STEAM Spark - Think STEAM Careers, Podcast with Dr. Olufade

The lights hit, the sweat starts, and your makeup decides whether it’s your ally or your saboteur. We sat down with a lifelong pair of collaborators—a performing artist with big-picture vision and a chemist with relentless follow-through—who turned a backstage headache into a performer-first cosmetic line that actually holds up under heat, movement, and time. The spark came from lived experience:...

A single life can quietly reshape the world. We pause to honor Dr. Gladys West, the pioneering mathematician whose precision turned satellite signals into the GPS foundation that powers maps, weather tracking, logistics, finance, and emergency response. From a Virginia tobacco farm to the halls of military research and recognition, her journey embodies resilience, rigor, and the transformative pow...

A single blue dot on your phone hides a lifetime of math. We pay tribute to Dr. Gladys West, the mathematician whose modeling of Earth made GPS accurate and reliable across oceans, cities, deserts, and runways. From humanitarian air drops to precision planting, from synchronized networks to safe flight paths, her work sits quietly beneath the tools we use all day—until it doesn’t. We connect that...

Most new medicines fail long before they help a single patient. We dig into a bold idea: what if hidden contamination, not weak efficacy, silently derails far too many trials—and what if human immune cell tests could spot danger early enough to change the odds? Our guest, Dr. Moyer, shares how a life upended by civil war led to a career in biology and a mission to make drug safety human-centric. W...

The ground is shifting under our feet, and the safest move is no longer staying put. We’re at a new industrial crossroads where fluency with AI isn’t a party trick—it’s the baseline for doing high-impact work. In this energetic, practical walkthrough, we unpack how to turn artificial intelligence from a buzzword into a daily edge that sharpens decisions, speeds up design, and reveals opportunities...

The ground is moving beneath our feet again, and this time the shift is powered by AI, cloud, and always-on connectivity. We draw a straight line from earlier industrial revolutions to today’s reality and make a simple promise: you do not need permission to use these tools to amplify your work and build a legacy. Fear says stand back. Practice says jump in the water. We break down the fourth indus...

The world didn’t pause for electricity, assembly lines, or the internet—and it won’t pause for AI. We walk through the leap from mechanical power to connected intelligence and make a clear case: if you’re still on the fence, it’s time to get in the water. This isn’t about hype. It’s about practical steps to turn AI into a collaborator that sharpens your ideas, saves you time, and expands what your...

A quiet revolution is unfolding across African classrooms, and it’s not just about new gadgets. We explore how AI-powered personalized learning, bold policy, and cultural leadership can come together to build a durable foundation for students—especially those long excluded from quality resources. From Rwanda to Kenya to Ghana, we point to real shifts: adaptive platforms in rural schools, virtual s...

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The ground is shifting: not because AI replaces everyone, but because people who master AI are doing the work of three. We open with real layoffs and consolidations, then move into the choices that keep you employable—learning fast, building workflows, and verifying everything. Our guests span professors, recruiters, parents, nonprofit leaders, and creators across Africa and the U.S., and the stor...

What if machine intelligence didn’t just sound balanced but actually re-learned the world from the roots up? We sit down with tech activist and creator of Justice AI GPT, Christian Ortiz, to explore how a decolonial framework can detect, deconstruct, and correct bias at its source—by redefining what counts as knowledge and who gets to author it. Christian breaks down the DIA approach, a model-agno...

How did Dr. Javis Sulcer transform from a high school student with a 1.8 GPA to a PhD holder in nuclear science and engineering and the co-founder and COO of LINGO? Join us for an inspiring conversation where Dr. Sulcer opens up about his journey, the challenges he overcame, such as a bad GPA in high school, and the key figures who ignited his passion for STEM. We discuss the mission behind Lingo,...

What if the staggering 90% failure rate in pharmaceutical clinical trials isn't due to ineffective drugs but undetected contaminants? Dr. Djikolngar Maouyo , founder and president of PyroDex LLC, reveals a revolutionary approach to drug safety testing that could transform medicine development and save countless lives. After leaving academia's comfort for entrepreneurship, Dr. Djikolngar...

Dr. Adriana Bankston shares her expertise on advocating for science and research at the federal level, explaining why NSF funding remains crucial for America's competitive edge in innovation and STEM development. She provides a congressional insider's perspective on the consequences of science funding cuts and the importance of sustaining support for basic research. • NSF was created in...

What if the solutions to our world's most pressing challenges are locked in the minds of children who have yet to discover their potential? Jeff Remington, a Presidential Award-winning educator and Penn State outreach liaison, thinks so. Jeff Remington, a Presidential Award-winning educator and Penn State outreach liaison, draws from powerful experiences in Haiti and 35 years in the classroom...

This episode shines a light on the journey of Savanah Saldaña-Shumaker, a chemist and entrepreneur who successfully bridges STEM and entrepreneurship and finds inspiration in the performing arts passions. She emphasizes the importance of mentorship for women in STEM and discusses her innovative ventures, including SCS Laboratory Solutions and 8 Count Cosmetics, which focus on enhancing laboratory...

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Explore the transformative power of storytelling with Jay Pascua as he shares insights on the importance of narratives in personal and cultural identity. The episode emphasizes how everyone has a story that can inspire and connect us, highlighting the universal human experience in overcoming adversity through shared tales.  • The role of storytelling in personal growth  • Connection through shared...

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What if the key to a more equitable future lies in understanding our past through cultural memory? This episode promises to transform your perspective on African history and identity, featuring insights from our esteemed guest, Dr. Nagos M. Hotep, a leading cultural memory specialist. We navigate the rich tapestry of the Yoruba heritage, the groundbreaking travels of Mansa Abubakari II, and the ov...

Prepare to rethink what you know about civil rights, cultural memory, and STEAM as we engage with Dr. Imhotep, a passionate memory consultant, in a powerful exploration of empowering African-descended communities. Discover how reimagining terms like "minority" can transform self-perception and unite the global majority. Dr. Imhotep helps us navigate the cyclical struggles for civil and h...

What are the real barriers to diversity and inclusion in STEM, and how can mentorship make a difference? This episode features an enlightening conversation with our expert guest, who reveals the indispensable role of female mentors in guiding women through the unique challenges they face in STEM careers. We dissect the current landscape for BIPOC individuals in STEM, discussing male dominance and...

Can early exposure to STEAM fields for young girls truly change the trajectory of their lives? Angelica Carroll, a renowned podcaster and author, joins us to answer this pressing question and more. This episode shines a powerful spotlight on the importance of early education, community support, and the unlikely heroes like Jose Hernandez, a former migrant farm worker turned NASA astronaut, whose s...

Ever wondered how fostering a love for science can change lives? Join our conversation with the phenomenal Dr. Gladys Delancey-Bolden, an expert in molecular cell and physiology, as she shares her inspiring journey from an educator to the founder of the Biolog Laboratorium. She passionately discusses her mission to empower underrepresented students in STEM and the significance of building confiden...