Grad Gab

Welcome back! This week we wrap up with Roy Kucuk, PhD candidate in UGA’s Department of Entomology. Talking points include Roy’s research, his typical day, being a “bug baby”, and using spoken word poetry to disseminate research findings.   All things Roy: https://www.caes.uga.edu/about/personnel/person.html/22358/roy-attila-kucuk.html Artwork: Katie Kollars https://katiekollars584.wixsite.co...

Welcome back! This week we wrap up with Mark Yazbak, MBA student from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and  Pathways Operations Manager at Amazon. Talking points include the MBA path, how to know if an MBA is right for you, common misconceptions, and what Mark’s doing now.   All things Mark: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-yazbak-1b3454120/   Mor...

Hello y’all! This week I interview Mark Yazbak, MBA student from the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and  Pathways Operations Manager at Amazon. Talking points include the MBA path, how to know if an MBA is right for you, common misconceptions, and what Mark’s doing now.   All things Mark: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-yazbak-1b3454120/   More abo...

Hello y’all! This week I interview Ronnie Fulton, a PhD candidate in the Department of Microbiology at UGA. Talking points include  Ronnie’s Research, 1st gen stuff, the pros of microbiology research, “science bleach,” grad schooling while poor, and spicy opinions on tenure.   All things Ronnie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronnie-fulton-43a29a176/?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_...

Welcome back y’all! This week’s episode kicks off season 2 with an interview with Krishna Patel, PhD candidate in Bill Snyder’s Lab at UGA Entomology. Talking points include Krishna’s adventures at her “school for dorks,” her current research, the Mummy movies (seriously though, it becomes a Mummy podcast for a bit), Emily’s teaching fears, and what’s next for Krishna.   All things Krishna: h...

Hello y’all! This week I interview Hanna Rouka, a PhD student in the Department of Microbiology at UGA. Talking points include UGA’s Integrated Life Sciences (ILS) program, how Hanna ended up at UGA, Silent Book Club, Hanna’s research, and pierogies. All things Hanna: https://mib.uga.edu/directory/people/hanna-roucka Silent Book Club: https://silentbook.club/ ILS Program at UGA: https://ils.uga.ed...

Hello y’all! This week I interview Alex Morales, a first year PhD student in the Department of Entomology at UGA in Dr. Gaelen Burke’s lab. Talking points include Alex’s research, what it’s like to be a baby graduate student, Alex’s research experiences, insect taxonomy class, why Dr. Joe McHugh is the best, and Alex’s experiences being a Latinx woman in STEM.   All things Alex: https://www.c...

Hello y’all! This week I interview Sophie Reindl, a PhD Candidate studying aquatic entomology in the Department of Entomology at UGA. Sophie’s research focuses on how the higher temperatures associated with climate change affects insects in Carolina Bay Wetlands.   Talking points include Sophie’s research, what it’s like working in the world’s only blackfly lab, saving the cheddar bay biscuit...

Welcome back y’all! Today I sit down with Kayla Hall, a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) graduate student here at UGA. Kayla is in her second year of the program and specializes in printmaking and book arts.   Talking points include MFA student classes, roles, and degree requirement, misconceptions about artists, and Kayla’s future career goals.     All things Kayla: https://art.uga.edu/di...

Welcome back y’all! Today I sit down with Kayla Hall, a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) graduate student here at UGA. Kayla is in her second year of the program and specializes in printmaking and book arts. Talking points include what tests, admissions, and graduate school committees are like for art students, the themes of Kayla’s art, and the role of Southern white women in anti-racism. All things Kay...

Welcome back y’all! On today’s episode I sit down with Malcolm Peavy, PhD student in both the Snyder and Moore Labs in the Department of Entomology at the University of Georgia. Talking points include the struggles that led Malcolm to be a non-traditional student, The history of agriculture in the US, doing field work as a black man, why teal is a great color, and sustainable agriculture. All thin...

Welcome back y’all! Today’s episode is the second part of the chat with physicist/mom/writer/former classmate Maile Marriott, who is a PhD student at the University of Texas at Austin. Talking points include childcare struggles, graduate student pay, juggling motherhood and graduate school, the importance of asking for what you need, and high school drama.   All things Maile: https://www.inst...

Welcome back y’all! Today I got to chat with former high school classmate Maile Marriott, who is a PhD student in Physics at the University of Texas at Austin. Maile currently works with Dr. Anna Tenerani doing magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the solar wind. In addition to being a graduate student, Maile is also a mom! Talking points include what the heck are solar winds, moon landing conspirac...

Hello y’all! Today I sat down with Carissa Gilliland, a PhD candidate at UGA in the Department of Entomology who fosters kittens! Talking points include Carissa’s path to UGA, the grad school work that doesn’t get mentioned in the research paper, how she got started fostering kittens, tortitude , and anti-cat bias.   All things Carissa: https://www.instagram.com/carissas_cats/ https://cofas.o...

Welcome back! This week I chat with Sabrina Elgar, a PhD student in the Department of Entomology at the University of Georgia. Talking points include Sabrina’s unconventional path to her PhD program, spraying gels on trees, rebranding Georgia, Ms. Frizzle as a science icon,  and the ethics of GMOs.   All things Sabrina: https://www.caes.uga.edu/about/personnel/person.html/22565/sabrina-a...

Welcome back! Today we finish up with Lance Fountain, a former University of Georgia undergrad turned new grad student at New Mexico State University! Talking points include Lance’s travels through southeast Asia, the advisor “courtship” process, tough conversations with your advisor, and the time Lance saw Jake Paul. Joanie King’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@SciBugs More about the r...

Welcome back! On today’s episode I hang out with Lance Fountain, a former University of Georgia undergrad turned new grad student at New Mexico State University!   Talking points include how Lance got into entomology, undergrad lab work, his post-bac job, why he decided to go to grad school,  “interviewing advisors,” and his future research on harvester ants and their effects on ecologic...

Welcome back! On today’s episode I hang out with Kelly Tims, a fellow PhD student in the Department of Entomology at UGA.   Talking points include Kelly’s work on the ESA-SEB student affairs committee, how a parasitoid wasp uses a virus it got millions of years ago to distract the caterpillar host immune system, the physical toll of grad school, The H.O. Lund Club, graduate school’s lack of f...

Welcome back! This week I chat with Zia Williamson, a PhD student in the Department of Entomology at the University of Georgia. Talking points include life on the Griffin Campus, pros and cons of field work, artsy hobbies, Zia’s greatest moment, our idea for a new animated film, and getting involved with the university.   Zia’s papers: https://academic.oup.com/jinsectscience/article/23/4/4/72...

Hello Everyone! For this episode I interview Miriam Edelkind-Vealey, a PhD student in the Department of Entomology at the University of Georgia. Talking points include pollinator conservation, the Veterinarian-to-Entomologist pipeline, our feelings on honeybees, “experimental gardening”, community supported agriculture, UGA outreach coordination, imposter syndrome. TW: carrion beetles and lethal s...

Welcome back! In today’s episode I chat with Jamal Hunter, a PhD student in the Entomology Department at the University of Georgia. Talking points include rural upbringings, IPM, AI in agriculture, representation, outreach, and how to get the most out of a PhD. Artwork: Katie Kollars https://katiekollars584.wixsite.com/kollarsart Music: Podcast.co “One Fine Day” Keep Calm and Podcast - Podcast.co...

Welcome back! For this episode I interview Ashley McCormick, a master's student in the Department of Entomology at the University of Georgia. Talking points include her research, her dog, mental health, and entomology career options. Army Entomology Careers: Entomologist | goarmy.com Unusual case of choking due to assassin bug (Cydnocoris gilvus) - Vaibhav Sonar, Sachin Patil, 2018 (sagepub.com) A...

Welcome to the first episode of Grad Gab! For this episode I interviewed Carly Sharp, a PhD student in the Department of Entomology at the University of Georgia. Talking points include Carly’s research, comprehensive exams, field work, and cereal. NIFA Grants: About Grants | National Institute of Food and Agriculture (usda.gov) Artwork: Katie Kollars https://katiekollars584.wixsite.com/kollarsart...