode helpful in your travel grant writing journey! Happy Writing!
Don't forget to check us, and Matt, out on social media
Breaking Silos
Twitter: @SilosBreaking
Instagram: Interdisciplinarysilos
Matt McTernan
Twitter: @Matt_McT
Clemson Graduate Student Government
Graduate Travel Grants
Kyle Christenson (Industrial and Organizational Psychology) joins us for an amazing conversation about how to operationalize something like trust, whether fewer disruptive papers is good or bad for science, and how to incorporate interdisciplinary problem solving in graduate school. Enjoy!
Don't forget to check us, and Kyle, out on social media
Breaking Silos
Twitter: @SilosBreaking
Instagram: Interdisciplinarysilos
Kyle Christenson
Twitter: @KyleChristenso7
Nature Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05543-x
The figure we discuss
Apologies, for the unequal audio input for first 10 minutes, we are still learning
Dr. William McCoy (history, English, education) joins us to discuss having an egg on pizza, ethics, morality, and his long history of making wonderful acronyms. Enjoy!
Dr. McCoy's Clemson Bio: https://www.clemson.edu/ethics/about/staff.html
Rutland Institute for Ethics: https://ethics.sites.clemson.edu
Clemson Global Black Studies: https://www.clemson.edu/degrees/global-black-studies
STAR method for decision making: https://www.clemson.edu/ethics/starmodel/
Dr. Alex Feltus of Clemson University's Department of Genomics and Biochemistry joins us to discuss his diverse career background, his company, academia, and the varied projects he has worked on which involved bringing together a team of people with very different areas of expertise. Enjoy!
See Dr. Feltus' Company Website and Podcast here:
Praxis AI: https://www.prxai.com
Biohackers Podcast: https://biohackerspodcast.buzzsprout.com
Randa Johnson, Clemson University's Assistant Director of Graduate Programs and Off-Campus Internships, and Prakrit discuss applying to graduate school, co-ops, internships, and jobs from the perspective of an administrator. Randa is also excited to promote Clemson University's spring Career Fair happening February 6th, in Littlejohn Coliseum. Hope to see you there!
Grad Student Resources: https://career.sites.clemson.edu/michelin_career_center/career_development_recruiting/graduate_students/
Spring Career Fair Information:
https://clemson-csm.symplicity.com/students/app/career-fairs/ef7a7be44a0195baa7c6d46706b410a5/overview
Clemson's Career Center for Professional Development Events Page:
https://career.sites.clemson.edu/events.php
We are joined by two freshly minted Ph.D.s: Ricardo (sustainable agriculture) and Victoria (neurobiology). Cory (atmospheric physics), a first semester student in the physics department also joins us. The first two share their experience and wisdom (which you magically get at the end of your time in grad school) and the latter shares advice, as well as the hopes he has for his own Ph.D. journey. Enjoy!DISCLAIMER: The views in this podcast are only held by the speakers and not by Clemson University
We are joined by David Sanders (physics) and discuss application to graduate school: the process, the pain, and lessons learned along the way. For an inside look into the first step on the path to graduate school, tune in and enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this podcast are only held by those who say them and do not reflect those held by Clemson University.