In this episode, co-host Dr. Daisy Shu chats with Dr. Jingjing You about 3D bioprinting, biomaterials, and the future of corneal bioengineering. They also talk about their collaboration on a special issue of The American Journal of Pathology focused on innovations in ocular disease.

👁️ From custom collagen bioinks to AI-driven tissue engineering, this is a peek into the future of vision science.

Thank you for listening to our 28th episode, focusing on the recent federal budget cuts and what that means for biomedical research.

In this episode, the Behind Our Science team has two very important interviews with Dr. William Coleman and Ms. Dani Burns on how cuts to the NIH and indirect funds affect biomedical research as a whole and in academic settings.

Dr. Coleman is the Executive Officer of the American Society for Investigative Pathology, a proud sponsor of our podcast, and a member of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. Dr. Coleman is a former academic researcher with over 140 peer-reviewed publications and 11 books published on his research covering liver stem cells and liver and breast cancer. During our interview, Dr. Coleman describes what the current budget cuts at the NIH mean to the state of biomedical research in academia and professional societies and how the attack on DEI policies impacts the next generation of scientists.

Ms. Dani Burns is a clinical department administrator with over 10 years of experience in research administration and an MBA with a focus on healthcare administration. Ms. Burns is responsible for oversight of all research expenditures and indirect allocations in her current role. In this episode, Ms. Burns covers the importance of indirect funds in supporting universities and research success and debunks common misconceptions on what indirect funds really are.

We end our episode with a short highlight from cohost Dr Vik Meadows and her experience at the 2025 Capitol Hill Day in Washington, DC. As a representative for the Histochemical Society at this advocacy event organized by FASEB, Vik met with the offices of Pennsylvania senators and congressmen to advocate for increase of federal funds and stand up for science!

Want to find out more about how federal funds impact your state and district? Visit https://www.faseb.org/science-policy-and-advocacy/federal-funding-data to find out more. Don’t forget to also check out the SCIMap: View Impact of Federal Health Research cuts https://scienceimpacts.org/ shared by @joshuasweitz.bsky.social .

Interested in advocating for the increase of federal research funds for biomedical research? Check out the resources organized by FASEB at https://www.faseb.org/science-policy-and-advocacy/become-an-advocate.

We want to hear from you! Have you been impacted by the federal research fund cuts? Has your institution reacted to the indirect funds cut? Let us know in the comments or on social media. We stand with you and stand up for science! Stay curious!

#SciencePolicy #FASEB #ASIP #HSC #DEI #CapitolHillDay #FASEBOnTheHill

Welcome to Behind Our Science! In Episode 29, we sit down with Dr. D. Lansing 'Lans' Taylor from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Taylor is a renowned scientist, entrepreneur, and innovator whose pioneering work bridges academic discovery and biotech entrepreneurship. We hope you enjoy as Dr. Taylor shares his journey through decades of groundbreaking research and leadership across various sectors of biomedical science.

With the recent NIH focus on in vitro and organoid systems, we explore Dr. Taylor's work on biomimetic microphysiology systems (MPS), sophisticated “organs-on-chips” that function as personalized human organs to study drug development and effectiveness. By using MPS, Dr. Taylor aims to revolutionize drug discovery, precision medicine, and disease modeling by providing more accurate, human-relevant data compared to traditional cell culture or animal models.

Dr. Taylor also discusses his transitions between academia and industry, including founding multiple biotech companies and returning to academia to build interdisciplinary teams that focus on drug development using MPS and tackling complex diseases like cancer. He offers insights into the benefits of entrepreneurial thinking in academia, the hurdles of translating innovation, and the future of predictive, human-relevant preclinical models.

Whether you're interested in cutting-edge bioengineering, translational science, or navigating a career that spans the laboratory and the boardroom, this conversation delivers insight and practical wisdom from a leader who has experienced it all.

Stay curious!

Thank you for joining us on this journey to our 27th episode!

In this episode, the Behind Our Science team interviews Dr. Nakisha Rutledge. Dr. Rutledge is an Entrepreneurial Scientist at Temprian Oncology and founder of both Sci in the City (formerly Sci in the Chi) and STEMulating Potential, two non-profit organizations promoting science education and outreach in the Chicago area. She is the recipient of the 2024 Young Scientist Leadership Award from the American Society for Investigative Pathology and is a fearless innovator in the field of biomedical therapeutics development. We are excited to champion the importance of science education and science outreach in allowing our community to make informed decisions about their health and environments. Our conversation with Dr. Rutledge also highlights the detriment scientific innovation faces with the loss of DEI initiatives from the NIH, academic institutions, and companies. Humanity needs diversity to thrive.

We want to hear from you! Do you have a favorite science outreach memory? Have you led or been impacted by science education? How has the removal of DEI initiatives impacted you or your peers? Let us know in the comments below or tag us on our social media! Thank you for tuning in. Stay curious!

#ScienceOutreach #ScienceEducation #Diversity #DEI #SciintheChi #STEMulatingPotential

Woo! Happy New Year!

In our 26th episode, the Behind Our Science team interviews reflects on our past 7 episodes produced in 2024! We still can't believe we have made so many episodes and gotten the opportunities to travel and meet some amazing scientists along the way.

One of the highlights of the Behind Our Science team was our recent travel to Australia and New Zealand!!! The team submitted and presented our individual research abstracts at the 2024 Biomolecular Horizons Congress that took place in Melbourne, NSW, Australia. Dr. Roberto Mota-Alvidrez and Dr. Vik Meadows also got the opportunity to travel to Sydney to present at Dr. Daisy Shu's home institution, University of New South Wales. Dr. Mota-Alvidrez and Dr. Meadows also explored New Zealand - a once in a lifetime opportunity for our team! We hope you enjoy our segment highlighting the 12 apostles park, Jervis Bay, lemon lime and bitters tasting, Koala sightings, conference speed interviews, and the beauty of Australia.

We also celebrate some career and personal achievements this year including cross-country moves, grants, engagements, publications, and lots of conferences! We believe it is so important to celebrate all the wins, big or small, to combat imposter syndrome and survive as researchers. We want to hear your wins - let us know in the comments below or tag us on our social media! As always, thank you for tuning in. Stay curious!

#BiomolecularHorizons2024 #IUBMB #ASIP #HCS #Australia #NewZealand #ScienceCommunication #Research #NewYearReflection

Thank you for joining us for our 25th episode!

In this episode, the Behind Our Science team interviews three leading scientists in the developing field of nano- and micro-plastics. Understanding the role of nano- and micro-plastics in biological systems has large implications on our individual and global health with potential to impact our government policy. Our international speaker line up is taking on the field of nano- and micro-plastics by investigating its impact on various biological systems including reproductive (placenta, testis), cardiovascular, and ocular. We are excited to showcase the value of collaboration and data driven discovery in the field of micro-plastics!

Our first speaker is Dr. Phoebe Stapleton, Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the Ernest E Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University. We invite you to read her recent work on nano-plastics in the peer reviewed articles below:

1. Identification of micro- and nanoplastic particles in postnatal sprague-dawley rat offspring after maternal inhalation exposure throughout gestation: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39117197

2. Single inhalation exposure to polyamide micro and nanoplastic particles impairs vascular dilation without generating pulmonary inflammation in virgin female Sprague Dawley rats: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37088832

Our second speaker is Dr. Chris Lim, Associate Consultant in the Department of Ophthalmology at National University Hospital. We invite you to read his recent articles on micro-plastics in eye disease and his studies on the impact of COVID-19 vaccines on eye health below:

1. Impact of Microplastics on the Ocular Surface: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36835339

2. Retinal vein occlusion following BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) COVID-19 vaccination: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37675679

Our third speaker is Dr. Matthew Campen, Regents’ Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of New Mexico. We invite you to read his recent work on micro-plastics in the peer reviewed articles below:

1. Microplastic presence in dog and human testis and its potential association with sperm count and weights of testis and epididymis: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38745431

2. Quantitation and identification of microplastics accumulation in human placental specimens using pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38366932

As our listeners, we want to hear from you! Have you heard of micro-plastics? What directions should the research go? Let us know in the comments below or tag us on our social media! Thank you for tuning in. Stay curious!

#Microplastics #nanoplastics #polymerresearch #ramanspectometry #massspectrometry #rutgers #unm #nuh

At Behind Our Science, we love board games! Especially science-based board games. In this episode we discuss some our favorite science board games including Antidote, Pandemic, Remediate, and Cytosis.

We interview Dr. Max Bai, Director of the Political Belief Lab, about his creation of the Publish or Perish: The Board Game and how his academic journey prepared him to develop a humorous interpretation of a heavy and difficult topic in academic research.
This game explores the academic publish or perish culture as a fun party game! Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Antidote: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/150783/antidote
- Pandemic: https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/30549/pandemic
-Remediate: https://www.coesb.com.au/remediate/ - Cytosis: https://www.geniusgames.org/products/cytosis-a-cell-biology-game
-Publish or Perish: https://get.thepublishorperishgame.com/
-Dr. Bai's website: http://www.maxhuibai.com/

Thank you for tuning in! Have you played any of these games? Let us know in the comments and on social media. Don't forget to subscribe to Publish or Perish to know when it will launch! Stay Curious!

#behindourscience #sciencegames #scientist #antidotegame #pandemicgame #remediategame #cytosisgame #PublishorPerishgame

In this episode we focus on the importance of wellness in our every day lives.

Co-host Dr. Daisy Shu interviewed attendees of the ASIP 2024 meeting in Baltimore, MD and learned what wellness means to them. We hear from a diverse group of individuals in science from students to faculty and administrative staff. Our individual experiences shape what wellness means to us and it's important to pause and take care of ourselves to avoid burn out.

The Behind Our Science team also discusses evidence-based wellness, or rather the science behind wellness, and how your chronological age may not match your biological age. This topic is developing into an industry of its own and may be the future for personalized care.

Stay Curious!

Check out our resources below:

Evidence-Based Wellness Emerges as an Industry
https://www.scientificamerican.com/custom-media/the-new-science-of-wellness/evidence-based-wellness-emerges-as-an-industry/
What does wellness mean to you? Let us know in the comments or on our socials!

ASIP Wellness Resources
https://www.asip.org/career/career-development-resources/wellness-resources/

#behindourscience #wellness #science

Music license 4RDFCHVA3NYCYDMT.