his week we present two stories of scientists becoming mothers.

Part 1: Heather Williams trades in her physicist labcoat for motherhood, and wonders if she can return.

Part 2: Mary Garcia-Cazarin discovers she’s pregnant just as she is offered a prestigious science policy fellowship, and worries about she can’t cope with both.

Heather Williams is a principal medical physicist at The Christie  hospital in Manchester, UK, where she oversees imaging and therapy in  the Nuclear Medicine Department and specialises in Positron Emission  Tomography. Heather is an advocate for science communication to  non-expert audiences and is passionate about supporting Women in STEM.  The latter lead her to set up ScienceGrrl back in 2012, a grassroots  national network with 10 local chapters throughout the UK that help  match scientists with speaking opportunities close to them. Williams is a  current member of the IOP’s Women in Physics group committee and  represents the Institute of Physics within the European Platform for  Women Scientists (EPWS). In 2017 she was awarded the IOP Phillips Award  for distinguished service to the IOP through the Women in Physics Group.  When she’s not working, Heather enjoys running, cycling, hiking and  spending time with her sons.   

Mary Garcia-Cazarin, Ph.D., M.S. is a Scientific Advisor for the Tobacco  Regulatory Science Program (TRSP) in the Office of Disease Prevention  at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) where she helps to stimulate  and coordinate collaborative tobacco regulatory science research; and  implementation of initiatives related to disease prevention, tobacco and  public health. Previously, Dr. Garcia-Cazarin was an American  Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology  Policy Fellow in the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS). She is an  alumna of the Linton-Poodry SACNAS Leadership Institute (2011) and the  Advanced Leadership Institute (2017). Dr. Garcia-Cazarin is a former  SACNAS Board Member. She received her Bachelor of Science in  pharmaceutical chemistry from Universidad Veracruzana, Mexico, her  Master of Science in biology from James Madison University, in  Harrisonburg, Virginia, and her Ph.D. in pharmacology from the  University of Kentucky in Lexington. She is a passionate about training  and mentoring and an advocate of outreach programs to increase  participation of underrepresented groups in science-related fields. 

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This week, we’re presenting two stories from scientists about the people and places that inspired them.

Part 1: Just before she leaves for her dream opportunity to teach marine science on the Red Sea, Latasha Wright gets a call that puts her plans in jeopardy.

Part 2:  Growing up, Sheena Cruickshank’s teenage older brother inspires her love of science, but then one summer he returns from university with a lump on his arm.

Latasha Wright received her Ph.D. from NYU Langone Medical Center in Cell and Molecular Biology. After her studies, she went on to continue her scientific training at Johns Hopkins University and Weill Cornell Medical Center. She has co­authored numerous publications and presented her work at international and national conferences. In 2011, she joined the crew of the BioBus, a mobile science lab dedicated to bringing hands­on science and inspiration to students from all socioeconomic backgrounds. The BioBus creates a setting that fosters innovation and creativity. Students are encouraged to ask questions, formulate hypotheses, and design experiments. Through the BioBus, Latasha was able to share her love of science with a new generation of potential scientists. Everyday that she spends teaching students about science in this transformative environment helps her remember that science is fun. She loves sharing the journey of discovery with students of all ages. In 2014, the BioBus team launched an immersive, un­intimidating laboratory space called the BioBase, a community laboratory model. At the BioBase students are encouraged to explore their scientific potential through in­-depth programming and hands­-on experimentation. Latasha has lead the efforts in establishing this community laboratory model, and hopes to build on its success in other communities. The efforts of the BioBus’ team to promote science   education to all communities in New York City has been recognized by numerous news outlets, including the WNYC science radio program Hypothesis. Additionally, Latasha has been featured as NY1’s New Yorker of the Week.  

Sheena Cruickshank graduated in Biochemistry and Immunology from the  University of Strathclyde and did a PhD in Immunology with Cancer  Research UK at the University of Leeds. She is now an immunology  Professor  in the University of Manchester and also is their University Academic  Lead for Public Engagement. Her research aims to understand how the  immune response distinguishes harm from benefit e.g. parasitic  infections versus the friendly bacteria that live in and  on our bodies. She has a focus on using her research to help develop  tools to improve patient diagnosis and management. Sheena is passionate  about communicating her research with the public and her public  engagement work is very closely linked to her research.  She co-developed resources to help educate about parasite infections  and their impact with a set of resources called “the Worm Wagon” and  focuses on enabling access to science for non-native English speakers.  She also co-developed a UK nationwide citizen science  project to understand allergies and the impacts of pollution  (@BritainBreathing). She was a AAAS Leshner Fellow and has received  awards and commendations for her outreach from organisations such as the  Royal Society of Biology, BBSRC and NCCPE and has presented  her work in the media including the radio and television.   

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The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Story Collider, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.