where knowledge STEMs from

#10 - Jeff Smith, PhD: These Machines Will Be In Every Home In The Future!

Dr. Jeff Smith is an analytical Chemistry, a Mass spectrometry expert, and an associate professor in the Chemistry department at Carleton University. He received his BSc in Biochemistry and PhD in Chemistry from York university. He has been the director of the Carleton Mass Spectrometry Center (CMSC) at Carleton since 2015. Additionally, Dr. Smith is currently the Associate Director of the Ottawa Carleton Chemistry Institute since 2016. His work spans many collaborations with companies and government contracts and has a keen insight on the development and limitations of mass spectrometry.  In this episode, Dr. Smith and I discuss what mass specs are, how they are used, and why they are such a crucial tool in every sector you can think of, from healthcare, to home appliances. Having one of these tools implemented in homes can tell you when your food will spoil ahead of time, when you might have a mold problem before you even find out, testing small traces of biomolecules that can detect diseases before they become serious, and many more applications.  Time Stamps:   00:00 - Intro 01:31 - Disaster that delayed this episode  04:06 - Education & Insights on Grad Studies 15:38 - Mass Spec facility setup & Projects 28:21 - What are mass spectrometers 41:06 - Orbitraps 43:11 - Iontraps 45:08 - Carleton magic show  48:37 - Airport chemical testers 54:48 - Turbine pump catastrophe  01:01:6 - Applications in homes, hospitals, & backpack mass specs

#9 - Mahmoud El Saadi: Cold Resistance & Immunity In Fruit Flies

Mahmoud Is a PhD candidate at Carleton University in the biology department, working in Dr. Heath MacMillian's lab.  His work involves studying fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) under cold stress by freezing them for periods of time in ethylene glycol, then observing physiological changes after they warm back to room temperature. Mahmoud hopes his research will help identify what makes certain insects resistant to cold, which can have broad applications for pollinators (like bees) in mitigating predation and beginning pollination earlier in the season. We also discuss cold tolerance in fruit flies as it relates to their immune response.  Did you know that fruit flies also have an immune system? Unlike ours it does do not possess antibodies nor does it remember prior infections like our immunity does. Rather, they use peptide chains (a series of amino acids) that can detect and defend against invading bacteria, fungi, and other types of pathogens! Check out my website [https://whereknowledgestemsfrom.com/] for more information about the podcast. You can also watch this episode on my YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@wkSTEMsf] channel. Time Stamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:41 - Background  03:38 - Preserving Insects 07:36 - Graduate Research  16:15 - Fruit Fly Cold Tolerance 28:56 - Fruit Fly Physiology 32:46 - Why Flies Rub Their Hands 33:40 - Applications of Understanding Cold Tolerance 47:34 - Fruit Fly Immunity 1:09:39 - Why Use Fruit Flies 1:12:16 - CRISPR Fruit Flies 1:16:02 - Closing Remarks

#8 - Eugene Fletcher, PhD: Yeast Makes Your Beer & Breaks Down Your Plastic Too

Beer is an internationally loved drink, consumed by millions of people world wide. From different flavours to different types, Dr. Eugene Fletcher, an Assistant professor at Carleton University studies the function of yeast in both brewing your favourite beverage and breaking down plastics. In this Episode, we discuss the process of fermentation, how beer is made, the difference between lager and ale, what steps are taken to infuse beer with different flavours, how yeast is engineered to break down plastic, and future direction for Dr. Fletchers research path. This was fun episode to make as I learned more about beer than i ever knew before, and I hope you do too! Stream on ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/where-knowledge-stems-from/id1715136670] Check out my Website [https://whereknowledgestemsfrom.com/] Visit my YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@wkSTEMsf] Page For more information about Dr. Eugene Fletcher, you can visit his official Carleton [https://carleton.ca/biology/people/eugene-fletcher/] profile page, or his LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/eugene-fletcher-phd-20740225?originalSubdomain=ca] profile. You can read any of his publications [https://scholar.google.ca/citations?user=HKJQkzUAAAAJ&hl=en] on yeast, synthetic biology, or microbial fermentation. Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 02:00 - Educational background 06:14 - Europe life & travel  09:42 - Lager, Ale, IPAs, & brewing process 18:11 - Beer flavour & fermentation  28:43 - Yeast makes biofuel (ethanol) from plastic 36:23 - His students create mock Biotech startups 42:23 - Closing thoughts

#7 - Xiao Xiang, PhD: Understanding Viruses, Their Replication, & How Vaccines Combat Them

Dr. Xiao Xiong earned his PhD degree in Cellular and Molecular Medicine from University of Ottawa. He studied the tumour-suppressive function and mechanism of a channel protein, in rhabdomyosarcoma, and published 8 high-impact papers of which he first-authored 3 of them. Upon completion of his Ph.D., he took on a pot Doc after becoming interested in oncolytic viruses and immunotherapy. He started working on bioengineering Reovirus, a benign gastro-intestinal virus, for use in cancer therapy and an oral vaccine for infectious diseases. In this episode we discuss the inner workings of viruses, how they replicate and overwhelm host machinery, how they evade the immune system, and discuss the basis of vaccines and their subsequent development. To learn more about the podcast, check my website below: https://whereknowledgestemsfrom.com/ Sound track: https://pixabay.com/music/drama-scene-ominous-tension-157906/ Dr. Xiao Xiang Publications: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=L-bS7H8AAAAJ&hl=en If you are interested in specific parts of this episode, here are the timestamps of different chapters: (00:00) Intro (01:29) Research Background (07:03) What Are Viruses (09:13) Are Viruses Alive (10:39) Viral Makeup (13:53) Virus Types & Immune Evasion (20:15) Antivirals (24:41) Infectiousness, Lethality, Resistance (40:33) Dormant Viruses (43:05) Viral Replication & Detection (54:24) Vaccine History, Types, & Efficacy  (1:11:20) Injected Vs Oral Vaccines (1:20:53) Outro

#6 - Abraham Jabakhanji, EIT: Why I Decided To Leave Engineering To Pursue Medicine

Abraham Jabakhanji obtained his bachelors degree in Aerospace engineering from Carleton University in 2016 and is an Engineer In training (EIT), which is the step before becoming a fully licensed engineer. After graduating he worked in companies as an EIT, first in HVAC engineering sales, then in system engineering. While working full time Abraham was also volunteering with a local search and rescue team, then got his certification as a wilderness first responder (WFR). Through this, he found his calling in medicine, and has now switched gears and got back into university to apply to med school. Music credits: Risk - StudioKoloma (pixabay) Scapazzzz - Maxol (soundcloud) Website: https://whereknowledgestemsfrom.com/ Follow me on: YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFlKm_rjdA4RPyPbRm4eKrQ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/george-h-a17325a0?trk=people-guest_people_search-card&originalSubdomain=ca