Ali & Clive are joined by Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu, Lecturer in Pharmaceutical Nanoscience at University College London and Chief Scientific Officer at Nanomerics. Prof. Ijeoma has an incredible backstory of resilience and triumph, having grown up between post-war Nigeria and East London and headed to university at age 16. She is a notable scholar and holds a number of patents for drug delivery technologies used in the medical industry.

We tackled the sticky issue of the university Awarding Gap, which sees white students suddenly outperforming other demographics; inconsistent with Key Stage 2 & 3, GCSE and A-Level awarding. We also discussed disparities in research funding and the process of launching a pharmaceutical start-up company.

This conversation was incredibly insightful and will go a long way to support those disadvantaged by the lack of equity in STEM.

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Ali & Clive return to their old stomping ground of Kingston University and meet with a prominent figure who directly influenced their own journey, namely Dr Baljit Thatti, Head of Department in Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Having recently been awarded an impressive grant under the Royal Society of Chemistry's Missing Elements fund, Dr Bal's work takes her right to the heart of the themes that we try to explore on the STEMinism podcast. Our conversation touched on many of the crucial aspects of race and equity. They touched on the limitations to networking imposed by cultural barriers and dove deeply into the importance of role models and allies. Specifically, the importance of having sponsors who are willing to vouch for you when you aren't in the room. We explored the differences in culture and experience between racial groups who are usually lumped into the same category (e.g. BAME) and Dr Bal shared her views on how to create an equitable future through coaching, mentoring, and through nurturing students to achieve success through self-empowerment. This episode was a joy to record. Not only for the sentimental value, but also because we benefitted greatly from the keen insights that Dr Bal had to share. Follow Vanta STEM https://vantastem.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/vantastem/ https://www.instagram.com/vanta.stem

Clive and Ali are joined by Matt Green to discuss the evolution of the Rapping Science Teacher. We discuss Matt's foundations as an educator, the limitations of working in schools, starting a global tutoring business (with 80+ tutors) and the process of scaling up education to reach the masses by becoming a content creator. Specifically, on teaching the GCSE science curricula through the medium of rap music.

We gained invaluable insight around what it takes to create viral yet accessible educational content, exploring what it means to strive for excellence. We discussed Matt's experience on The Voice UK, his recent TV appearances and his partnership with the Royal Society of Chemistry to create equitable STEM education.

Matt's charm and easy-going nature made this an incredibly smooth and funny conversation. Be sure to check it out and comment your favorite part!

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