E9 - Greg Franklin - Amazing Race S35 Winner

E10 - Madison Burger - Bacterial "Vegan" Leather and the Future of Fashion

After a long hiatus we have Madison Burger on the show to discuss her work researching and cultivating bacterial leather. We talk about how she got into the field, the newest trends in leather alternatives, her work with Plant Chicago, and her work with Chitown Bio. It's a super informational episode and Madison provides a nuanced and highly informed take on the alternative leather industry. Chapters:  0:00 - Introducing Madison 1:47  - Welcoming Madison 6:08 - Fun Facts on the Leather Industry 11:21 - Alternative Leather Durability 14:23 - Discussing MycoWorks 16:54 - Pinatex 17:54 - Differences Between Alternative Leather & Real Leather 20:24 - Looking at Bacterial Leather Samples 21:00 - Pellicle 27:00 - Madison's Work with Plant Chicago 30:00 - Developing Tissue Paper Alternatives 33:00 - Disrupting the Traditional Industries 43:18 - Tanning Process Explained 45:00 - Jennifer Doudna 48:30 - Discussing the Ethics of Gene Editing 51:00 - Madison's Work with Chitown Bio Links: ChiTownBio- https://chitownbio.org/ [https://chitownbio.org/] Plant Chicago- https://www.plantchicago.org/ [https://www.plantchicago.org/] Collective Fashion Justice- https://www.collectivefashionjustice.org/ [https://www.collectivefashionjustice.org/] Madison Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/madisonwildsburger/ [https://www.instagram.com/madisonwildsburger/] Madison LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/madison-wilds-burger-578583141/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/madison-wilds-burger-578583141/]

E9 - Greg Franklin - Amazing Race S35 Winner

To kick off 2024 we have Greg on the show to talk about his experience participating in season 35 of the Amazing Race. We talk about the challenges, what it was like off camera, how life has changed since the show, and his future work with Wired, and his life in general.  It's a fun chat with a great guy who is Chicago through and through. Always great to see Chicago's own making big moves all over the world.  Chapters: 1:09 - Introducing Greg 14:47 - Interacting with the other racers 19:00 - Talking about the physically laborious challenges 23:00 - Skydiving for the first time ever on the show 28:00 - John's quotes from the show 33:04 - Get the express pass? 38:00 - Life after the race 44:00 - Interacting with other CBS reality show contestants  49:00 - Talking about good food in Chicago 54:00 - Why yellow?

E8 - Sid - Hobbyist and Rug Tufting Extraordinaire

This week we have Sid on the show to discuss her hobbyism, how it helps cope with the modern world, her experience moving from Texas to Chicago, and her journey to starting a rug tufting business. It's a fun and very interesting conversation, so check it out. Sid is the owner of Cherry Basket Studio and makes beautiful rugs. You can see their work here: https://cherrybasketstudio.com/ https://www.instagram.com/cherrybasketstudio/ www.etsy.com/shop/cherrybasketstudio [https://l.instagram.com/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.etsy.com%2Fshop%2Fcherrybasketstudio&e=AT1nZ9PCp5o5zTKLfCOe_hWVA5CmWxXwFwHtrVwV_69iXQeNpfrxOFPlogUTiTBqASgvGuF5D_OfZs7vxM-lR7UmjfRAmPo3E3Ny2sI]

E7 - Will Halliden - Life in the TSA

Will talks about his experience working for the TSA. We talk about government work, temper tantrums at the airport, and crazy things he's seen go down at the airport.  Tune in to learn why the TSA matters! Fact Check*** The CT scanners cost $350k, not $3 million.

E6 - Summer Papachan - NU Grad Student Unionization

This week we have Summer on the show to discuss her role in the current Northwestern University grad student unionization efforts. We talk about the union's successes and tribulations, while also having a larger conversation around social equity and resource distribution. Summer is incredibly brilliant and we have a great convo, tune in! Resources for your reference: https://nugradworkers.org/ https://dailynorthwestern.com/2023/11/14/campus/graduate-workers-union-rallies-for-timely-bargaining-response-to-economic-demands-from-nu/ https://dailynorthwestern.com/2023/11/02/campus/graduate-student-parent-group-finds-disconnect-between-caregiving-needs-and-nu-resources/