There is value in naiveté. Daniel Gonzales didn’t have a clue when he began college about the opportunities before him. And because he was naive he didn’t have any reason to say “no” when these opportunities were presented to him. Not know, having zero expectations have served him well thorough to his post-doc where he has learned to embrace the unknown so he can continue to pursue a passion for exploration.   For more on Daniel's work - - https://gonzales.science Daniel on Twitter - https://twitter.com/dgonzales1990

t's the beginning of the 2021 Atlantic Basin Hurricane Season, why not to talk to a hurricane expert. Phil Klotzbach, PhD is a part of a group of research scientists working to predict hurricanes. Currently, as of June 1, Phil's team from Colorado State University, yes Colorado, are predicting 17 named storms for 2021. Last year there were 30 named storms, the most since 2005 when there were 28. Phil and his team look at a wide range of data to try and predict seasonal hurricane activity primarily in the Atlantic Basin, this include the Gulf of Mexico. Phil's love of weather began as a kid growing up in New England and has carried to become a world renowned scientist on hurricanes and tropical storms. Phil on Twitter -- https://twitter.com/philklotzbach Colorado State University -Tropical Weather & Climate Research https://tropical.colostate.edu/index.html

From Texas to Alaska Brian Brettschneider has experienced some of the most extreme weather on earth. His love of weather really began as an extension of an early fascination with geography and then an introduction to The Weather Channel. Brian has worked in industry, academia, and governmental agencies and for the last 15 years has spent his time documenting the changes in sea ice, temperatures, and moose. Brian on Twitter https://twitter.com/Climatologist49 Brian's Climate Blog - http://us-climate.blogspot.com/

The journey of a PhD in Nursing is certainly unique due to the fact there is an element of direct work experience required before moving onto graduate education. Dr. Linda Franck did not plan to become as she started college and she certainly wasn't expecting to get a PhD. The career of a nurse is varied and Dr. Franck talks about the options available to the soon to be minted BSN co-host of the episode, my daughter. Dr. Franck is part of The Center for Health and Community at The University of California San Francisco and Co-Director of the ACTION Center, fellowship program supporting PhD candidates and postdocs looking to focus on reproductive health. https://actions.ucsf.edu You can also find ACTION on Twitter here https://twitter.com/actionsprogram

The leap from dancing, specifically belly dancing, to a PhD in Speech Communication is really not too far. Especially once you hear the story of how Sandra Halvorson, PhD took the journey. Sure; there was the family, the dance and exercise school, living in Minnesota then Florida. But in the end it all really kind of makes sense; because after all there are just some people that need an audience.

There's a common thread among many PhDs I have talked with over these 40 episodes; always looking for the next thing, even when the thing they are working on now is still in process. Maybe it's one of those key ingredients of making a PhD, the never-ending quest. Eladio Bobadilla came to America as a child and grew up in the agriculture industry of California's Central Valley. After stumbling to get his high school diploma he joined the Navy and, thanks to the extreme boredom of being deployed in Kuwait, discovered a love for history. This new found passion propelled him to college and to brought him to a position of asking questions about the world he grew-up in. http://eladio-bobadilla.com/ https://twitter.com/e_b_bobadilla

The original destination for Chris Cornthwaite's PhD journey was a tenure track college professor gig. The universe had other plans and now Chris finds himself on two paths; using the knowledge and skillset developed during his PhD to help define immigration policy and helping other PhDs and helping other graduates with advanced degrees define themselves in a complicated and sometimes daunting workplace. These two paths are very different from when he first went into seminary with the intent of becoming a minister. https://roostervane.com/ https://twitter.com/cjcornthwaite

More talk of proteins on this episode of Piled high and Deep-The Podcast. Charlie Eldrid, his PhD is coming later this month (I will update) is also doing some cutting edge science as he works to further develop the technology making identifying the structure of proteins more efficient. https://twitter.com/CharlieSpec?s=20 https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Charles_Eldrid

What would you do if you realized the undergraduate degree you were about to complete wasn't what you wanted to do? For Dr. Deanne Sammond it was a realization the music degree she was about to complete was not going to be the path she wanted to follow anymore. So instead she explored the world of biotech and found herself intrigued with proteins and found a path that would lay the foundation for the successes we are seeing in the fight again the Corona Virus.