“I think we need to improve both nutrient and physical activity environments everywhere children grow, go to school, and play. And we need both universal policies and policies that support children with less resources so we can give all children a fair chance to grow healthy.” In this episode, host Dr. Frank A. Gomez sits with Dr. Emma Sanchez, associate professor of Health Education at San Francisco State University, to discuss her research on racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in health. She shares her research on the impact of policies and environments on health and disparities. She also addresses obesity, maternal and child health, food, neighborhood conditions, physical education policies, and the significant impact of these policies on the most vulnerable populations within our communities, children.

“61% of teachers in the workforce in California are white, while white students only compose 22% of the student population. So, you already see this disproportion. Latinx teachers are 1 in 5 while Latinx students are 55 to 56 percent of the K-12 student population.”  In this episode, host Dr. Frank A. Gomez sits with Dr. Tina Cheuk, assistant professor of Elementary Science Education at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, to discuss issues that include the development of culturally and linguistically diverse learners in STEM settings. In addition, to the struggles of teachers of color across the pipeline. “If students do not see people who mirror them, they get this opinion that I am not good enough. People that look like me are not there, so they won’t strive to be a teacher. How should we reimagine or reinvent how we look at applicants?”

“Why is it important to mentor students, especially students of color in STEM areas?” In this episode, host Dr. Frank A. Gomez sits down with Dr. Frank A. Gomez, a Professor of Psychology at California State University, San Marcos, to discuss his leadership in mentoring underrepresented students and his personal mentorship experiences that impacted his life. “Science and academia are not the world that many folks inhabit prior to considering a career in that area, and this is where mentorship becomes essential…I have seen people come into the field and experience brick walls and challenges at multiple times and feel that they are failures. Getting small success along the way is very important to feel that you are competent and can pursue this career, and this is where a mentor can be very helpful”.

“I was always making an effort to find those affinity groups…for mentorship.. and support”. In this podcast, host, Dr. Frank A. Gomez, sits down with Dr. Louise Edwards, Assistant Professor of Physics at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, to discuss her journey as the first Black Canadian to receive a Ph. D. in Astronomy, her passion for helping students of color enter STEM fields, and her research in evolution of galaxies. “Maybe your whole experiment collapsed or maybe somebody made a racist comment to you and it really brought you down…this is the time to reach out to those people who you have been building those relationships within your affinity groups. My advice is find your people, find your network. Whether or not it is in the physics department. Everyone has tough times, but if you’re having more positive than negative and your enjoying what you’re doing and you have a goal that you want to achieve. Just keep going”.

Minority “Underrepresentation endangers the mind of a nation not the health of various STEM fields”. In this podcast, host, Dr. Frank A. Gomez, sits down with National Medal of Science awardee and Computational & Applied Mathematics University Professor, Dr. Richard A. Tapia, to discuss his incredible life journey, his mathematics contributions, and his amazing work in influencing and inspiring underrepresented minority and female students in science and math.“When I argue with the math department I don’t say that bringing in blacks, browns, and women are going to improve the quality of mathematics. Mathematics is in good shape and it is going to keep going. On the other hand, not having a STEM workforce in Silicon Valley that has the flavor of black and brown, now that does hurt the nation. With 18% brown and 13% black, that’s a large group of people and if they are not in the backbone of this country, which is science and technology, then the country will be weakened”. 

Listen to our conversation with Dr. Tony Coulson, Professor of Information and Decision Science in the Jack H. Brown College at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB). We discuss the Cybersecurity Center he directs at CSUSB, and the educational impact he is making on students and the institution. 

In this month’s episode, Dr. Brittney Beck, assistant professor of teacher education and director of the Citizen Scientist Project at Cal State Bakersfield (CSUB), and Dr. Antje Lauer, professor of biology at CSUB, discuss the importance of citizen science and its impact on communities such as KERN County.

Join us on this episode for a one-on-one with Justice Mena, a recent chemistry graduate from California State University, Northridge. We discuss his CSUN experience, current research projects, and future goals.

Critical Race Theory (CRT) has become a topic of fierce political debate in the US and has most prominently played out in public school districts as parents, teachers, and school administrators grapple with how to teach race, discrimination, and inequality in the classroom. In today's episode, we discuss these issues with Dr. Gabriela Chavira, a Professor of Psychology and NIH BUILD Principal Investigator at California State University, Northridge. We also discuss how CRT is a tool to enhance CSU STEM  programs and research. 

Over the years, wildfires have severely impacted the State of California.  Today, dry conditions across California raise concern for an early fire season. Listen to our conversation with Dr. Craig Clements, a Meteorologist Professor, as we discuss his Fire Weather Research Laboratory at San Jose State University. He talks about how his research analyzes wildfire behavior. In addition, he discusses how they are preparing the next generation of scientists on wildfires and what to expect this summer.