Episode description

On this episode, Katie is joined by Dr. Kevin Ahern, a Professor of Biochemistry/Biophysics who has taken a very non-traditional path to becoming a professor. A Beaver alum, Ahern received his Ph.D from OSU in 1986 and after post-doctoral work at UCSD, rejoined OSU as a business manager in 1989. Transitioning to the instructional ranks in 1995, Ahern served there until he was promoted from Senior Instructor to Professor in 2014, a rank he currently holds. Along the way, Ahern served as a scientific writer and editor with stints as contributing editor of Science Magazine, BioTechniques, and Genetic Engineering News. His YouTube instructional videos have over 4,000,000 views and his three open educational resource textbooks have saved students almost $50,000,000.

Segment 1: Writing Creatively as a Researcher [00:00-11:58]

In this first segment, Kevin shares about some of the creative writing he does as a scientist.

In this segment, the following resources are mentioned:

• Science Magazine
• BioTechniques
• Genetic Engineering News
• Dr. Kevin Ahern’s YouTube channel and Metabolic Melodies

Segment 2: Supporting Undergraduate Researchers [11:59-19:58]

In segment two, Kevin shares his experience supporting undergraduate researchers.

In this segment, the following resources are mentioned:

• OSU’s STEM Leaders Program

Segment 3: Best Practices with Mentoring Undergraduate Researchers [19:59-31:16]

In segment three, Kevin describes some strategies for effectively mentoring undergraduate researchers.

In this segment, the following resources are mentioned:

• Howard Hughes Medical Institute
  • Entering Mentoring

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The views expressed by guests on the Research in Action podcast do not necessarily represent the views of Ecampus or Oregon State University.