Send us a text

Today we welcome Dr. LaTasha Fraser, program manager for the Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) at New York University (NYU), which offers resources to middle school through graduate school students in numerous areas within STEM–engineering, math, medicine, and others.. The program works through a tiered system providing courses to strengthen introductory STEM coursework, to understand the application of STEM concepts in the real world, and an immersive introduction to medical and professional training. In her every day, Tash balances numerous responsibilities including making sure key deliverables are met for particular programs through various tasks from budgeting to achieving team goals to working directly with students. What she enjoys most is the ability to learn new things regularly and interact with students eager about STEM. “It makes me feel like I’m doing work that is truly affecting the lives of these students,” explains Tash. Apart from these highlights, there are also challenges that come with her role like being a saleswoman; she is constantly looking for new schools to partner with, realizing that every school will have different and unique needs, and advocating for support for the STEP program. The best advice Tash has for anyone who is interested in a similar career in program management is to get involved with student organizations or volunteer organizations to get a flavor of what it is like to juggle many plates and responsibilities.

Tune into this episode to hear LaTasha discuss:

• Why she feels like she is in the circus juggling plates like an acrobat
• What she loves about her job and working with students
• How program management compares to academic career paths

Reach out to LaTasha:

step@nyulangone.org

To learn more about STEP:

https://www.nyu.edu/admissions/high-school-and-middle-school-programs/high-school-programs/science-and-technology-entry-program.html

If you enjoyed this episode, also listen to:

• Ep 6: STEMLand Future of Science - The Work
• Ep17 : Mentors of Incalculable Wo

Your satirical guide to elite college admissions by the fictional counselor to the...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Support the Show: WeLoveSciencePodcast.com

Reach out to Fatu:
www.linkedin.com/in/fatubm
Instagram: @thee_fatu_b
and LoveSciencePodcast@gmail.com

Reach out to Shekerah:
www.linkedin.com/in/shekerah-primus
and LoveSciencePodcast@gmail.com

Music from Pixabay: Future Artificial Intelligence Technology 130 by TimMoor
Music from https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes: Hotshot by ScottHolmesMusic

Send us a text

We are back today with Ariel Parker, Director of Partnerships and Legacy at the Center for Engineering MechanoBiology (CEMB) to learn about her career journey. As a child, her science spark was ignited by a combination of playing with a toy microscope, an inspirational physics teacher, and the board game Life. In high school, Ariel was especially fortunate to attend a private school in the suburbs of Philadelphia and encountered fantastic teachers, many of whom were women with PhDs, who inspired her with stories from their time in academia and industry. Her teachers not only taught her the basics of STEM, but encouraged her to pursue opportunities outside of the classroom like summer research programs. Ariel’s journey through science in her youth was almost a fairy-tale-like experience guided by mentors, teachers, and experiences that set the foundation for her future. “I was solidifying the desire to be a scientist. . . I was definitely being prepared for a career there by the best,” she remembers. As an undergraduate at Swarthmore College, she contemplated becoming teaching faculty, or working in science outreach before a career assessment surprised her with options like diplomat and school principal. Ariel was at a bit of crossroad--how could she keep her interest in science yet find intersections with areas such as diplomacy? While attending Johns Hopkins University for her doctorate, Ariel reflected on her cv and let it “speak to her,” leading to a position as a public school biology teacher. Her intentional decision making at this step was rooted in her own personal experiences as a high school student, having exposure and access to great teachers and mentors. Currently, Ariel keeps herself busy with many hobbies outside of work–reading, learning, eating out, and passion projects. Check out the previous episode here.

Tune into this episode to hear Ariel share:

• How a career assessment almost derailed her science career goals
• The importance of finding a group of people who will fight for you, in rooms you are not in
• The importance of exposure, equity, and access in guiding her career choice

Reach out to Ariel:

• LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/ariel-parker/
• Email: pariel@seas.upenn.edu

If you enjoyed this episode, also listen to:

Ep 52: How Science and Philosophy Intertwine - The Journey

Your satirical guide to elite college admissions by the fictional counselor to the...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Support the Show: WeLoveSciencePodcast.com

Reach out to Fatu:
www.linkedin.com/in/fatubm
Instagram: @thee_fatu_b
and LoveSciencePodcast@gmail.com

Reach out to Shekerah:
www.linkedin.com/in/shekerah-primus
and LoveSciencePodcast@gmail.com

Music from Pixabay: Future Artificial Intelligence Technology 130 by TimMoor
Music from https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes: Hotshot by ScottHolmesMusic

Send us a text

Today, we are joined by Ariel Parker, Director of Partnerships and Legacy at the Center for Engineering MechanoBiology (CEMB)–a science and technology center funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The CEMB represents faculty across various disciplines at multiple institutions within mechanobiology, an interdisciplinary field exploring how physical forces affect living things. In her role, Ariel manages the educational programs, recruits new students, provides first-hand research experiences, organizes a postdoc preview day and much, much more. While Ariel’s role doesn’t require using a pipette anymore, she has made use of translational skills, such as successful project planning and knowing what questions to ask during the planning process. “A good researcher thinks not only about today, but their Tuesday, 3 months from now,” explains Ariel. Two of the favorite things about her job are the diversity of the tasks and responsibilities, and working with her colleagues. A challenge that Ariel encounters in her role is, of course, funding and the uncertainty this can create in providing sustainability for CEMB. Looking back at some of the events Ariel has organized for K-12 outreach, she recalls an outreach day where students conducted experiments with venus flytrap plants. The event allowed the students to have memorable experiences beyond simply learning the science. “Exposure, equity and access–those three things allow us to change outcomes for people,” Ariel explains. One piece of advice from Ariel is to embrace pursuing your interests broadly to find your perfect fit.

Tune into this episode to hear Ariel share:

• How her values drive her decisions in her career path
• Why there is no such thing as useless knowledge

Reach out to Ariel:

• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ariel-parker/
• Email: pariel@seas.upenn.edu

If you enjoyed this episode, also listen to:

• Ep 36: Sista, Sista! Graduate School Years - The Work
• Ep 12: Immunology and squid

Your satirical guide to elite college admissions by the fictional counselor to the...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Support the Show: WeLoveSciencePodcast.com

Reach out to Fatu:
www.linkedin.com/in/fatubm
Instagram: @thee_fatu_b
and LoveSciencePodcast@gmail.com

Reach out to Shekerah:
www.linkedin.com/in/shekerah-primus
and LoveSciencePodcast@gmail.com

Music from Pixabay: Future Artificial Intelligence Technology 130 by TimMoor
Music from https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes: Hotshot by ScottHolmesMusic

Send us a text

Dr. Luis Martinez is back to speak with us about his journey. As a senior venture associate at Capital Factory, a venture capital firm, his love of science began by noticing what was missing–people doing science who looked like him. Luis was raised in an incredible town on the U.S.-Mexico border–El Paso, Tx. His introduction to science came from experiences at the local library and shows like Star Trek and Cosmos. As a high schooler, he was on the science team and had the opportunity to take a state exam for chemistry. But, rather than studying, he took the exam without any preparation. And somehow he passed; ranking first in the state! This, for him, set a path to pursue science in college. He attended Trinity College as a first generation college student and had the incredible opportunity to complete research as an undergraduate. As a junior, he declared himself as a chemistry major and was introduced to graduate school by a guidance counselor. The decision for Luis was easy–graduate school was free–it was a clear yes. As a graduate student at Harvard University, he remembers his involvement in a major scientific discovery that focused on developing organic molecules using efficient and sustainable methods. From this discovery, he also learned about patenting and scaling innovations; important lessons he would need for the future. At the end of his doctorate, Luis had to decide between a postdoctoral fellowship or joining a consulting firm. He chose the latter. After a few years, however, a family emergency brought him back to El Paso to join the university as a chemistry professor. Later on, he again moved to Trinity University as a professor of entrepreneurship and innovation to lead an undergraduate entrepreneurship program. When Luis looks back at his journey so far, he recommends two pieces of advice, “Be bold; and don’t worry about it, it’ll all work out.”

Check out the previous episode with Luis.

Tune into this episode to hear about Luis’s journey and:

• How he chose his major as a first generation college student
• How he was able to adapt his unique professional experiences to drive his career journey

Reach out to Luis:

• LinkedIN - https://www.linkedin.com/in/drluismartinez/

If you enjoyed this episode, check out one more:

• Ep 43: Science CEO Level: Unlocked - The Journey

Your satirical guide to elite college admissions by the fictional counselor to the...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Support the Show: WeLoveSciencePodcast.com

Reach out to Fatu:
www.linkedin.com/in/fatubm
Instagram: @thee_fatu_b
and LoveSciencePodcast@gmail.com

Reach out to Shekerah:
www.linkedin.com/in/shekerah-primus
and LoveSciencePodcast@gmail.com

Music from Pixabay: Future Artificial Intelligence Technology 130 by TimMoor
Music from https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes: Hotshot by ScottHolmesMusic

Send us a text

Today we are joined by Dr. Luis Martinez, a senior venture associate with a background in organic chemistry and entrepreneurship at the venture capital firm, Capital Factory. The firm, based in Austin, Tx, was founded in 2009 to bring together entrepreneurs with potential partners, customers, and future hires. The firm works with a multitude of clients from corporate companies to start-ups to federal partners. Over the last year, they have invested about $23 million over 45 different entities within their expansive portfolio with a technology focus. Even though Luis has countless years of experience in entrepreneurship and innovation, he still finds that studying and understanding science is a very important and it is a worthwhile investment. “What is more awesome now in 2025, then when I got my Ph.D. in the 1990s, is that there are a lot more opportunities to apply your science and do what you do as a scientist beyond the paths that are presented out of graduate school,” he explains. In particular Luis finds the ability to take the unique skills learned in graduate school and apply them to different scenarios in entrepreneurship, start-ups, and solving critical questions to be key. For those who are interested in exploring entrepreneurship, he recommends taking time to visit your current or alumnus university entrepreneurship center, i.e. get out of the lab and walk across campus. Additionally, he suggests getting involved with training programs such as Activate and Nucleate, which focus on entrepreneurship for scientists. And, take advantage of the NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program which facilitates the transformation of invention to impact. The last piece of advice he recommends is actually joining someone else’s start-up before venturing into your own to get the best hands-on experience.

Tune into this episode to hear about Luis’s work and:

• The next wave of science entrepreneurship careers
• Why science is important for entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship important for science
• What areas of science are hot for entrepreneurship right now

Reach out to Luis:

• LinkedIN - https://www.linkedin.com/in/drluismartinez/

If you enjoyed this episode, check out one more:

• Ep 6: STEMLand Future of Science - The Work
• Ep 39: The Art of Science with Laura Canil - The Work
• Ep 42: Science CEO Level: Unlocked - The Work

Your satirical guide to elite college admissions by the fictional counselor to the...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Support the Show: WeLoveSciencePodcast.com

Reach out to Fatu:
www.linkedin.com/in/fatubm
Instagram: @thee_fatu_b
and LoveSciencePodcast@gmail.com

Reach out to Shekerah:
www.linkedin.com/in/shekerah-primus
and LoveSciencePodcast@gmail.com

Music from Pixabay: Future Artificial Intelligence Technology 130 by TimMoor
Music from https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes: Hotshot by ScottHolmesMusic

Send us a text

Today Latasha Wright, co-founder and executive scientific officer of BioBus takes us through her career journey, which had some very unexpected twists and turns along the way. Her childhood began in Mississippi as the youngest of 5 children. Both her parents nurtured the importance of education through constant exposure to books and just asking, “What did you learn today?”. Once Latasha started high school, however, she truly discovered her love of science with an incredible science teacher who encouraged mixing things together and blowing things up! She continued her education at Tougaloo College, a historically black college and university (HBCU), determined to get her degree in chemistry. As a college student, Latasha also received the Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC U-STAR) scholarship. She also confidently declared her interest in going to graduate school for a PhD–but she didn’t know what a PhD actually was! This experience opened the doors to completing a program at the NIH, giving her first-hand experience in lab research. And, Latasha absolutely loved every minute of it. Excited for her future as a scientist, it was now time for Latasha to apply to programs; she was grappling between NYU, Berkeley, and Emory. However, a chance encounter with the associate dean of NYU changed her trajectory completely, and she ended up attending NYU. After receiving her doctorate in cellular and molecular biology, she completed two post-doctoral fellowships at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and Weill Cornell Medical College. By chance, during her time back in NYC she met Ben Dubin-Thaler, and that connection led to the creation of BioBus. Currently, Latasha is really excited about bringing BioBus to the Bronx with a Community Lab. And she keeps reminding herself to “Be ready for the journey, it's gonna be good!”.

Tune into this episode to hear about Latasha’s journey and:

• How Latasha learned about the option of completing a Ph.D.
• Why she decided to go to NYU over Berkley and Emory
• What convinced her to transition from academia to science-outreach with BioBus

Reach out to Latasha:

Email: latasha@biobus.org

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/latasha-wright-95bb7a16/

Book a BioBus visit: https://www.biobus.org/programs

If you enjoyed this episode, check out one more:

• Ep 67:

Your satirical guide to elite college admissions by the fictional counselor to the...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Support the Show: WeLoveSciencePodcast.com

Reach out to Fatu:
www.linkedin.com/in/fatubm
Instagram: @thee_fatu_b
and LoveSciencePodcast@gmail.com

Reach out to Shekerah:
www.linkedin.com/in/shekerah-primus
and LoveSciencePodcast@gmail.com

Music from Pixabay: Future Artificial Intelligence Technology 130 by TimMoor
Music from https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes: Hotshot by ScottHolmesMusic

Send us a text

Today we are speaking to Latasha Wright, co-founder and executive scientific officer of BioBus, a science non-profit with a mission to support all students in acheiving their scientific potential. A real life version of the magic school bus, BioBus started as an upcycled 1974 transit bus, filled with microscopes, that brings science to students throughout New York City. The immersive experience of BioBus not only introduces students to asking questions and experimentation, but also challenges the idea of what science is and who does science. The curriculum of BioBus has also now expanded beyond the interactive bus-based experimental set up to also include community labs and junior scientist internship programs that encourage students to solve problems in their community using science. In her everyday life as an executive scientific officer, Latasha considers herself the manager of all managers. Her work touches on developing strategy for the organization as they expand, looking at equitable engagement with the community, integrating programs with what is already taking place in the community, and program evaluation as well as constantly finding ways to better teach science to students. “We are here to add the salt on top of something that’s already delicious,” explains Latasha. One of the more challenging aspects of her job is fundraising, which is common when it comes to running a non-profit. Her goal is to always make sure there are enough resources to support the organization and its mission currently, and into the future. The aspect of community is very foundational to the success of BioBus; many students walk away from their experiences with BioBus with a sense of belonging in a newfound accepting, scientific community. Latasha recommends that anyone who wants to start their own science non-profit should not go it alone–you need at least two kinds of people: a dreamer and a do-er. Check out the latest episode!

Tune into this episode to hear about Latasha’s work and:

• How BioBus adapts its programming to the interests of the community
• What she learned as a graduate student starting a non-profit
• Why she does not recommend starting a non-profit alone

Reach out to Latasha:

Email: latasha@biobus.org

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/latasha-wright-95bb7a16/

Book a BioBus visit: https://www.biobus.org/programs

Check out

Your satirical guide to elite college admissions by the fictional counselor to the...

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Support the Show: WeLoveSciencePodcast.com

Reach out to Fatu:
www.linkedin.com/in/fatubm
Instagram: @thee_fatu_b
and LoveSciencePodcast@gmail.com

Reach out to Shekerah:
www.linkedin.com/in/shekerah-primus
and LoveSciencePodcast@gmail.com

Music from Pixabay: Future Artificial Intelligence Technology 130 by TimMoor
Music from https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes: Hotshot by ScottHolmesMusic

Send us a text

Nikolay Kukushkin an author, neuroscientist and clinical associate professor at NYU shares with us the journey of his career path thus far. Niko grew up in Russia where the education curriculum requires students to specialize before college in their preferred subjects. Following the example of his parents, he decided to focus his studies on pursuing science. Although coming from a family of chemists, he is the sole biologist. He remembers having a wonderful childhood that was also very international–living in several countries around the world, after his family left at the fall of the USSR. Niko’s journey into publishing a novel began with a previous return trip to Russia as he was waiting to renew his visa and needed a way to pass the time. During that trip, he was invited by a friend who was a local science writer to illustrate her work. This then led to a side job in writing popular science for Russian media. From there, things happily snowballed into developing the concept for writing a novel–One Hand Clapping: The Origin Story of the Human Mind. And of course, he also brought his original illustrative style to the book. Looking back at his journey, from the time he spent at Saint Petersburg State University as a college student to his post doctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School, Niko had countless mentors who shaped his approach to science and teaching. However, his most influential mentors will always be his parents, who instilled in him a genuine curiosity to explore the natural world from day one. The best advice he would give his younger self is “Keep calm and carry on.” He sees how things have turned out quite well on his journey so far and he is just at the very beginning of starting something interesting in his career journey. Even the regrets and setbacks along the way contributed to helping him grow and he would not do anything differently.

Tune into this episode to hear about Niko’s journey and:

• What big event he is preparing to celebrate with this friends
• How the international influence of his early childhood shaped his view of science
• How the doodles in his college notes eventually led to becoming an author

Reach out to Niko:

Website - https://www.nikolaykukushkin.com/

Substack - https://nikolaykukushkin.substack.com/

And look out for the release of his book, One Hand Clapping

If you enjoyed this episode, check out Niko’s previous episode

Ep 66: Memory and the Human Mind - The Work

And one more:

Ep 56: Once upon a time - Origin stories

Ep 40: The art of Science with Laura Canil - The Journey

Support the Show: WeLoveSciencePodcast.com

Reach out to Fatu:
www.linkedin.com/in/fatubm
Instagram: @thee_fatu_b
and LoveSciencePodcast@gmail.com

Reach out to Shekerah:
www.linkedin.com/in/shekerah-primus
and LoveSciencePodcast@gmail.com

Music from Pixabay: Future Artificial Intelligence Technology 130 by TimMoor
Music from https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes: Hotshot by ScottHolmesMusic