STEM Southwest Podcast

In this week's episode, Bob and Shelly travel to another dimension where STEM is STEAM and listeners receive a behind the scenes tour of Meow Wolf.  Part art exhibit, part interactive museum, Meow Wolf has taken hold and is launching into the stratosphere, started by a group of 10 artists and the generous support of George R.R. Martin whose series of epic fantasy novels were adapted into the HBO s...

For this special episode, our co-host, Shelly, moves into the interview seat so that she can share about her recent trip to the NASA Earth Ventures Social.  The social was hosted by NASA to share about five airborne campaigns across the United States in 2020 to investigate fundamental processes that ultimately impact human lives and the environment, from snowstorms along the East Coast to ocean ed...

In our first episode of 2020, you will hear from our guest, Skyler Nix, who shares his message on personal branding and what he learned during his recent STEM job search.  He will also share key points on talent acquisition and the importance of knowing what you want out of a job search.  We discuss tips to make solid connections on LinkedIn and other social media platforms that help #jobseekers c...

Ted Mahler and Steve Marum were coworkers at Texas Instruments in 1993 when they had a crazy idea. Their idea was the beginning of a competitive robotics program that has influenced our family life as well as hundreds of thousands of others across the country. These two down-to-earth men are still actively involved in STEM enrichment even today and two STEM rockstars that started this nationwide p...

Today's guest is a true STEM Rockstar! After being raised in the Southwest, George Gorospe left behind all that he knew and headed east to Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. The adjustment was tough for George, but with family support, and the support of other Native Americans at Dartmouth College, he made it work. His journey included a stint as a teacher at his alma mater, the Santa Fe Indian S...

This week's episode of STEM Southwest finds Bob and Shelly in deep conversation with two young engineers from the University of New Mexico. Emily and Delaney, who have been active leaders of the UNM chapter of the Society of Women in Engineering and just returned from the national conference. Conversation covers everything from women in STEM to the power of parents and the future of engineering.  ...

Today's guest, Sandra K Begay, is the daughter of a Navajo tribal leader and a public health nurse.  Director Begay has had an extensive career as an engineer with several national research laboratories.  She has been awarded for her work on tribal energy projects, and has mentored dozens of Native American interns.  Her experience, commitment, and passion for renewable energy run deep, and are no...

This week's episode highlights a STEM Rockstar who knows New Mexico well.  As a registered architect and planner, he's been building foundations his entire life as a New Mexico native with a strong interest in economic development and job creation.  Today, Dale Dekker will share his extensive knowledge about the History of Space in New Mexico.  We'll talk about the New Mexican visionaries who made...

Have you ever entered a science fair? Today's guests are going to share their experiences as well as the best tips and resources on how to participate in the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) held each spring.  Karen Kinsman is a STEM professional working to champion STEM programs throughout New Mexico, and she introduces us to a brother and sister team who both participated in ISE...

Show Notes In today's episode, Bob and Shelly share their experiences about two recent events, FinCon19 and ExperienceIT . FinCon19, Where Money and Media Meet, was held in Washington, DC.  Attendees learned about new financial technologies as well as personal finances, and connected with others in order to plan future collaborations.  We'll be sharing about some of those technologies in upcoming...

This week's guest is a highly-trained robotics bomb technician with a four-legged partner.  Michelle Tye has been protecting her community, first as a police officer, and then as a bomb technician at a major metropolitan airport.  Chances are if you've ever flown anywhere, she and her colleagues have been watching your back.  This important work challenges her physically and mentally while stretch...

This edition's guest, Matt Fetrow, is the Director of the Tech Engagement Office at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in New Mexico.  Matt is always looking for innovative ways to solve Air Force problems working in collaboration with entrepreneurs and businesses. He hopes that these relationships will become the norm rather than the exception, and has invested resources to ensure this is h...

This week's guest is Steve Goodgame who is the Executive Director of the KISS Institute for Practical Robotics.  He is passionate about teaching students to code at a young age and uses the Botball competition as a tool to do just that.  Like us, Steve's desire is to help teachers meet the challenges of implementing STEM in the classroom so that there can be sustainability.  Most weeks you will fi...

There are STEM rockstars all over the Southwest and today's guest is one of them.  He is also a STEM evangelist and striving to make our programs more inclusive.  While we just recently met Shawn Hardina, our perspectives and experiences in STEM enrichment are parallel; us in New Mexico and him in Arizona.  He has a lot of great ideas on how we can radically change STEM education and make a differ...

In our New Economy, where innovation and ideas are exploding, it's important for STEM professionals to understand the different ways to protect their intellectual property.  Today's guest, Richard Krukar, will share his tips and experience on this important issue. Show Notes Richard Krukar worked as a Research and Development engineer on both coasts and in the State of New Mexico after receiving a...

In an effort to build the STEM Southwest Workforce, Albuquerque science museum, EXPLORA, is making a strong investment in teens and workforce education.  Leading the initiative is Allison Brody who shares her personal STEM journey, and the variety of programs and the exciting initiatives that we can be looking for at our family's all-time favorite children's museum.  Allison has been a science edu...

In this weeks episode, we talk with Parker, an amazing high school student working on creating and building a miniature satellite to launch into space! This young woman is not afraid of hard challenges and will inspire listeners young and old. She proves that young people really want to be challenged by hard things and that the only limit is what we think of ourselves.   Listeners can be a part of...

Dr. Vincent P. Clark is an expert in Neuropsychology.  With an interest in brain stimulation for neuroenhancement and brain stimulation for the treatment of chronic pain, addiction, schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease, and motor illness, Dr. Clark and his team are making a real difference in the way that we use science to heal.  Join us as we explore thoughts and ideas of how to harness the power o...

This special episode of STEM Southwest is hosted by Shelly along with daughters Makenzie and Bethany.  Today we celebrate the power of STEM Moms!   Show Notes Ulrika Peroni, Professional Water Skier and mom coach of 'Da Swedish Fish,' a team that competes in VEX robotics VRC competition .   Da Swedish Fish took robotics on the road that has led to an adventure across the country participating in r...

Russ Fisher-Ives This interview is certainly one of our favorites as we talk all things STEM in the Southwest and how the Southwest has influenced many countries beyond our borders including China, Japan, Estonia, Canada, Mexico and so many more! Russ Fisher-Ives is a science teacher turned robotics rock star. Years ago he teamed up with Intel and put his philosophy of Inquiry-based learning to wo...

Today's guest is an executive leader with 25 years of experience as an engineer and innovator who shifted from solving complex robotics programs at FANUC America to encouraging young people to solve complex robotics programs at the Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation.  The students compete in VEX robotics competitions across the globe, and Dan's leadership has promoted growth and dev...

Understanding our bodies and caring for them is critical to a long and happy STEM life.  Often, when people are striving to be their very best as STEM professionals, they are faced with the importance of self-care.  On this episode, our hosts speak with nutritionist, Shelley Rael, about the different self-care strategies that are critical for a healthy and wealthy life.                            ...

Future space tourists will have today's guest, Chief Pilot David Mackay of Virgin Galactic, to thank for their adventures into the cosmos.  This fit family man is working with entrepreneurial king, Sir Richard Branson, to make travel into space accessible to all.  David recently completed a successful Virgin Galactic test flight where he traveled approximately 55 miles above the Earth's surface an...

Dr. Shelly Gruenig is typically the one on the show asking questions, but today we put her in the hot seat.  She recently won the Coach/Advisor of the Year at the annual STEMYs Excellence in STEM event hosted by the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  As a robotics coach since 2005, her teams have amassed a lot of wins.  What drives her most in continuing to coach are the vi...

From construction to entrepreneur, today's guest has always incorporated cutting edge technology in order to innovate and challenge the status quo.  John Mierzwa is doing that in many places throughout the Duke City and the entire region.  His strong connections have helped him to broker important deals that are impacting the way the rest of the world sees the Computer Science Workforce of the Sou...