Science policy has created some of the biggest research initiatives of our lifetimes, like the Human Genome Project, the Cancer Moonshot, and even the Original Moonshot. It also dictates more mundane (but vital) aspects of scientists' lives like grant funding, and how graduate students' tuition stipends are taxed. Science policy panelists Andrew Bremer, Stephanie Mack, and Kathy Shield join Sally and Kayla to discuss their work bringing a grad student science policy group to UC Berkeley and how science policy impacts all our lives. They also share tips for interacting with elected representatives and advocating for science policies you're passionate about. Finally, we chat about career opportunities in science policy and how scientists and people passionate about science and research can get involved and stay informed.

Stay tuned for another episode with our amazing science policy panelists coming soon - we'll go deep on how taxpayer money leads to new technologies!

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You’ve secured a coveted faculty position - now what? Double Shelix welcomes Helen Zha, Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. Helen started as a faculty in January 2018, and on this episode, we discuss her experiences on the faculty job market and how we can learn from her mistakes - and her successes! Helen shares the triumphs and challenges she has faced in the first year of running a brand new research group, and the best advice she’s gotten from her mentors about navigating this exciting career stage. Also, tenure is only 4 years away, so we discuss that terrifying situation, and why it doesn’t seem equally terrifying to all junior faculty. We also discover what motivated Helen to pursue an academic career, her ultimate career and life goals, and how she has perfected the art of the lipstick break. Oh, and her biohybrid materials research, of course!

DOUBLE SHELIX LIVE - Tuesday, October 23 at 5:30 pm. UC Berkeley Hearst Mining Building, Room 290. All are welcome! Free food thanks to our partners, Berkeley Society of Women Engineers. We’ll be discussing how learning the hidden curriculum for success in STEM can help students overcome impostor syndrome and excel! More info: https://goo.gl/brDeto Hope to see you there!

Helen Zha’s research group - https://www.biohybridmaterialslab.com/

Subscribe to Double Shelix on iTunes!
More on doubleshelix.com
Instagram - @doubleshelixpodcast
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Email us - doubleshelixpodcast@gmail.com
Tell a friend or colleague about Double Shelix!

Heidi Norton joins Double Shelix to discuss her transition from graduate school to living her best life as a senior molecular biologist at Biomeme, a biotech startup in Philadelphia. She shares her tips for using enthusiasm as a networking tool, and how students and early career professionals can identify their strengths and demonstrate them to potential employers. Heidi shares some of the awesome science she does Biomeme, creating hand-held PCR machines to find endangered species, diagnose diseases in the field, and track high-value goods in the supply chain. Heidi tells us why she loves working at Biomeme and about current job openings at Biomeme - a technical sales/business development role and a software development role! If you love science and solving problems and want to learn more about the business of science, you should TOTALLY APPLY!

Biomeme's open positions - biomeme.com/careers
Biomeme on LinkedIn - https://goo.gl/uzmdEV
Email Heidi for more inside scoop on the job postings - heidi@biomeme.com
Biomeme on Instagram - @biomemeinc
Biomeme on Twitter - @biomemeinc
Awesome videos of Biomeme's technology out in the world - biomeme.com
Heidi's blog, Beta Pleated Chic - betapleatedchic.com

Thank you to Biomeme for supporting this episode! Please apply to their jobs or tell a friend or mentee to apply - we all could use a little encouragement to reach for our dreams! If you apply, tell Sally and Kayla (who couldn't join for this episode, but will be back!) and we will send you encouraging gifs!

Subscribe to Double Shelix on iTunes!
More on doubleshelix.com
Instagram - @doubleshelixpodcast
Twitter - @doubleshelixpod

How can you make the most of a short research or work experience? Sally and Kayla give their tips for how to succeed in a summer internship or research rotation, including how to manage day-to-day responsibilities, demonstrate your curiosity and eagerness, and finish strong to leave a great impression. We give the inside scoop on asking for letters of recommendation and navigating tough conversations about authorship and publication goals. Also, what to do when you end up in a truly toxic situation (which you probably won’t, but still it’s scary). Other important things: great lab notebook habits and tips for all stakeholders to make a successful undergraduate poster fair. If you supervise interns or rotation students, or if you are one - this is the episode for you!

Resources:
All the best practical tips for crushing your summer research experience, from The STEM Squad
https://goo.gl/AgsEQC

Excellent tips about framing your summer work experiences in future job, school, or fellowship applications on our episode with Christina Fuentes and Shaheen Jeeawoody
https://goo.gl/e8PHvm

Stellar advice for becoming an amazing mentee and mentor, on our episode Next Level Mentorship for Mentors and Mentees with Julea Vlassakis
https://goo.gl/H8HRLw

Sally’s post on how to ask for a letter of recommendation on Beta Pleated Chic
https://goo.gl/rNrey

Thank you to our funders, the University of Pennsylvania Department of Bioengineering and the Berkeley Student Tech Fund.

Share your thoughts on this episode on our voicemail 415-895-0850 or email us doubleshelixpodcast@gmail.com. We're on Twitter @doubleshelixpod and on Instagram @doubleshelixpodcast - give us a follow! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed us on iTunes!

We wrap up the You do Belong in Science series with listener stories and lessons learned from this series. Listeners write in with stories about the importance of professors' LGBTQ allyship and dealing with chronic illness in graduate school. We reveal who does not belong in science (spoiler alert/content advisory, it's sexual harassers). We also welcome allyship correspondent Jon Muncie to discuss actions everyone can take to prevent and respond to sexual harassment in the workplace, fairly judge peers' research, and increase representation and promote inclusion of people from underrepresented groups in STEM. He reminds us that we need to get comfortable being uncomfortable when it comes to discussing and addressing these important issues facing our science workplaces.

Resources
* Resources for LGBTQ+ students, staff, and faculty at Berkeley: https://queer.berkeley.edu/on-campus, at UCSF: https://lgbt.ucsf.edu, at U of Pennsylvania: https://bit.ly/2jJqjdZ
* Proud and Prepared: A Guide for LGBT Students Navigating Graduate Training - resource from the American Psychological Association. Preview it here: http://www.apa.org/apags/resources/lgbt-guide.aspx
* Dr. Kate Clancy's congressional testimony video (starts ~41:30) https://bit.ly/2oqm5dn and transcript https://bit.ly/2GUXtkB
* Dr. Kate Clancy's amazing podcast, Period Podcast: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/period-podcast/period
* Sexual harassment videos and NYT analysis: https://nyti.ms/2Gg4NHT
* Resources for dealing with sexual harassment: rainn.org/thatsharassment

Thank you to our funders, the University of Pennsylvania Department of Bioengineering and the Berkeley Student Tech Fund. Also thanks to Gustavo Villarreal @wikirascals for our amazing graphics. Get your Double Shelix and You do Belong in Science stickers at doubleshelix.com/stickers.

Share your thoughts on this episode - or your belonging story - on our voicemail 415-895-0850 or email us doubleshelixpodcast@gmail.com. We're on Twitter @doubleshelixpod and coming soon to Instagram @doubleshelixpodcast - give us a follow! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed us on the iTunes store! Keep penning those awesome reviews!

Professor Suhair Sunoqrot joins Sally and Kayla to discuss her experiences running her research lab at Al Zaytoonah University of Jordan and what she wishes international colleagues understood about the research climate in Jordan. Also on this episode, a listener is having a hard time fitting in while researching in another country, and we discuss Suhair's experience finding belonging in research labs in the US and Europe. Suhair successfully balances her nanoparticle and drug delivery research with a heavy teaching load, and we learn her secrets for making it work. Suhair is an outstanding researcher and mentor, and we're honored to have her on Double Shelix!

Resources:
* Suhair on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ssunoqrot/
* Suhair Sunoqrot Lab at Al Zaytoonah University: https://nanolabzuj.wordpress.com/

Thank you to our funders, Penn Bioengineering Department and the Berkeley Student Tech Fund. Thanks to Gustavo Villarreal and Kaz Lewis for our awesome graphics and photos!

Follow us on Twitter @doubleshelixpod

Send us your stories of (not) belonging in science! Doubleshelixpodcast@gmail.com, on doubleshelix.com, or our voicemail 1-415-895-0850. Stay tuned for our episode next week - it's the You do Belong in Science-stravaganza!

You do belong in science!!!

A STEM graduate degree can be a gateway to an amazing career, but many undergraduate students are unaware that these opportunities exist or how to navigate the grad school admission process. Guests Christina Fuentes and Shaheen Jeeawoody join Sally and Kayla to discuss strategies for enabling students to learn about and successfully apply to graduate school. Shaheen and Christina are both leaders in Graduate Pathways to STEM, a grad student-run organization that brings students from non-research institutions to Berkeley or Stanford for a 1-day conference to learn about the opportunities a graduate degree presents, what grad school is like, and navigating the admissions process. Conference attendees are paired with peer mentors and have the opportunity to interact with STEM leaders. We also discuss strategies for successful grad school applications, writing strong essays that advocate for yourself, Shaheen and Christina's pathways to graduate school, and the value of peer mentorship - "Peer mentorship kept me in the PhD." If you're considering applying to graduate school, want to improve your writing, or want to understand how your community can be more welcoming to graduate students of all backgrounds, you will LOVE this episode.

Resources:
*Bay Area Graduate Pathways to STEM - https://stanford.io/2Fiojls
*Christina Fuentes on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinamfuentes/
*Shaheen Jeeawoody on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaheenj/

Upcoming #YouDoBelongInScience episodes will feature your stories! Fill out the form on our website, or call our voicemail, 415-895-0850, to share your story of (dis)belonging in STEM.

Get your Double Shelix and You Do Belong in Science stickers - DoubleShelix.com/stickers. Follow us on Twitter @doubleshelixpod

Many students arrive in college under-prepared for success, and professors have the responsibility - and opportunity - to help them gain skills to enable their success and find belonging in STEM. However, few professors are trained to help students develop these skills, so our guest, Sherri Messersmith, incorporates them into her series of developmental math textbooks! On this episode, Sherri shares her journey in math, from besting elementary school bullies on every math test, to high school math teacher, to college math professor, and now author of 15 college math textbooks. We discuss how staying true to your passions outside your main focus area - like writing, cooking, and travel, for Sherri - can make you better at your job, and even open the door to new opportunities - like textbook authorship! Sherri tells us what departments can do to engage with students in introductory courses and how to build students' confidence in difficult material. As Sherri says, life is not linear, so follow your passions, work hard, and be ready if fortune strikes with an amazing opportunity! Sherri is an experienced educator and speaker on the topic of enabling student success, and we are honored to have her on Double Shelix!!

Also on this episode, we hear from a listener who was told by professors that they didn't belong in their grad program because they went to a small liberal arts college, not a big research institution - what?! We discuss how students take these kinds of comments from faculty really harshly, and how faculty can do better. Also, the importance of peer support in making it through trying times when you're singled out or are the "only one."

Resources:
*Road Trip Nation, the book that inspired Sherri's career leap to textbook authorship: www.roadtripnation.com
*Sherri's textbooks: https://amzn.to/2JRcHct
*Follow Sally and Kayla on Twitter @sallywinkler and @Kayla_J_Wolf
*Follow us on Twitter @doubleshelixpod

Upcoming #YouDoBelongInScience episodes will feature your stories! Fill out the form on our website, or call our voicemail, 415-895-0850, to share your story of (dis)belonging in STEM. We're hoping to share a diverse set of experiences from our listeners, but we need your help to make that happen!

Get your Double Shelix and You Do Belong in Science stickers - DoubleShelix.com/stickers

Check out our upcoming guests - DoubleShelix.com/flyer

If you liked this episode, you will love our episode all about imposter syndrome and improving your writing - Episode 3, "Battling Imposter Syndrome // Writing is Part of Science." It's a few episodes back in this feed.

Rate, review, and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes! And please, tell your friends about Double Shelix!

The real value of STEM outreach is the positive youth development and mentorship that students receive. Being inspired to pursue a STEM career? That's just a welcome bonus, says our guest, math graduate student and data scientist Noni Williams. Noni joins Kayla and Sally to discuss effective strategies for STEM and professional development outreach to kids and teens and her extensive experience leading initiatives from robotics and digital art festivals to AP Computer Science and slam poetry. Also, our allyship correspondent Jon Muncie checks in to chat about how we can all work to distribute the burden of emotional labor equitably in our workplaces and beyond.

We also discuss Noni's experiences being the only woman and/or student from an underrepresented background in her graduate mathematics courses and balancing work as a data scientist at United Way of the Midlands with graduate school. Noni gives advice for others in similar situations. Some of Noni's keys to success including tracking gratitude, finding peer mentors, and defining clear boundaries around her time. Noni brings her *extensive* experience leading STEM outreach initiatives for kids and teens to this episode, and we are honored to speak with her!

Upcoming #YouDoBelongInScience episodes will feature your stories! Fill out the form on our website, doubleshelix.com, or call our voice mail, 415-895-0850, to share your story of (dis)belonging in STEM. We're hoping to share a diverse set of experiences from our listeners, but we you to help make that happen!

Get your Double Shelix and You Do Belong in Science stickers here - bit.ly/2Hppv99 - and tag us on social media #YouDoBelongInScience

Resources
*The nonprofit No More Empty Pots - visit their coffee shop No More Empty Cups near 10th and William in Omaha, www.nmepomaha.org
*United Way of the Midlands Omaha, where Noni is Manager of Solutions and Continuous Improvement, www.unitedwaymidlands.org
*Follow Noni on Instagram @nonihasknees
*Follow Jon on Twitter @jmmuncie
*Follow Sally and Kayla on Twitter @sallywinkler and @Kayla_J_Wolf
*Follow @BetterMaleAllies on Twitter - more excellent allyship tips!
*Follow us on Twitter @doubleshelixpod

Check out our upcoming guests - DoubleShelix.com/flyer

If you liked this episode, listen to our episode with mentorship expert Julea Vlassakis - "Next Level Mentorship for Mentees and Mentors." Check out it out, a few episodes back in this feed.

Rate, review, and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes! And please, tell your friends about this podcast!

We kick off our You do Belong in Science series with Dr. Tamara Alliston, PhD, Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at UCSF. Tamara discusses her journey into science and academia, and how she found belonging through peer mentorship, despite imposter syndrome. As a mentor, Tamara works to help mentees "stay connected to what gives them joy," and we also discuss what brings Tamara joy - musculoskeletal biology and surfing with her family! Tamara stresses the importance of STEM outreach to adult audiences, and shares her practical tips for "making this life work." Finally, we dispel myths about the Pipeline Problem, and Tamara shares some data about funding disparities in orthopedic surgery. We encourage everyone to dig into the data to learn about funding demographics in their own field; for most of us, there's still a long way to go. Bonus: Tamara's qualifying exam advice!

Resources
* Alliston Lab at UCSF - allistonlab.ucsf.edu
* Musculskeletal Biology Gordon Research Conference - https://bit.ly/2H5wPqx
* The importance of peer mentorship in graduate school - https://bit.ly/2InhBwj

You do Belong in Science
* Submit your story of belonging or ask a question - email us doubleshelixpodcast@gmail.com or call our voicemail 415-895-0850!
* Get your Double Shelix and You Do Belong in Science stickers - email us!
* Stay tuned for our next episode, out April 10
* Sign up for our mailing list - https://goo.gl/forms/hQm1Tl0UgPLx9rKi1
* Check out our *newly redesigned* website - doubleshelix.com
* Follow us on Twitter @doubleshelixpod. Join the conversation with #YouDoBelongInScience and #YDBIS
* Recommended episode - Teaching for Active Learning with LeAnn Dourte (Double Shelix Episode 8)

Many thanks to...
* University of Pennsylvania, Department of Bioengineering
* Berkeley Student Tech Fund
* Gustavo Villarreal, @wikirascals on Twitter, for our amazing logo
* Kaz Lewis, for our official portraits on our website - follow him on Instagram @kazlewis
* You, our listeners, for telling your friends about our podcast and our #YouDoBelongInScience campaign