In this episode we meet my dear friend, Dr. Deborah A. Kashy, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at Michigan State University (MSU).  Season 2 is dedicated to her memory honoring her lifetime commitment to inspiring young students to pursue their academic and career goals.

Most recently, Deborah was awarded the College of Social Science’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Teaching, Research, and Service. With nearly 25 years of service at Michigan State University, Dr. Kashy has established a record of remarkable achievements in scholarship, instruction, and mentorship, as well as exceptional service to both the University and the field of social psychology.   

Deborah shares her journey in the STEM field and how she became such an accomplished professor. Some highlights of her episode include: 

• How she pivoted in college, and briefly took a break from her studies, and discovered a renewed motivation for returning to school after a brief stint in the workplace..

• Being patient with yourself in your education path, and not  giving up on your dreams so quickly.

• How it’s very valuable for students to get experience outside of the college environment. Real life experience is useful in finding your passion.

• Her top pieces of advice include: Advocate for yourself, take advantage of and make opportunities happen. 

• Seeking feedback from your colleagues is valuable in helping you grow as a professional.

Dr. Kashy has authored over 140 publications, received over 32,000 citations, and earned multiple awards. Among her notable contributions is co-authoring a reference book on analyzing dyadic data, Dyadic Data Analysis, which has become the go-to resource for social scientists and has been cited over 7,000 times. In 2005 Dr. Kashy received the Alumni Outstanding Teaching Award from the College of Social Science at MSU.

She=mc2  is proud to be sponsored by Agilent Technologies. Agilent is a leader in life sciences advancing quality of life through people, products, planet, and prosperity. Agilent Technologies is a global leader in the life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets, delivering insight and innovation toward advancing the quality of life. Agilent’s full range of solutions includes instruments, software, services, and expertise that provide trusted answers to our customers' most challenging questions. Learn more at www.agilent.com.

sh(e)=mc2 is a new podcast that celebrates the light, energy, and power of women leaders in science. Maya Murshak, CEO of Merit Laboratories is the host, Heidi Komar of BlueOpps, LLC is the executive producer, and Zoe Komar of Michigan State University is the audio engineer. To connect with our podcast or suggest a future guest, please visit our website.

In this episode, we meet Giulia Lanza who earned her Ph.D. from the University of Padova, one of Europe’s oldest and most prestigious schools in Italy. Giulia is a vacuum technology engineer at SLAC - The National Accelerator Laboratory in the Department of Energy run by Stanford University. SLAC is a federally-funded research and development center in Menlo Park, California.

Giulia shares her path, including:

• Being an avid reader and writer before discovering a talent for math in middle school.
• When she knew she had found the right position in her career.
• Learning that hard work is not everything and the the importance of understanding who is influencing your growth.
• Her dream to introduce young women to the diversity in engineering and the STEM fields and support them in their early career.

Giulia is also a champion for women and diversity in science, as the Co-Founder of the SAGE program (SCIENCE Accelerating Girls’ Engagement). SAGE is a summer camp/internship program for high school students. The SAGE Mission is to engage curious and passionate students, while empowering them to explore a wide range of possibilities for their future.

SAGE offers opportunities and support as students move along their academic and career paths. The student’s SAGE Journey starts with the SAGE Summer Camp, hosted by scientists, engineers, and staff from participating Department of Energy National Laboratories. It continues with SAGE live events, SAGE internships in National Laboratories all over the country, early job careers, and leadership opportunities. What a cool program! You can learn more about the SAGE program on their website and youtube channel, including updates on live events and information sessions.

she=mc2  is proud to be sponsored by Agilent Technologies. Agilent is a leader in life sciences advancing quality of life through people, products, planet, and prosperity. Agilent Technologies is a global leader in the life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets, delivering insight and innovation toward advancing the quality of life. Agilent’s full range of solutions includes instruments, software, services, and expertise that provide trusted answers to our customers' most challenging questions. Learn more at www.agilent.com.

sh(e)=mc2 is a new podcast that celebrates the light, energy, and power of women leaders in science. Maya Murshak, CEO of Merit Laboratories is the host, Heidi Komar of BlueOpps, LLC is the executive producer, and Zoe Komar of Michigan State University is the audio engineer. To connect with our podcast or suggest a future guest, please visit our website.

In this episode we meet Mary Ensch, a Senior Staff Professional at Geosyntec Consultants. Mary received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. 

Mary is now using her passion for sustainability and the environment to jump start a career focused on environmental remediation and litigation for emerging contaminants.

Mary shares her journey in science and how she has become such an accomplished professional in her career. Including:

• How her natural curiosity as a child to solve problems, building, and her passion for the environment led her to the field of science.
• How her father’s passion and talent for repairing and reusing things, helped set the foundation for Mary to be a first-generation college student leading to a Ph.D. in a challenging major.
• The importance of having friends you can rely on to get you through the challenging times during your education.
• Finding an internship to help pay expenses through college while gaining experience.
• Be willing to try new things and don’t be afraid to make a change.

Mary has three first author publications and has been featured as a co-author on two others. In addition, she currently has one patent application on an electrode apparatus for removing contaminants from a fluid. She recently was awarded a patent for an electrochemical method for sample pretreatment for metals determination (February 2023). Mary had the pleasure of presenting her research at numerous conferences in Canada, Germany, Italy, and the United States. 

She=mc2  is proud to be sponsored by Agilent Technologies. Agilent is a leader in life sciences advancing quality of life through people, products, planet, and prosperity. Agilent Technologies is a global leader in the life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets, delivering insight and innovation toward advancing the quality of life. Agilent’s full range of solutions includes instruments, software, services, and expertise that provide trusted answers to our customers' most challenging questions. Learn more at www.agilent.com.

sh(e)=mc2 is a new podcast that celebrates the light, energy, and power of women leaders in science. Maya Murshak, CEO of Merit Laboratories is the host, Heidi Komar of BlueOpps, LLC is the executive producer, and Zoe Komar of Michigan State University is the audio engineer. To connect with our podcast or suggest a future guest, please visit our website.