Science Blender Co- Founders. Image courtesy of the Cornell Chronicle
Charlie Heinke, Executive Producer
Charlie is a PhD student in Cornell’s Biomedical Engineering Department. His research involves creating culture environments to control the growth of muscle stem cells. Charlie joined the Science Blender team because he believes that behind every scientific development there are two stories. Most people only hear about the series of successful experiments presented in academic papers, leaving the rich, complex, and personal experiences of the scientists untold. As a producer of Science Blender, Charlie enjoys unearthing these hidden stories.
Marc Goudge, Producer, Team Leader
Marc is a PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University hailing from the Great White North of Canada. In his research, he studies the sugars that decorate the cell surface, and tries to figure out why these sugars change during cancer progression. Marc joined the Science Blender team to help highlight the people that make up academia – the graduate students – and highlight the challenges that they face on a day-to-day basis.
Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Producer, Outreach Chair
Luis is a PhD student in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. He works with other members of the Fors group on developing polymers for battery materials and developing electrochemical methods for polymer synthesis. Luis believes that the stories that we tell wield incredible power and he is excited to help the Science Blender team tell new and interesting stories.In his free time, Luis enjoys cooking for his loved ones, making and listening to music, and rock climbing.
Tyler Dunbar, Treasurer, Producer
Tyler Dunbar is a PhD student with Professor Tobias Hanrath, working to understand the physical phenomena of nanocrystal superlattice transformations. Tyler joined the Science Blender team because of his interest in communicating science to a broad audience. He is interested in helping others through both science and volunteering.
Alicia Aquino, Producer
Alicia is a PhD student in the Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering department at Cornell University who is working to develop a microfluidic device for cell-free production of therapeutic glycoproteins. She is passionate about scientific outreach and believes that Science Blender is a great way to reach a young audience who are considering careers in STEM and want to hear from current scientists and engineers
Abhishek Kumar Sharma, Producer
Abhishek Kumar Sharma is a PhD student researching on physics of self-assembly of nanoparticles through computational methods. He comes from Delhi, the capital city of India. Abhishek has a keen interest in scientific communication, and is always looking to share his curiosity with others. He believes that everything is interesting if you pay enough attention to it. When not doing science, he has broad interests in philosophy, art and mathematics.
Rachael Mady, Producer
Rachael Mady is a Masters student studying bird feeding and a Research Assistant to the Bird Cams Lab, a project funded by the National Science Foundation that aims to create an online space for scientists and cam viewers to “co-create” scientific investigations together. She also helps teach the Field Methods in Avian Ecology and leads bird banding workshops at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. When she isn’t doing “birdy” things, she is sitting down to a meal with friends, sketching, or tending to her plants.
Alumni
Aravind Natarajan, Visionaire, Co-Founder
Aravind conceived the idea of Science Blender with two key guiding visions: To 1) Inform the broader public of the most current advancements in scientific research, with a clear eye towards how these discoveries are changing our lives. 2) Create a compendium of role models from wide-ranging backgrounds to inspire the next generation of graduate students and scientists. Aravind was awarded the founding grant and seed funding to create this podcast. He hails from Chennai, a coastal city in southern India. His research interests lay in the area of glycobiology, with a specific focus on engineering Escherichia coli to perform mammalian O-glycosylation.
Joseph Brown, Co-Founder, Executive Producer
Joseph was born and raised in Pilot Mountain, North Carolina. As a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in the Alabi Lab at Cornell University, he is investigating the effect of molecular structure on antibiotic potency and selectivity of a sequence defined polymers. Joseph is excited to have the opportunity to share the stories about people who do research every day. He has a broader interest in understanding the rise of anti-science sentiment from the individual level to full communities.
Kevin Weyant, Co-Founder, Executive Producer
Kevin originates from the suburbs of Chicago. As a 4th-year Ph.D. student, he is trying to engineer modular vaccines derived from non-pathogenic bacteria. Kevin thinks podcasts are a great medium for learning and building empathy. They also go great with mundane tasks.
Laura Sinclair, Producer/Graphic Designer
Laura is a chemical engineering researcher from Toronto, Canada. Her research interests include high-pressure processes, separations, and inorganic chemistry. Laura is involved with Science Blender because she loves podcasts and wants to share stories to inspire young scientists. Check out her artwork at laurasinclair34.wordpress.com.
Luis Nieves Rosado, Webmaster and PR Manager
Luis Nieves Rosado is a PhD Student researching the role of the glycocalyx in cancer cell vesicle formation using a combination of theoretical and synthetic models. He comes from Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. He is committed to scientific communication, and is always looking for new ways to spread interest in science.
Rebecca Irwin, Webmaster and PR Manager
Rebecca Irwin is a PhD candidate in Biomedical Engineering using microscale biomechanical analysis techniques to characterize the behavior of musculoskeletal fluids and tissues. Her research focuses on characterizing the lubricating properties of arthritic synovial fluid and identifying if lubricating therapies can improve articular cartilage repair integration. Rebecca believes that it is equally important to be able to communicate your research to both experts in your field and to a broader audience. She was born and raised in Upstate New York, and can be found knitting and watching The Great British Bake Off in her free time.
Amnon Ortoll-Bloch, Producer
Amnon is a PhD student in Cornell’s Chemistry and Chemical Biology Department studying the crystallization mechanisms of novel solar-cell materials. He grew up in Colima, Mexico. Amnon is passionate about science communication and outreach, and believes Science Blender can help increase public appreciation and understanding of science.