Science Professors Drop the Formality (& Serious Wisdom) in New DEI Podcast
The “social” side of science isn’t always discussed amidst the rigorous demands placed on those in the field, but sharing successes and stumbling blocks are vital to the process of discovery, especially when those experiences are shared from people belonging to groups less represented in the sciences in general. Chatham’s newly formed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee of the Sciences is having those necessary conversations out loud with “K(no)w Last Names,” their student-led podcast focused on de-formalizing the relationship between students and professors while emphasizing diverse viewpoints. Episodes are released bi-monthly on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and many other podcast platforms.
Read on to learn how the podcast is made! Oh, and in honor of the podcast’s mission to remove the layer of formality between faculty and students, we’ll be going on a first-name basis for the Q&A, so here’s a list of our interviewees:
Lucas Tavares Naief, Cellular and Molecular Biology
Daniel Greenawalt, Biochemistry
Kundhavai Balamurugan, pre-PA Human Biology
Jorge Sierra Fonseca, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Neuroscience
Who came up with the idea of doing a podcast?
Lucas:
I first came up with this idea in the Spring of 2022. I arrived at Chatham at the peak of the covid-19 pandemic, when it was a challenge for students to connect with professors due to the online formats. One of the biggest benefits of attending a small school like Chatham is the possibility of getting to know professors on a more personal level and use those relationships to drive our academic opportunities and success – whether it is research, independent studies, office hours…
After my first meeting upon joining the DEI committee, I discussed my idea with Dr. Williams-Hatala. We both agreed that our professors’ stories are worth sharing. Our faculty members carry a wealth of knowledge and teachings that could guide and inspire our student body, regardless of their career paths.
The project began to concretize in the Fall of 2022. When the idea of a podcast was discussed amongst the other committee members, Dan Greenawalt expressed he had thought of something similar, and that he also wanted to interview professors. Dan, Kundhavaidevi, and I got together several nights to discuss format, guests list, questions, and all the technical aspects involved in the production of the show. Our main goal was to create the base for a sustainable project that will stay within our campus for a long time, so we drew the framework so the next student members of the Science Department DEI Committee could continue with the project.
Dr. Sierra was the faculty member responsible for overlooking the project. He gave us the freedom and support we needed to create an organic and genuine project and was a huge help in transitioning from paper to actual interviews. In addition, Sophia DiPietro, the remaining DEI student member, crowned herself as the project’s baker and made delicious pastries for our meetings. Lastly, Sofia Caloiero and Allie Corser-James assisted with the shooting of the first episode, in which we came across several technical difficulties and would not have been able to film it if it wasn’t for them.
Jorge:
I joined the Science DEI committee last Fall, and the idea of a student-hosted podcast to interview Science faculty members was already being developed. This was led by student committee members (Lucas, Daniel, and Khundavaidevi), who shared the notion that in order to improve accessibility and break down faculty-student barriers, students in the department could benefit from learning more about their professors in a more casual environment outside of the classroom, while also acknowledging the time limitations that both faculty and students face during the semester. Thus came about the idea of a podcast including short interviews, where students would interview faculty on their scientific trajectory as well as personal interests, in order to demystify faculty and promote more engagement within the Science community at Chatham.
Can you explain the title of the podcast?
Daniel:
The title of the podcast is meant to help shift the paradigm of students not really knowing their professors and to help them see them more as a person instead of a person in a role of authority. It really means a lot, because if we are able to accomplish this task, we would make the science department more fluid, and collaboration will be more comfortable which is crucial in science. We would also expect to see students’ scores increase because we are knocking down the barrier of talking to the professors.
Lucas:
The goal of the project was to reduce the gap between faculty and students. I first thought of the name No Last Names, so to remove the formal layer of ‘Dr. blank.’ When I mentioned the title to Dr. Williams-Hatala, she thought I meant Know Last Names, which aligns with our mission to get students to know our faculty better. That is how “K(no)w Last Names” came about. Admittedly, Dan and I do a terrible job at calling the professors with their first names during the interviews, mainly because of force of habit.
How do you divide up labor when deciding how to make the podcast?
“DEI initiatives are very important both personally and professionally. I was born in Mexico and lived most of my life in a bi-national region in the border of Texas with Juarez, Mexico, and thus have witnessed and experienced firsthand the challenges and obstacles that students from underserved backgrounds face on a daily basis. Through my personal and academic experiences, I have acquired the cultural capital to work with those students and facilitate their success in college and after graduation.”
— Jorge Sierra Fonseca, Ph.D.
Lucas:
We have assigned roles but everyone has been helpful with whatever needed. Kundhavaidevi does far better job with the Instagram posts than Dan and I ever could. She also does a lot of the background interviews with professors so we have an idea of what to ask (particularly their most exciting stories). Dan took a podcasting course at Chatham in the Fall, so he is more familiar with recording and editing. I do a bit of everything and we are all learning as we go. Sophia is the baker, which is the most appreciated role as she could be selling her goods for millions.
Daniel:
Lucas and I take on the editing and we split it up evenly for the most part and we are responsible for coming up with the questions that we ask too. Kundhavai is our social media coordinator and is responsible for the beautiful artwork when promoting our episodes; she also does preliminary interviews to give Lucas and I an idea on the types of questions to ask.
What’s been your favorite thing about the podcast so far?
Lucas:
Seeing the progress we have made and the support from the faculty. We were able to get funding and loads of support from the committee and to see it published on Spotify was pretty great.
Daniel:
I would like to say that I am really pleased with how this project has progressed over the course of the last year and I am really excited to see where this can go and the impact that it can have on students which will be able to be seen with surveys.
Kundhavai:
My favorite part of the podcast definitely is conducting the interviews with the professors before they go on the podcast with Lucas and Dan. As a student, it can be easy to forget professors are just normal people, too, and having a conversation with them about their upbringing, personal lives, and educational and career journeys makes me see them in a totally different light. Everyone has such inspiring stories and I genuinely look up to all of them. With the podcast, I hope to share this side of the science faculty with other students that they don’t really see in the classroom.
Jorge:
I am delighted to see that the podcast is being successful and that students and faculty alike are enjoying the episodes we have published so far. Feedback has been very positive, and the team is very motivated to keep moving the project forward.
What are some future episode guests and topics?
Student members of the DEI Committee of the Sciences, from left to right: Daniel, Lucas, Kundhavai, Sophia
Lucas:
Dr. Pope, already recorded. We discussed growing up in Cape Cod, an environmentally fragile region, pursuing a BS and PhD at MIT, the many stories in the ocean, research projects, augmented reality, and much more. Dr. Pfalzgraff will be our confirmed next guest.
Daniel:
Some of the future guests we would like to feature is Dr. Pfalzgraff, Dr. Hallows, Dr. MacNeil, and Dr. Doyle. We also have a plan to do an episode where Lucas and I talk about our feelings on going through academia so far seeing as I am graduating and have experienced a lot and Lucas is a 3rd year. We think it would also be nice for the listeners to hear our honest truth about the science department and any tips that we may share that could help with dealing with stress or knowing what to do and how to do it.
Science to me is really just one big family, there is so much collaboration and trust you need to have in individuals in order to produce results. For me, it was easy to make connections with faculty, but I know this isn’t the case for all so I really hope that what we are doing will at least make a positive impact one persons life and make the science department more accessible to more meaningful and deep relationships between faculty and students.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Lucas:
We would love some feedback from anyone listening. Five months ago none of us had a clue on how to do any of this and even though it is not rocket science, we are still learning a lot. If people give us guest requests, questions to potentially ask, and overall comments it certainly would be welcomed.
Kundhavai:
Truthfully, before working on this podcast, I wasn’t a big podcast listener-- and I still am not haha. But now, this is the only podcast I listen to! Lucas, Dan, Sophia and I are all graduating soon but we still want the podcast to continue long after we’re gone. Anyone interested in working on the podcast, or working as a member of the Science DEI committee in general, should definitely apply for a student member position!
Jorge:
This podcast project was my first responsibility as a faculty member of the Science DEI committee, and I could not be happier with how it’s turned out, and I am extremely grateful to work with this group of highly motivated and brilliant students who are actively working to make a positive change in the DEI culture at Chatham. And of course, please listen to the podcast and help us reach a larger audience!
Follow the DEI Committee of the Sciences on Instagram here. Check out our many science offerings on our website, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels.