Modern Figures Podcast

This episode is part of a series dedicated to giving the Modern Figures Podcast listeners the inside scoop of a career in academia directly from our hosts, Dr. Jeremy Waisome & Dr. Kyla McMullen. From mapping out a career path and investing in yourself to navigating tenure politics, this series will cover it all. In Part 4, we take a closer look at the importance of mentoring. What is a mentor? How do you get one? And then, once you have a mentor, how do you determine that they’re a good fit for you? Listen as our hosts share some of their experiences with mentoring. Here are the links mentioned in this episode: Link to this report: Mentoring-Report.pdf https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ebd290VNde97EcS4Y6vdH5Uf2w0yJz-I/view?usp=sharing Podcast: https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/the-science-of-effective-mentoring-in-stemm Mentor Map: https://www.facultydiversity.org/ncfddmentormap Rackham Graduate Student Mentoring Guide [for students]: https://rackham.umich.edu/downloads/student-mentoring-handbook.pdf How to Mentor Graduate Students [for faculty]: https://rackham.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Fmentor.pdf

Welcome to Season 4 of the Modern Figures Podcast! We open this season with an unscripted conversation between our esteemed co-hosts, Dr. Jeremy Waisome & Dr. Kyla McMullen. Listen as they share what’s been going on in the world and their professional lives. Also, stay tuned to hear what’s in store this season. As always you can find us on our website at www.modernfigurespodcast.com You can ask us questions via email at: [email protected] And you can find Kyla and Jeremy on Twitter @Dr_Kyla and @JeremyWaisome

The conversation continues with Tiffanie R. Smith, Ph.D. as we celebrate reaching 50 episodes! Listen as Dr. Smith shares how she was successful in combining her love of dance with STEM along with why how her students address her is important.

We are joined by Dr. Tiffanie R. Smith, a self-professed over-achiever, who recounts her journey to PhD from making the “best decision ever made” in her entire life to being shunned by her lab mates.Her path to current success included many twists and turns. Dr. Smith excels at following her gut instincts while remaining focused on her goals.

Unlike most people, Dr. Courtney D. Cogburn knew early on that she was interested in a career in Psychology and later, Social Work. Listen as she shares how these two disciplines contribute to her current work in studying racial inequities. Learn how she is utilizing technology to reveal how racial bias impacts all aspects of our lives.

Meet friend of the podcast, Bethlehem Mesfin, a graduate student pursuing a Master of Science in Computer Science. Learn about her shift into tech and how a need for community led to co-founding Code 4 the Culture.

This episode is part of a series dedicated to giving the Modern Figures Podcast listeners the inside scoop of a career in academia directly from our hosts, Dr. Jeremy Waisome & Dr. Kyla McMullen. From mapping out a career path and investing in yourself to navigating tenure politics, this series will cover it all. In Part 3, we are breaking down an important aspect of academic life: the dissertation. Listen as our esteemed hosts share what it is and its importance on the path to PhD. Get ready to learn firsthand knowledge on the steps to successfully create your dissertation.

Dr. Brandeis Marshall was able to combine her two loves: math and dance. What began as rolling coins for her mom led to a career in computing which placed her on the front end of “this internet thing”. Get ready for a multitude of funny and surprising stories outlining her journey to leadership. You can continue learning from Dr. Marshall by subscribing to her Rebel Tech newsletter or following her on Medium.

At the suggestion of her middle school teacher, Dr. Makita R. Phillips began her journey of pursuing a career in mechanical engineering. She prides herself on living on faith and has had a multitude of experiences leading her around the country. Listen to this heart-warming conversation about showing up, living with intention and putting yourself first.

At the age of 14, Ihudiya Finda Williams knew 2 things: she loved to code and she wanted to be in the Peace Corps. On this episode, listen in as she shares lessons learned that led from corporate internships to Africa to Harvard.