In this episode, Courtney talks to the creators of Pursuing Ph.D., an Instagram account focused on empowering women of color in STEM. The creators of the account are Nathalie Lancy Momplaisir, Bethany Bogan, Ta-Tyonna Buck, and Ashley Coleman.

Learn more about Pursuing Ph.D. here: https://www.instagram.com/pursuingphd/

A full-text transcript of this episode is available via Google doc.

Want to be a guest or know somebody we should be talking to? Fill out our Google form [link] ⁠https://tinyurl.com/Be-A-Guest⁠

Want to watch the video? All Grad School Life episodes are also available on the PhD Balance YouTube Channel.

Follow our host Courtney on Twitter: @CApplewhiteX

This week, we will be joined by Ritwik Kulkarni (he/him). Ritwik is a second-year PhD student in Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University in West Lafayette. Ever wonder why does your laptop use fans quite often to cool them down? Its because the heat carrier, called thermal interface material, start degrading and often dry out. His research work comprises of reliability analysis of these materials, understanding their patterns and developing mitigation strategies to extend their lifecycle. In addition to the applied projects, he is also experimenting with effect of rotation in thermal transport in dense suspensions, that are fundamental in nature. He received his Bachelor of Technology in 2019 from Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur (IIT-J), Master of Science in 2021 from Texas A&M University-College Station, both majoring in Mechanical Engineering. Apart from the research work, Ritwik loves to cook Indian food, head out for trails and experiment with beatbox patterns. You can find him on Instagram @ritwik_101.

A full-text transcript of this episode is available via google doc.

Want to be a guest or know somebody we should be talking to? Fill out our google form [link] https://tinyurl.com/Be-A-Guest

Want to watch the video? All Grad School Life episodes are also available on the PhD Balance YouTube Channel.

Follow our host Courtney on Twitter: @CApplewhiteX

This week, we will be joined by Aldo Barrita (he/his/él). Aldo is a queer Latinx doctoral student in his 4th year at the Psychological and Brain Sciences Ph.D. Program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He was born in Mexico and immigrated to the US when he was 16. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from UC Berkeley in 2017 with high honors. His research focus includes how different forms of discrimination, primarily microaggressions, psychologically impact individuals from marginalized communities. Specifically, he has a special interest in Latinx and/or LGBTQ+ experiences with microaggressions as well as psychometrics. Aldo currently serves as the student representative for the National Latinx Psychology Association (NLPA) and student chair-elect for APA Division 52. He has been awarded prestigious honors and recognitions such as National Latinx Psychology Association’s 2020 Presidential Citation, 2021 Distinguished Student Service Award, as well as the 2021 SPSP Janessa Shapiro Student Research Award. In 2022 he became a Mellon Fellow receiving the Crossing Latinidades Mellon Humanities Fellowship and Barrick Graduate Fellowship from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.  

A full-text transcript of this episode is available via google doc.

Want to be a guest or know somebody we should be talking to? Fill out our google form [link] https://tinyurl.com/Be-A-Guest

Want to watch the video? All Grad School Life episodes are also available on the PhD Balance YouTube Channel.

Follow our host Courtney on Twitter: @CApplewhiteX