STEMulating Conversations with Dr. Q

This is a 31 day journey of topics to invoke STEMulating conversations on what it takes to turn your intent into results.

This is a 31 day journey of topics to invoke STEMulating conversations on what it takes to turn your intent into results.

This is a 31 day journey of topics to invoke STEMulating conversations on what it takes to turn your intent into results.

This is a 31 day journey of topics to invoke STEMulating conversations on what it takes to turn your intent into results.

This is a 31 day journey of topics to invoke STEMulating conversations on what it takes to turn your intent into results.

This is a 31 day journey of topics to invoke STEMulating conversations on what it takes to turn your intent into results.

Dr. Michael D. Smith, widely known in the engineering world as Dr. Mike, credits his graduate school pivot to a chance notice of a brochure on a bulletin board.  Though he entered a doctoral program seeking a PhD in engineering, he earned a Doctorate of Engineering, D. Eng degree which he describes as a combination of a PhD and and MBA.  A life long advocate for underrepresented groups to pursue S...

Dr. Monica Cox has learned that being your authentic self is requires taking a certain level of risk.  She is a wife, mother, daughter, activist, and professor who grew up as an only child in a rural southeast Alabama community.  It was the core values instilled in her by her parents that has led to her being able to persist in the face of personal and professional adversity. The conversation was...

His scientific curiosity can be traced back to being a two year old military kid playing in his desert backyard catching snakes and gila monsters.  His major in chemistry was the result of a chance meeting in the hallway of a building at his undergraduate college.  These two events eventually led Dr. Vernon Morris to pursue, not only an undergraduate degree in chemistry and mathematics, but also P...

It is never too late to start over. That's exactly the testimony of Dr. Iris Wagstaff. She is a chemist, educator, mentor, researcher and science policy advisor with extensive experience in STEM outreach and advocacy.  She is also a thought leader and change agent in the broader STEM community. After spending nearly 15 years in a successful industry career as a research chemist, she decided to lea...

Dr. Carlotta Berry originally wanted to teach high school math, but her STEM journey has expanded well beyond.  As an electrical engineering professor with a focus on robotics, Dr. Berry's impact and influence is felt at all educational levels and touches all genders, races and ethnicity.  She believes that 'giving people the ability to learn about things they are interested in is LIFE CHANGING'. ...

A self-proclaimed "corporate dropout" who helps you to Live your purpose. Share your message. Change the world.  One of the first steps to realizing your purpose is accepting that EVERYBODY NEEDS HELP.   When we can get out of our own way and recognize what we need, we can do more and make a bigger impact--ON PURPOSE. Her latest book, 'On Purpose:  12 Strategies to Reclaim Your Power and Change Yo...

The HR Twins, Camille and Carla, have utilize their combined 30 plus years of HR experience to help style your career.  They established The Career Salon to be a place where people can go to receive unfiltered and honest career advice from their unique and authentic perspectives.   Both are passionate about their respective HR specialty area and offer behind the scenes views of recruiting and huma...

Re-broadcast of Episode 83 Dr. Garry Cooper has blazed a career path in the span of 10 years than most will do in a lifetime.  In the span of a decade, he earned a PhD in neuroscience, did a postdoc, worked at two different Big Four management consulting firms, co-founded and launched a successful company of which he is the CEO and still finds time to serve as an adjunct professor. How does he do...

From humble beginnings growing up between two housing projects in FL to becoming the Dean of a major private research institution in upstate New York, Dr. Darryl Scriven is an inspiration to all.  He attributes the drive behind his success  to these words, "there is nothing you can't do if you put your mind to it and you are not too good to do what it takes to gt it done.  Once you dispel that myt...

Dr. Grant Warner views the challenge of diversity in STEM and entrepreneurship as an opportunity for inclusion, because what many refer to as a pipeline problem he believes it is more accurately reflected as a pathway issue.  He discusses his educational journey and how he has leveraged his mechanical engineering PhD to have a voice and fuel his entrepreneurial mindset and ventures. In this episod...

We are excited to launch Season Four with Beronda Montgomery, PhD and celebrate the release of her new book Lessons from Plants .  She shares key lessons learned from plants as it relates to mentoring, particularly about environmental fit and resilience.    She also reveals her new leadership roles and her perspectives on why effective leadership is a critical component of change.  Follow Beronda ...

June 27, 2020 is a doubly historic day for me.  Today is the 3rd year anniversary of STEMulating Conversations.   It is also the day that the Mississippi State legislature--in the House and Senate--voted to remove the current State flag that has flown since 1894.    The significance of this day and vote was definitely an occasion to connect with fellow PhD chemist and Mississipian, Dr. John Harkle...

When you understand the context, the content is easier to digest.  This is the guiding principle that will be used when we engage in STEMulating Conversations on the topics of diversity and inclusion,  particularly as it relates to Black Americans in society and the sciences.

If you were to spend your time the same way you spend your money, what would your time bank account look like?  Given that there will never be more than 24 hours in a day, managing the activities within that time may seem more like an art than a skill.  Time management is a misnomer because you are managing activities rather than time.   

Happy New Year!  It's the beginning of 2020, and many of us have  set ambitious new goals--new year, new chapters, new journeys, new experiences.   What will you do differently in order to attain the results that you desire? 

Hurricane Katrina was devastating on several levels, but it was the  event that freed Dr. Calvin Mackie and enabled him to walk in his purpose.  A lifelong resident of New Orleans, Dr. Mackie has a passion educating others on the boundless opportunities in STEM.    He created STEM-NOLA to expose, inspire and engage members in New Orleans and surrounding communities about the opportunities in Scien...

The process of reflecting on successes and lessons learned that have occurred throughout the year enable us to set more realistic goals for the upcoming year.   What worked well?  What didn't go as planned?  What can you do differently to achieve a better outcome?  As 2019 comes to a close, what have you learned will shape your 2020 goals?

Jahari Soward had always considered herself a chemist, so when a colleague suggested that she consider recruiting, she was initially offended.  Fast forward a few years, and she now owns her own career development and search firm .  She realized that the skills that enabled her to be a good chemists were transferable to the role of technical recruiting.  She realized it was about problem solving,...

When Clarice (Claire) Phelps received her undergraduate degree in chemistry, she had no idea that it would lead to her being the first African American woman to be on a team that discovered a new element on the periodic table.  She is currently a researcher and program manager in the the Nuclear Materials Processing Group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. In this episode, Claire shares her unique...