While PhDrinking is now officially retired, I haven't given up podcasting! Check out my two new podcasts and hit subscribe if either/both catch your interest! Carry the Two: A podcast from the Institute for Mathematical and Statistical Innovation https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/carry-the-two/id1629115184 In Defense of Fandom: The show that examines the creativity, collaboration, & community of the Supernatural fandom https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-defense-of-fandom/id16746952...
Mar 14, 2023•5 min
After 6 years, 116 pages, and 29,379 words- I was officially made Sadie Witkowski, PhD! I thought the appropriate way to celebrate such a momentous occasion was to flip the show on its head so that I can share a bit about the work I've conducted throughout grad school. Suggested Reading: My lab's work with TMR: https://aeon.co/ideas/how-sound-and-smell-cues-can-enhance-learning-while-you-sleep Video covering basic TMR: https://youtu.be/OLeMUukpID0 The science behind lucid dreaming: https://www.i...
Apr 27, 2020•50 min
Send me your questions about sleep, memory, and science communication! facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhDrinking/ twitter: @SadieWit, @PhDrinking email: phdrinking@gmail.com
Apr 13, 2020•50 sec
Olea Morris studies ecovillages, places where people try to live off-the-grid in the most sustainable way they can. Olea focuses specifically on how humans in these villages interact with the animals that share their space. Suggested Reading: ecovillages: Karen Litfin's "Ecovillages: Lessons for Sustainable Community" https://books.google.de/books?id=uUCfAgAAQBAJ&dq=karen+litfin+ecovillages&lr=&source=gbs_navlinks_s multispecies studies: van Dooren et al. "Multispecies Studies: Culti...
Mar 31, 2020•34 min
We all have that friend who is convinced CBD is a true panacea, but has no scientific evidence to back it up. Well, let me introduce you to a memory researcher who has moved into clinical research focusing on CBD, psilocybin, and other trippy drugs. Manoj Doss walks us through some of his research and what we do (or don't) know about different substances. Suggested Reading: Hopkins research group website: https://hopkinspsychedelic.org/ How THC can affect false memories: https://www.biologicalps...
Mar 17, 2020•56 min
Turns out knowing a person for a few years doesn't necessarily mean you know what they do. I knew Sarah was in the department of statistics, but I had no idea how far-reaching her work is! If you're interested in education research, experimental design, and giving back to your community- Sarah Peko-Spicer is your girl! Suggested Reading: The paper that started it all: https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article%3Fid%3D10.1371/journal.pmed.0020124 Methods paper about conducting replication ana...
Mar 02, 2020•40 min
I can't help but be jealous of Chris Wall's field research. For his PhD, he got to live in Hawaii and snorkel/scuba through the reefs as 'research.' Granted, studying coral means contending with climate change in a very direct way. Suggested Reading: Interactive documentary on corals: http://lostcities.org/ Ocean acidification explainer: https://www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/story/What+is+Ocean+Acidification%3F Press coverage of Chris's research: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/19042313365...
Feb 11, 2020•40 min
Academic research is all about digging deeply into a topic, often in an area that is actually the synthesis of several topics. Today's guest, Bianka, fits this interdisciplinary model to a T. She studies the intersection of movement, fashion, and film. Suggested Reading: This project is especially dedicated to exploring the intersections of fashion, film and dance: https://www.anothermag.com/fashion-beauty/7275/about-movement Instagram-account of archaeology of fashion film: https://www.instagra...
Jan 28, 2020•36 min
Thank you so much to everyone who has helped make this show such a joy! Follow me: PhDrinking@gmail.com, @PhDrinking, @SadieWit, www.facebook.com/PhDrinking/ Thanks to www.bensound.com/ for the intro/outro Thanks to @TylerDamme for audio editing
Dec 31, 2019•2 min
Happy holidays! I recorded this episode with colleague and friend, Andrew Hall, just after our department party. While we both had plenty of snacks and drinks to enjoy, we did an admirable job staying on task to talk about personality research and how personality could impact health outcomes. Suggested Reading: SAPA research: https://sapa-project.org/research/ Hogan Personality Assessment: https://www.hoganassessments.com/assessment/hogan-personality-inventory/?fbclid=IwAR1XKuBu4pq2n-2z3IERx_-M2...
Dec 18, 2019•47 min
Our brains are great at soaking up all sorts of information, but less good at updating that information. This can become a problem when it comes to the insidious nature of fake news. Thankfully, Nikita Salovich is on the case, studying how we cope with fake news. PS- early in the episode, Nikita says Chicago is the capital of Illinois as an example of a false fact. In this case, we're using fact to mean a statement that can be proven true or false. Suggested Reading: NPR politics podcast on spot...
Dec 03, 2019•44 min
Guys, it finally happened. My longest time friend in grad school and thrice-weekly lifting partner finally joined me on the pod to talk research! So enjoy this episode where Ben Reuveni and I talk about memory, learning, and the joys/headaches of data exploration. Ben's lab profile: http://reberlab.psych.northwestern.edu/people/ben-reuveni/ Research papers in the Reber lab: http://reberlab.psych.northwestern.edu/research/selected-publications-and-reprints/ Thinking Fast and Slow: wiki: https://e...
Nov 19, 2019•41 min
Have you ever returned home after a loud concert, only to notice everything sounds muffled and a bit more quiet? In those moments, I usually think of my mom chastising me by saying that I can't recover lost hearing. But thanks to Amrita's research, there's a chance we may be able to recover our hearing after all! Suggested Reading: Article Amrita wrote about her research: https://indscicomm.blog/2018/05/01/music-in-the-time-of-hearing-loss/ Funding organization's description of research: https:/...
Nov 04, 2019•40 min
Just in time for the annual Society for Neuroscience meeting here in Chicago! In this conversation with Alie Caldwell, we talk about her dissertation research, her scicomm efforts, and just geek out about the brain in general. Suggested Reading: The roles of glia in CNS development: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/362/6411/181/tab-pdf Astrocytes in development and disease: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27381164 What even are astrocytes? (Video): https://youtu.be/Utaeaz-tD5s Follow A...
Oct 22, 2019•36 min
I know that everyone jokes that if you're a biology PhD, you must be studying cancer. But sometimes, that's actually true! I had the pleasure to chat with Keighley about her work with cancer stem cells, specifically in breast cance.r Suggested Reading: Breast cancer overview: https://www.healthline.com/health/triple-negative-breast-cancer-recurrence What you should know about triple-negative breast cancer: https://www.mdanderson.org/publications/cancerwise/triple-negative-breast-cancer-5-things-...
Oct 08, 2019•34 min
It was a happy accident that I found Hannah Groch-Begley though an old college friend. Her historical research on the changing roles of women in the British Empire during WW1 covered much more than anything I've seen in a textbook. I'm sure you'll enjoy the conversation as much as I did. Suggested Reading: 12 Things you didn't know about WW1: https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/12-things-you-didnt-know-about-women-in-the-first-world-war Changing gender roles in WW1: https://www.bl.uk/world-war-one/ar...
Sep 24, 2019•39 min
It's not often that I get to chat with a fellow psychology grad student about their research! For this episode, I spoke with Jennifer about how emotions affect decision-making, particularly when it comes to mood disorders Suggested Reading: Recent publication about arousal and impulsivity: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30259983 Lab website: CALM Program Jennifer's blog: http://voicingvulnerability.blogspot.com/ Follow Jennifer Pearlstein: @jenpearlstein, jenpearlstein@gmail.com Follow me: ...
Sep 10, 2019•27 min
We often hear about research that requires intensely specialized equipment- from the large hadron collider to PCR machines. But imagine of you could conduct your research by just using a household appliance. Well Matthew is one of the lucky few who can conduct his research on graphene with the help of a typical blender! Suggested Reading: General piece on graphene: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/12/22/material-question Scientific American's overview of the graphene made in a blender: ht...
Aug 27, 2019•39 min
**Head's up, we had some technical difficulties when recording this episode. There was a break in our audio that we filled with some pleasant elevator music (courtesy The Mini Vandals) before continuing the conversation. Sorry about that!** Have you ever wondered if DNA is the only way to identify a unique person? What if we could use the microbiome on a person's skin? Allie Sherier's research focuses on just that question! Suggested Reading: Scientific article on the skin microbiome and forensi...
Aug 13, 2019•30 min
The landscape of journalism is changing rapidly. With established newspapers going out of business and the rise of online publication, working as a journalist today is very different than even 20 years ago. Nick Hagar studies these trends and researches how the world of journalism is continuing to evolve. Suggested Reading: A great recent rundown of labor issues in freelance journalism: https://newrepublic.com/article/153744/gig-economy A general source of news industry and research coverage: ht...
Jul 30, 2019•36 min
Hey guys, No episode this week as I recover from ComSciCon-Flagship. We will be back to our regular schedule on July 29th with a new episode. In the meantime, feel free to reach out to me! Follow me: PhDrinking@gmail.com, @PhDrinking, @SadieWit, www.facebook.com/PhDrinking/ Thanks to www.bensound.com/ for the intro/outro
Jul 16, 2019•40 sec
Thanks to the NPR SciCommers community, I had the chance to chat with Gosia all the way over in Porto, Portugal! She studies genetic variation within pigeons and other birds, all while applying this research to a broader context. Suggested Reading: CIBIO: https://cibio.up.pt/people/details/malgorzatag Molecular Ecology blog: https://www.molecularecologist.com/ Genetics Society of America blog: http://genestogenomes.org/ Genetics blog: http://newsongenetics.blogspot.com/ Follow Malgorzata (Gosia)...
Jul 02, 2019•38 min
There are lots of unusual research animals, but Amanda's animal of choice is one you might see on your plate. She studies the behavior of cattle (the meat variety, not milk producing) and what that can tell us about best practices to keep them happy and healthy. Suggested Reading: Modern beef production: https://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/raising-beef Cattle behavior research: http://www.animalbehaviour.net/cattle/ Amanda's lab website: https://animalscience.tamu.edu/people/daigle-courtney/ F...
Jun 17, 2019•38 min
In grade school, we learn about the solid, liquid, and gas form of water and assume we know everything. Turns out, that's totally wrong! There's a lot that we don't know about water molecules. but don't worry, we have PhD student Memo here to get us up to speed on his research. Suggested Reading: Intro to ultrafast spectroscopy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D8BFQzSyDw Interview with Memo's undergrad advisor on water: http://nautil.us/issue/25/water/ingenious-richard-saykally Research from Me...
Jun 04, 2019•43 min
We tend to think of our genetic inheritance as stable over time, but the expression of those genes can be altered by your environment. Laetitia studies one example of this- gestational (pregnancy-induced) diabetes. Suggested Reading: A general primer on epigenetics- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1392256/ The human genome project- http://www.thepipettepen.com/blog/epigenetics-the-software-of-the-dna-hardware/ In-depth article on developmental plasticity- https://www.nature.com/arti...
May 21, 2019•45 min
Conferences aren't just for presenting your research, sometimes you meet other students doing amazing work! In this episode, I chat with Bryan about his research on marine ecology using computational tools. Suggested Reading: Smithsonian Ocean Portal (for cool ocean news & educational resources): https://ocean.si.edu/ Smithsonian Ocean Portal coverage of some of our eDNA work: https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/trail-dna-ocean Some other uses for environmental DNA: https://www.smithsonianmag.co...
May 07, 2019•42 min
How do you design a more egalitarian society through the clothing choices of men and women? Turns out, the social cues of clothing (and how well you can actually move in those clothes) were a major concern for some French revolutionaries. Fellow Northwestern PhD student Marissa Croft studies this intersection of costuming and politics. Suggested Reading: The Marie Antoinette Dress that Ignited the Slave Trade: https://www.racked.com/2018/1/10/16854076/marie-antoinette-dress-slave-trade-chemise-a...
Apr 22, 2019•35 min
Imagine having the last name Doctor, but still finishing your PhD. That's just life for Zoheyr, a student studying gravitational waves at UChicago. Suggested Reading: LIGO website: https://www.ligo.org/ Blog on the scientists of LIGO: https://humansofligo.blogspot.com/ Find Zoheyr Doctor: @almostdrdoctor Follow me: PhDrinking@gmail.com, @PhDrinking, @SadieWit, www.facebook.com/PhDrinking/ Thanks to www.bensound.com/ for the intro/outro Thanks to @TylerDamme for audio editing
Apr 08, 2019•28 min
In this episode, I explore the world of professional smash bros players with Kyle Nolla. We talk about everything from the role of stress in performance in video games to gender representation in gaming to her work on the Harassment Task Force. Suggested Reading: Super Smash Con 2018 mindsets and stress management panel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lKVaLXlSBc Kyle's published science article about children's gender stereotypes in STEM: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/cdev.1...
Mar 27, 2019•40 min
Newly-minted PhD Thom Booth took time from his busy schedule (moving to Australia!) to tell me all about his PhD research. Thom studies natural products discovery, which honestly I didn't know what that was either. But don't worry, he does a great job breaking down his research in this episode! Suggested Reading: Molecular explanation of Geosmin (the smell of soil): https://www.jic.ac.uk/blog/meet-the-molecules-geosmin/ Synthetic evolution of natural products: https://www.jic.ac.uk/news/landmark...
Mar 11, 2019•31 min
