The Tattooed Physicist: Recent Episodes

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Episode 7 features Libby Booton, who is a senior student leader, a runner and cheerleader, and an all around physics superwoman at the Colorado School of Mines. I've known Libby for a few years now and since she's graduating soon, I wanted to have her on the podcast before she gets too famous. She has a lot of insight on how to make things work in student organizations, and I know you all will find the interview illuminating and inspiring!

In this episode:

• Libby finds physics at Mines
• Internships at Northrop Grumman & Lockheed Martin
• Moon buggy adventures at NASA!
• Engineering Physics vs. Pure Physics
• Libby's vast leadership experience
  • Society of Physics Students
  • Women in Physics (started with CUWiP)
  • Equality Through Awareness
• The challenges of a multi-branch Women in Physics group
• "Lean In" by Sheryl Sandberg
• Rethinking officer structure to accommodate organizational/community needs
• Organizational focus and how to target students that will benefit
• Organizational splits, restructuring, and the good things that can come from going in a new direction
• Good or bad, your leadership experiences at school will help in your professional life!

Thanks for hanging out with us at The Tattooed Physicist! Remember to Like our Facebook page and share it with your science-y friends, and please contact us at thetattooedphysicist AT gmail.com if you have any suggestions.

Peace!

-Rosa

All music © Mike Everson.

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Our November (barely) episode features Dr. Azure Avery, who is an Assistant Professor in the Physics department at Metropolitan State University of Denver. It was great to get her perspective as the only female professor in our department (CU Denver and Metro State combine all physics classes) and as someone who went through her physics undergrad as an older student. I feel like we barely scratched the surface, so I hope to have her back on the podcast to go more in depth about her research at a later date. I hope you all enjoy hearing about her journey to becoming a physics professor!

In this episode:

• Get ready for REUs and CUWiP!
• Dr. Avery takes her own path to physics
  • B.S. in Psychology from Mississippi State University
  • Not finding that je ne sais quoi in corporate life...
  • Returning to school for Physics at MSU Denver
• Internships open doors: Raytheon and the SQUID Lab at CU Denver
• Choosing your path with career stability and family in mind
• The awesomeness of having other women in your cohort
• Graduate school at the University of Denver
  • Approaching graduate study as an older student: school IS work
  • Connection to NREL through a professor at DU
• Post-doc at NREL: research with carbon nanotubes
• The field of physics always presents new challenges
• Returning to MSU Denver as a professor
  • The power of making and maintaining good relationships
  • The experience of being the only female faculty member
  • Balancing a new job and a new baby
  • The importance of having a supportive partner
• Overcoming imposter syndrome
• The importance (and occasional necessity) of student self-advocacy

Thank you so much for spending time with us here at The Tattooed Physicist! Remember to Like our Facebook page and share it with your science-y friends, and please contact us at thetattooedphysicist AT gmail.com if you have any ideas or want to hang out at CUWiP.

Until next time!

-Rosa

All music © Mike Everson.

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This episode is the second half of my interview/conversation with Evan Shapiro, who is an adult student that recently graduated from the University of Colorado Denver. In this half, Evan turned the interview around and got my life story out of me, so if you've ever wondered how an artist might become a physicist... well, here you have it! We also finish with some good advice from Evan, now that he's on the other side of his bachelors degree. Enjoy!

In this episode:

• Evan wants to know how I came to physics...
  • The physics ladies in my life
  • Blowing off my parents because... puberty
  • Being punk rock and flying blind through college
  • Wandering the globe finding myself
  • Following my bliss even when I don't know what it is
  • Physics just falls into place, or, Why I should've listened to my mom in the first place
  • The autobiography: "Surely, You Should've Died, Ms. Wallace"
• Back to Evan's undergraduate experience...
• How to handle schoolwork, student leadership, research, internships, jobs, and (oh yeah) having a life
  • The horror of a misplaced Fall Break
  • Doing ALL THE THINGS
  • Interning at NREL
  • Ultimately aiming for sustainable success
• Bringing the human element into the physics: What footprints will you leave?
• Even physicists are suckers for applause...
• Try new things; don't worry too much about specializing as an undergrad
• Evan's beautiful chickens

Thank you for listening to the Tattooed Physicist podcast! Your support means so much. Remember to Like our new Facebook page and share it with your science-minded friends, colleagues, and fellow students, and as always, you can contact us anytime at thetattooedphysicist AT gmail.com to share your thoughts and suggestions.

Peace!

-Rosa

All music © Mike Everson.

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This episode features one of my best friends in Denver: Evan Shapiro, who graduated from the University of Colorado Denver last May with a Physics major and Math minor. Having graduated in his thirties, he went through his undergraduate career as an independent adult and offers a unique perspective on choosing a path and seeing the bigger picture of your life and the impact of the science you take part in. That being said, this interview is sillier than most, and I'll being releasing it in two parts due to length.

In this episode:

• Takeaways from SPS National Council
  • Find out which SPS zone your school is in
  • Find and contact your Associate Zone Councilor for information and resources
• CUWiP applications close October 16! No excuses!
• Evan's journey from community college to being a physicist
  • Medical school isn't the only avenue to helping people be happy and healthy
• Taking time post-bacc to finish research, teach, and take more physics classes...
• Biophysics and the multitude of disciplines it applies to
  • Dr. Jennifer Doudna and her work with RNA-guided DNA cut'n'paste
• Defining the ethical boundaries of what research "should" be done
  • Lashback to Chinese scientists genetically engineering human embryos
  • Fungi that clean up oil spills
  • Dutch kid with a plan to clean garbage piles out of the Pacific Ocean
• Choosing your educational priorities to match your ethical priorities
• The Internet: where all the true things come from
• Cliffhanger: Evan turns the tables on me!

I always want to thank you for taking the time to hang out with us at the Tattooed Physicist podcast! I hope these interviews continue to be enriching, and as always, contact us at thetattooedphysicist AT gmail.com to share your thoughts and suggestions.

See you next time!

-Rosa

All music © Mike Everson.

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Our guest on this episode is the accomplished Jasmine Knudsen, who is one of the rock stars of my home department. She is a double major in Physics and Applied Math at Metropolitan State University of Denver, which has a combined physics department with my own port of call, the University of Colorado Denver. Jasmine got to present at a national conference this summer, and is on the cusp of graduating after years of being a full-time student while working multiple jobs and being the driving force behind our local Society of Physics Students, so needless to say, I'm always impressed by her. What a woman!

In this episode:   * CUWiP applications open September 1! Do it! * Start looking for internships and REUs now * Jasmine becomes a Physics major in spite of the haters * Graduate school and the drive to teach * The more math the better (this keeps coming up...) * The American Association of Physics Teachers conference at the University of Maryland, College Park + Application process + Getting your travel funded + Five days and SO many choices! + Jasmine's presentation of her research on wave transmission/reflection theory * Networking is vital! + The importance of meeting people you think you want to work with + Getting cushy jobs through your network

Thank you so much for listening to the Tattooed Physicist podcast! This is for you, so don't hesitate to reach out to thetattooedphysicist AT gmail.com if you have feedback, possible topics, etc. Keep it low stress, my friends, and...   Happy School Year!   -Rosa   All music © Mike Everson.

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I am super stoked to have the awesome Jenifer Ceniceros join me for our second episode! She is a double major in physics and mathematics at the University of North Texas, and she is part of the Brownsville CUWiP crew that got this podcast off the ground. In fact, it was all her idea! Jenifer went from being an art major to a physics major, all while bartending up a storm. A woman of many talents, she is one rockin' lady!

In this episode:   * Jenifer's journey from art to math and physics * Being tattooed in science * Personal obstacles and imposter syndrome * The more math the better, when it comes to physics * Concussions and the importance of having a support system * When your significant other is supportive and a physics major * Bar patrons weigh in: What does a physicist look like? + "How to Collect Matches that Will Catch Fire" by Professor Avi Loeb at Women in Astronomy + Artistic training as an asset + Career longevity and culture shift * Physicists are not Vulcans: Empathy and Academia + "Meet the 63rd Black Woman in American History with a Physics Ph.D." at Huffington Post + "Let Physics Be the Dream It Used to Be" by Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein on her Medium feed

Thank you for spending your time with us here at the Tattooed Physicist podcast! Always feel free to reach out to us with questions or feedback at thetattooedphysicist AT gmail.com - you are appreciated!   Adios, amigos!   -Rosa   All music © Mike Everson.

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We Have Liftoff!Our first episode, at last!

My guest is the inspiring Hana Jaafari! She is a physics major specializing in biophysics at Texas Christian University, and we met earlier this year at the Brownsville, TX Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics. Hana is one of the smartest, most driven people I know, so it was awesome to have her help getting the podcast ready for launch. She is also the president of TCU's chapter of the Society for Physics Students and founder of TCU's Women in Science organization.

In this episode, we got to discuss:

• Hana's pathway to physics
• Our research internships and how we got 'em
• Graduate school and the so-called "two-body problem"
• Tim Hunt's girl trouble

• Why there should be more crying in science

  • "There is crying in science. That's okay." by Meghan Duffy at Dynamic Ecology
  • Note: I mentioned that the entire faculty at my university is male, meaning the entire Physics Department, not the whole university...

  • Hopping on the STEM train... and role models

  • "The XX Factor: Getting More Women Ready for STEM Jobs" at Forbes.com

  • Family talk - the academic track and when to have kids
  • The immense resource that is the APS website

Thank you for listening, and please send all questions and feedback to thetattooedphysicist AT gmail.com - I would love to hear from you!

Until next time...

-Rosa

All music © Mike Everson.