Double Shelix

We wrap up the You do Belong in Science series with listener stories and lessons learned from this series. Listeners write in with stories about the importance of professors' LGBTQ allyship and dealing with chronic illness in graduate school. We reveal who does not belong in science (spoiler alert/content advisory, it's sexual harassers). We also welcome allyship correspondent Jon Muncie to discuss actions everyone can take to prevent and respond to sexual harassment in the workplace, fairly judge peers' research, and increase representation and promote inclusion of people from underrepresented groups in STEM. He reminds us that we need to get comfortable being uncomfortable when it comes to discussing and addressing these important issues facing our science workplaces.
Resources
* Resources for LGBTQ+ students, staff, and faculty at Berkeley: https://queer.berkeley.edu/on-campus, at UCSF: https://lgbt.ucsf.edu, at U of Pennsylvania: https://bit.ly/2jJqjdZ
* Proud and Prepared: A Guide for LGBT Students Navigating Graduate Training - resource from the American Psychological Association. Preview it here: http://www.apa.org/apags/resources/lgbt-guide.aspx
* Dr. Kate Clancy's congressional testimony video (starts ~41:30) https://bit.ly/2oqm5dn and transcript https://bit.ly/2GUXtkB
* Dr. Kate Clancy's amazing podcast, Period Podcast: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/period-podcast/period
* Sexual harassment videos and NYT analysis: https://nyti.ms/2Gg4NHT
* Resources for dealing with sexual harassment: rainn.org/thatsharassment
Thank you to our funders, the University of Pennsylvania Department of Bioengineering and the Berkeley Student Tech Fund. Also thanks to Gustavo Villarreal @wikirascals for our amazing graphics. Get your Double Shelix and You do Belong in Science stickers at doubleshelix.com/stickers.
Share your thoughts on this episode - or your belonging story - on our voicemail 415-895-0850 or email us [email protected]. We're on Twitter @doubleshelixpod and coming soon to Instagram @doubleshelixpodcast - give us a follow! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed us on the iTunes store! Keep penning those awesome reviews!

What do you study? Whether it's to a leading faculty in your field or to your aunt's best friend, you have probably been asked to explain your research many, many times. How can you make your answer count without reciting an entire review paper? Sally and Kayla discuss how to craft an effective research “pitch" and then test their skills in real time. Spoiler alert: practice matters.

How can you make the most of a short research or work experience? Sally and Kayla give their tips for how to succeed in a summer internship or research rotation, including how to manage day-to-day responsibilities, demonstrate your curiosity and eagerness, and finish strong to leave a great impression. We give the inside scoop on asking for letters of recommendation and navigating tough conversations about authorship and publication goals. Also, what to do when you end up in a truly toxic situation (which you probably won’t, but still it’s scary). Other important things: great lab notebook habits and tips for all stakeholders to make a successful undergraduate poster fair. If you supervise interns or rotation students, or if you are one - this is the episode for you!
Resources:
All the best practical tips for crushing your summer research experience, from The STEM Squad
https://goo.gl/AgsEQC
Excellent tips about framing your summer work experiences in future job, school, or fellowship applications on our episode with Christina Fuentes and Shaheen Jeeawoody
https://goo.gl/e8PHvm
Stellar advice for becoming an amazing mentee and mentor, on our episode Next Level Mentorship for Mentors and Mentees with Julea Vlassakis
https://goo.gl/H8HRLw
Sally’s post on how to ask for a letter of recommendation on Beta Pleated Chic
https://goo.gl/rNrey
Thank you to our funders, the University of Pennsylvania Department of Bioengineering and the Berkeley Student Tech Fund.
Share your thoughts on this episode on our voicemail 415-895-0850 or email us [email protected]. We're on Twitter @doubleshelixpod and on Instagram @doubleshelixpodcast - give us a follow! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed us on iTunes!

Going in, graduate students expect they'll have to work hard, but most students are unprepared for the mental anguish that grad school can induce - especially when experiments aren't going well, or when we compare to themselves to others' successes. Penn Bioengineering PhD students Meagan Ita and Michael Magaraci join Sally and Kayla to discuss wellness in graduate school. Meagan and Mike discuss the importance of taking charge of your own wellness, and what departments can do to support student wellness. Things also get real with discussions of the value therapy and/or medicine to address depression or anxiety, and we sound off on the harm caused by toxic mentor/mentee relationships. If you've struggled with being well, want to stay well, or want to support others on their journey to wellness, check this out!
Resources:
*Professor Arjun Raj's blog - truly, a font of knowledge - goo.gl/h2Wwi2
*UC Berkeley graduate student wellbeing survey results​ - goo.gl/kcby7w
*FixYourRun.com
*PhillySurgeRunning.com
*Meagan's Lab, the Spine Pain Research Lab - goo.gl/Zq2nbK
*Mike's Lab, the Chow Lab - https://goo.gl/BnYWtg
*7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey - goo.gl/SXgECv
*Headspace, a meditation app - Headspace.com
*The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle - goo.gl/Jh5SLu
*The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson - goo.gl/z4mmWq
Follow us on Twitter @doubleshelixpod
Feedback? We love it - [email protected]
Thanks to the University of Pennsylvania Department of Bioengineering for supporting our podcast and this episode!! We love their Twitter @pennbioeng and their blog - beblog.seas.upenn.edu