88. What Does a Brain Feel Like? ft. Maria Garza
In this episode, Natasha chats with Maria Garza, a neuroscientist in San Antonio, Texas. They discuss her research on blind mice, what it feels like to touch a brain and all sorts of interesting questions submitted by elementary and middle school students. This is the audio recording for a Space Club Career Chat that is posted on YouTube and linked in our show notes. We invite you to share this episode or video with your students!
79. The Impact of STEM
From launching Space Club to hosting STEM Family Nights, Natasha reflects on her last 8 years as STEM Director at a nonprofit in San Antonio, Texas. She discusses with Claire the transition from engineer to educator and the impact of STEM programs. Plus, Claire shares a super easy apple spice cobbler recipe!
76. Career Chat with an Astronaut
What's it like to live and work in outer space? In this special episode of The STEM Space, we share our most viewed Space Club Career Chat with former astronaut Bonnie Dunbar! She worked for NASA for 27 years, flew five times on the space shuttle logging over 50 days in space, and is now a professor of Aerospace Engineering. Dr. Dunbar shares her journey to becoming an astronaut and then answers questions submitted by elementary and middle school students! You can also watch the presentation on our YouTube channel.
72. Astrophysics and Weightlifting with Dr. Roman Gomez
Natasha chats with Dr. Roman Gomez, a lead research scientist in the Space Science and Engineering division of Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas. Roman shares his story of growing up in San Antonio, joining the Army, and then eventually getting his Ph.D. in astrophysics. Using questions submitted by Space Club elementary and middle school students, we discuss his journey in STEM, how he learned from his mistakes and his passion for all this space and science.
71. How to Create a Relevant STEM Challenge
With no internet access and limited supplies, how can you inspire and engage kids with STEM? We often think of robots and circuit boards as an integral part of STEM education, but hands-on learning doesn't need fancy tools. In this episode of The STEM Space, Claire and Natasha discuss ideas for offering STEM in rural communities (with special guest, baby Frenya). We also provide a framework for developing relevant STEM challenges that are based on students' lived experiences.
70. Career Chat with a Satellite Program Manager
Do you have a student obsessed with a subject? You know, the one who asks you all the questions you don’t know the answers to? In this episode, Natasha interviewed York Space Systems Program Manager Christine Dubbert (who was that student) for the 2022 spring semester Space Club Career Chat finale. Tune in as we talk about her pathway to STEM, what it's like to be a woman in engineering, and her previous competitive Scottish Highland dancing hobby!