Breaking Silos
Breaking Silos
An Interdisciplinary Student Led Podcast
Welcome to Breaking Silos! We are an interdisciplinary student run podcast that exists to foster interdisciplinary development in higher education. We believe this can be done by breaking down the “academic silos” and showcasing interdisciplinary ideas, conversations, and providing professional development for graduate students with the ultimate goal of preparing them to solve real world problems in academia, or industry.
Launching a Career in Science Communication – A Dose of Epidemiology and a Shot of Effective Science Communication with Erin Welsh from 'This Podcast Will Kill You'
Embark on a journey into the realm of science communication with Erin Welsh, co-host of the highly acclaimed "This Podcast Will Kill You." Join hosts Prakrit & Scott for a Quarantini and Placeborita as they delve into Erin's transition from epidemiologist to passionate science communicator. Uncover the intriguing origin story of "The Erins" and their mission to demystify medical knowledge through engaging podcasting. Gain insights into the secrets behind producing a successful science podcast and discover firsthand the intricacies of navigating interdisciplinary science communication projects. This episode promises laughter, knowledge, and a heartfelt toast to making science accessible to all! 🥂👩‍🔬👨‍🔬 #TPWKY #ScienceCommunication #BreakingSilos
Jan 2, 2024
58 min
Exploring Gravity and General Relativity with Peyton Stewart
What is gravity? How was it explained by Newton, and how did Einstein improve our understanding of it with his theory of General Relativity? Peyton Stewart (Masters in Physics, Clemson University) joins us to explore the strange relationship between shape, matter, and energy. Peyton Stewart on LinkedIn Follow us on Instagram and Twitter Paper on black holes and dark energy here If any glaring errors were stated please feel free to contact us and let us know where we went astray.
Jul 31, 2023
1 hr 26 min
How to Write Successful Interdisciplinary Grants in Graduate School - with Evolutionary Biologist Matt McTernan
Self-described lizard biologist and evolution enthusiast, Matt McTernan has been awarded numerous grants and proposals while pursuing his Ph.D. at Clemson University. We sit down and discuss crazy beers, his research, and how you can improve the way you write your grants! Enjoy! Get the Ghost pepper stout here ! Breaking SilosTwitter: @SilosBreaking (link)Instagram: Interdisciplinarysilos Matt McTernanTwitter: @Matt_McT (link)
Jun 20, 2023
1 hr
Navigating the First-Generation Experience in Graduate School
In this week's episode, we delve into the world of first-generation graduate students. In this thought-provoking conversation, Scott and Prakrit engage with Misty Stewart, Director of Student Success at the Clemson Graduate School, and Melanie Garcia, a PhD student in Biological Sciences. Discover the challenges faced by first-generation students in higher education, from financial constraints to navigating a complex academic landscape. Misty and Melanie share their personal stories of resilience and triumph, offering valuable strategies for overcoming obstacles along the way. Explore the crucial role of support systems in graduate school and learn how academic and student affairs can provide essential assistance to first-generation students. Discover the power of mentorship and faculty support in fostering success and well-being. As the discussion unfolds, Misty and Melanie shed light on the significance of interdisciplinary education and its impact on their academic journeys. Gain inspiration from their experiences as they share valuable advice for listeners who can relate to the first-generation experience in higher education. Papers and Resources Mentioned in the Episode: The First-generation Student Experience: Implications for Campus Practice, and Strategies for Improving Persistence and Success by Jeff Davis (2010) The Making and Breaking of Affectional Bonds. I. Aetiology and Psychopathology in the Light of Attachment Theory (Bowlby 1977) The Voices of Senior Scholars on Mentoring Graduate Students and Junior Scholars (Espinoza-Herold et al., 2007) Center for First-generation Student Success, an initiative of NASPA and The Suder Foundation More Episodes: https://anchor.fm/interdisciplinarysilos Dr. Misty Stewart: https://www.linkedin.com/in/misty-stewart-ed-d-89386858 Melanie Garcia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanie-garcia-north-central-college Check us out on social media: Follow Breaking Silos on ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Twitter
May 30, 2023
57 min
Developing Healthy Graduate Writing Rhythms and Adopting a Process-Driven Pedagogy in Undergraduate Writing Projects with Dr. Chelsea Murdock
In this week's episode, Prakrit discusses with Dr. Chelsea Murdock, the Director of the Clemson Writing Lab and Lecturer in the English Department at Clemson University, about the struggles of teaching undergraduates how to write well. We also discuss Dr. Murdock's "process-driven pedagogy" in teaching undergraduate and graduate writing. If you are a graduate student in writing mode, there are some writing tips interspersed throughout the episode that will help you to develop healthy writing rhythms, in addition to learning about good teaching practices associated with writing! Enjoy, and happy writing! More Episodes: https://anchor.fm/interdisciplinarysilos Dr. Chelsea Murdock's Website: https://chelseajmurdock.com/ Clemson Writing Lab: https://www.clemson.edu/centers-institutes/writing/index.html Check us out on social media: Follow Dr. Murdock on Twitter: @ChelseaJMurdock Follow Breaking Silos on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠Twitter
Mar 21, 2023
34 min
How to Convert a Novel Idea into a Business? Ft. Jack Carson
Jack Carson (genetics/computer science) joins us to discuss his company geneTunes, a computer software program that converts genetic nucleotides into art and music. geneTunes won the 2022 Clemson College of Science inaugural Catalyst competition, an entrepreneurship program where students pitch ideas for seed funding, and then develop their ideas into a minimum viable product. Enjoy! Don't forget to check out the Catalyst pitch competition happening March 15th (see here) Check out what Catalyst is all about here Follow Jack on LinkedIn here Follow us on Instagram and Twitter Related articles Study by the EMK foundation Average age of a tech startup founder is 39 years old 60-year-old vs 30-year-old vs 25-year-old entrepreneur success Participation in accelerator programs, amount raised 
Mar 13, 2023
1 hr
How to Write a Winning Graduate Travel Grant with Matt McTernan
Matt McTernan, a PhD student in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology in the Biological Sciences program at Clemson University, joins us for a conversation to discuss the anatomy of a winning travel grant! In this episode, we refer to the Graduate Student Travel Grants from the Clemson University Graduate Student Government, but these tips are applicable to any travel grant. We hope you find this episode helpful in your travel grant writing journey! Happy Writing! Don't forget to check us, and Matt, out on social media Breaking Silos Twitter: @SilosBreaking Instagram: Interdisciplinarysilos Matt McTernan Twitter: @Matt_McT Clemson Graduate Student Government Graduate Travel Grants
Mar 6, 2023
14 min
The Decline of Disruptive Papers and How to Employ Interdisciplinary Problem Solving in Graduate School with Kyle Christenson
Kyle Christenson (Industrial and Organizational Psychology) joins us for an amazing conversation about  how to operationalize something like trust, whether fewer disruptive papers is good or bad for science, and how to incorporate interdisciplinary problem solving in graduate school. Enjoy! Don't forget to check us, and Kyle, out on social media Breaking Silos Twitter: @SilosBreaking Instagram: Interdisciplinarysilos Kyle Christenson Twitter: @KyleChristenso7 LinkedIn --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nature Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05543-x The figure we discuss ***Apologies, for the unequal audio input for first 10 minutes, we are still learning***
Feb 27, 2023
55 min
Dr. McCoy - Ethical Decision Making and Creating Interdisciplinary Initiatives
Dr. William McCoy (history, English, education) joins us to discuss having an egg on pizza, ethics, morality, and his long history of making wonderful acronyms. Enjoy! Dr.  McCoy's Clemson Bio: https://www.clemson.edu/ethics/about/staff.html Rutland Institute for Ethics: https://ethics.sites.clemson.edu Clemson Global Black Studies: https://www.clemson.edu/degrees/global-black-studies STAR method for decision making: https://www.clemson.edu/ethics/starmodel/
Feb 17, 2023
1 hr 2 min
Dr. Alex Feltus - Genomics, Praxis AI, Building an Interdisciplinary Research Team
Dr. Alex Feltus of Clemson University's Department of Genomics and Biochemistry joins us to discuss his diverse career background, his company, academia, and the varied projects he has worked on which involved bringing together a team of people with very different areas of expertise. Enjoy! See Dr. Feltus' Company Website and Podcast here:  Praxis AI: https://www.prxai.com Biohackers Podcast: https://biohackerspodcast.buzzsprout.com
Feb 10, 2023
53 min
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