The Root Of The Science Podcast

Send us Fan Mail  My guest today is Diane Uwacu, originally from Rwanda, and now studying in the USA. She's a Ph. D. student in computer science at A&M University. In this episode, we learn that she had she gained a scholarship to study in the US for her tertiary education. There she met great teachers who were well invested in her success who noticed that she was good at algorithms. Curr...

Send us Fan Mail  Mthokozisi "Mtho" Moyo, is originally from Zimbabwe but living and studying in South Africa. He's an environmental science PhD candidate at Witwatersrand University. In this episode, Mtho admits that he has always been a lover of science but was unsure which specific field he wanted to do. He dabbled in different types of science in undergrad and finally settled in...

Send us Fan Mail My guest is Tapoka Mkandawire, originally from Malawi, but has been living and studying in the UK since she was 18. In this episode, we learn that her key influence to STEM came from her parents, who are both medics; however, she did not take the same route. Currently, she's a student at Sanger Institute doing her PhD at Cambridge University, England, in the field of parasito...

Send us Fan Mail My guest today is Nomhle Ngwenya, she's a 23-year-old South African studying at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa. In this episode, she recalls her deep love for geography stemming from primary school. Nomhle had a dream about being a metrologist even though the dream did not come to be; she still stayed in Geography. Currently, she second-year PhD candidate in...

Send us Fan Mail  My guest is Patrick Musau. He identifies as Kenyan but also grew up in Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Tanzania. Currently, he is a PhD student at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, USA. In this episode, we learn about how he always had a great fascination with technology from a young age. Now, in his PhD, Patrick is working on problems related to ensuring that autonomous systems operate...

Send us Fan Mail My guest is Zakithi Mkhize from South Africa. In this episode, we find out that she had a dream of being a medical doctor that did not work out as planned. However, life led her to still pursue an academic career in medicine. Currently, she is a PhD Candidate in Medicine (Virology) at the HIV Pathogenesis Program at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa. Her rese...

Send us Fan Mail My Guest today is Laila Hansrod, she is a South African who recently completed her Masters in Geography and Environmental Management at the University of KwaZulu Natal South Africa.  In this episode, we learn how her high school geography teacher played a significant role in her getting into the field as she birthed her love for geography and the Environment.  Laila's Masters...

Send us Fan Mail  My guest today is Dr. Mariam "Ria" Garelnabi. She's of a Ugandan and Sudanese heritage and moved to the UK, where she is still based, after high school, to pursue her tertiary education. In this episode,  we learn how from an early age, she was interested in science and was encouraged by her teachers. She completed her PhD last year at the University of Birmingham...

Send us Fan Mail My guest today is Phazha Bothongo, a 23 year old South African, born in Botswana, and currently living in the United Kingdom. She has completed her MSc. in Neuroscience and Translational Medicine at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and went on to do PhD at the Preventive Neurology Unit, Wolfson Institute.  In this episode, we learn that the one particular life event influenc...

Send us Fan Mail My guests today is two ladies Dr. Evodia Setati and Thato Motlhalamme. Evodia, a South African, is a chief researcher at the South African Grape and Wine Research Institute at Stellenbosch University. Thato, from Botswana, is a Postdoc Fellow also at the institute, who recently completed her PhD. In this episode, we learn more about the book that they have co-authored. The book ti...

Send us Fan Mail My guest is South African, Richard Hay. He is finalizing his MSc in Agronomy at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. He attributes his interests in science, mainly agricultural, to his childhood, where he grew up on his grandfather farm, who was a qualified plant breeder. Richard believes that there needs to be a change in the mindset that agriculture is not a "complex...

Send us Fan Mail Wendy Geza is a PhD student in food security at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. She had no intention of getting into the STEM field, she wanted to be an accountant, but a particular incident brought her to this field. She has since settled into the agricultural area and believes that to achieve sustainable development goals, it warrants the creation of economic op...

Send us Fan Mail  Phumlani Msomi, from South Africa, is a chemistry lecturer and researcher at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa, where he is one of the youngest members in his faculty! He believes that Africans need to work on technologies that can make Africa an industrial place to solve the problems faced by the people who live on the continent. He is currently working on developin...

Send us Fan Mail Lameck Mbangula Amugongo, from Namibia, is a student at the University of Manchester in the UK. He refers to himself as a "Tech Activist" who loves to inspire more people to be involved in the field of technology. Lameck's background is computer science; however, he is now studying towards his PhD in Cancer Sciences. This might not make sense to some, but he explain...

Send us Fan Mail  My guest today is Dr. Brighton Samatanga, is a molecular biophysicist originally from Zimbabwe, based in Germany. He describes his career trajectory as unorthodox and driven by the next opportunity that made him happy. Now, for those who are wondering what a molecular biophysicist is? Brighton describes his area of expertise, simply, as a physicist working on a biological area an...

Send us Fan Mail Today my guest is Jacqueline Antwi-Danso, a third-year Ph. D. student at Texas A&M University, USA, studying astrophysics. In this episode, she tells us about her exciting research in which she studies the properties of galaxies as a function of time. This then teaches us the history of the universe. Sounds interesting, right? She also tells us about how she got into the field...

Send us Fan Mail My guest today is Ashley Chimahnda. He is an IT security specialist and a certified ethical hacker. He defines himself as someone who empowers the vulnerable using technology. In this episode, we learn what exactly an ethical hacker is opposed to a non-ethical hacker; he lets us know some tips and tricks to protect ourselves on line, especially in the digital age. We also find out...

Send us Fan Mail  Dr. Admore Jokwiro is a medical doctor from Zimbabwe. He has nearly 10 years of experience working in the public health sector. Currently, Dr. Jokwiro is the District Medical Officer for Nyanga in Manicaland Province, Zimbabwe, a position in which he administers health services (preventive and curative) for the district. Recently he completed a Master’s in eHealth Management with...

Send us Fan Mail Mathapelo Seopela (PhD) is a postdoctorate researcher specializing in  Environmental Chemistry. South Africa has and is currently plagued by issues related to water quality and quantity attributes this, and her curiosity was what triggered the trajectory of her career into science. In this episode, we learn about how her keen interest in the poor water quality in her community led...

Send us Fan Mail   Amnada Obidike, my guest today,  is the founder and strategy lead for STEMi Makers Africa. However, that was not always the case, eight years ago, Amanda was unemployed and demotivated. After noticing the importance of introducing STEM opportunities to underserved communities she used her skills to create a career for herself.  That is how STEMi Makers Africa was birthed, now sh...

Send us Fan Mail As a field applications scientist who works with magnetic levitation, Danielle Twum (PhD) combines her training as a cancer immunologist with the new skills she has learned working for a biotech startup. She acts as a liaison between the company and the customer. Her job entails explaining how the company’s technology works to potential clients who do not have the same scientific...

Send us Fan Mail Understanding and learning about the biological and behavioral aspects of human beings and their extinct ancestors is not a field many are into to however my guest today, Kimberleigh Tommy is. Kimberleigh, is  a PhD candidate at Witwatersrand University, South Africa. She is a biological anthropologist studying the evolution of bipedalism or upright walking in our species, the Hom...

Send us Fan Mail  Twitter, if used correctly, has created a platform for people to connect with others who have similar interests and opinions. But how crazy is that it can be a place where you can meet someone who has similar life experience AND has the same name. Well, that’s the case of my two guests today, Nathasia (Tasia) Muwanigwa and Nataša (Nata) Lazarević.  Call it coincidence or serendip...

Send us Fan Mail  Twitter, if used correctly, has created a platform for people to connect with others who have similar interests and opinions. But how crazy is that it can be a place where you can meet someone who has similar life experience AND has the same name. Well, that’s the case of my two guests today, Nathasia (Tasia) Muwanigwa and Nataša (Nata) Lazarević.  Call it coincidence or serendip...

Send us Fan Mail Science doesn't have to be conventional. Kolisa Sinyanya, a PhD researcher in Oceanography at UCT, uses her scientific knowledge combined with her social media accounts to talk about science in a way that is more accessible . This has led her to being one of the leading science communication(scicomm) voices in South Africa. In this episode we discuss her journey into science,...