Journeys in Research

Building Connections with Local and Global Communities

In this episode, the McKenzie Endowed Professor of Health Equity Research, Dr. Frankie Wong shares his experiences researching in communities within the United States as well as abroad. His research focuses on HIV and sexual health of sexual minorities, and his research projects have taken him to multiple countries including China, Vietnam, South Africa, Russia, and Tajikistan.

Dr. Wong is currently the Principal Investigator for the Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation grant (NIH FIRST), recently funded by the National Institutes of Health, to transform institutional culture through inclusive excellence.

For show notes and additional resources, visit our Homepage.

Happy Accidents: Asperger, Einstein, and the Great Apes

In this episode, Hale G. Smith Professor of Anthropology Dr. Dean Falk shares her passion for the advancement of evolutionary anthropology. Whether she’s learning how to craft from the great apes, fighting battles in academic cancel-culture, or mapping Einstein's brain, Falk's insights from happy accidents embody the true nature of her work: the celebration of ever-evolving human life.

For show notes and additional resources, visit our Homepage.

Meta-disciplines and Invisible Work

Episode Nine

Special Guest: Paul Marty 

Interdisciplinary research is often invisible. In this episode, Paul Marty discusses the pros and cons of interdisciplinary research and the importance of taking credit for your accomplishments.

Paul Marty is a professor in the School of Information, Florida's iSchool, and Associate Dean for Innovation in the College of Communication and Information at FSU. Marty has a background in ancient history and computer science engineering, and his PhD is from the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Before arriving at FSU, he was Director of Information Technology at the Spurlock Museum.

Collaborating Generously

John Corrigan is the Lucius Moody Bristol Distinguished Professor of Religion, Professor of History, and Distinguished Research Professor at Florida State University. His research focuses on religion and emotion, religious intolerance, and the spatial humanities. In this episode, John talks about the right time to take risks, interdisciplinary collaboration as an act of generosity, and how his background in math and chemical engineering makes him a humanities researcher who sometimes thinks like a scientist.

For show notes and additional resources, visit our Home Page.

Forming Alliances in an Ever Evolving Field

Episode Seven

Special Guest: Jorge Piekarewicz

Jorge Piekarewicz is fascinated by death, specifically, the death of stars. In this episode, Jorge Piekarewicz talks about neutron stars, NASA rockets, carbon, collaboration, and mentorship.

Jorge Piekarewicz is a Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor of Physics at FSU. He received his Bachelor of Science in physics from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico in 1981, and his Ph.D. in theoretical nuclear physics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1985. Afterward, carried out postdoctoral research at the California Institute of Technology and Indiana University. In 1990, he joined FSU, becoming a full professor in 2005 and a Distinguished Research Professor in 2016. While at FSU, he has received four University Teaching Awards and the 2017 Graduate Faculty Mentor Award. He was also named fellow for the American Physical Society in 2005. He has written over 155 publications, and his research has been continuously funded by the Department of Energy since 1992. He currently serves as the Director of the FRIB Theory Alliance.

For show notes and additional resources, visit our Home Page.

From Sabbatical to Service: Discovering Your Next Research Project

Episode Six

Special Guest: Alysia Roehrig

In Episode Six, Alysia Roehrig shares the benefits of sabbaticals and how she helped bring Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools® to Leon County.

Alysia Roehrig, Professor of Educational Psychology, joined the faculty at Florida State University in 2003 and serves as the Learning and Cognition Program Coordinator. She earned both her Ph.D. and M.A. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Roehrig’s research interests focus on issues related to effective teaching, particularly exploring the successes of students labeled at risk for school failure. She has published several articles, co-authored the book, No more sharpening pencils during work time and other time wasters, with her former doctoral student Beth Brinkerhoff, and helped update the 7th edition of the widely adopted textbook Educational Psychology by Santrock for McGraw Hill. Roehrig is the Principal Investigator and Director of PURPOSE: Partners United for Research Pathways Oriented to Social Justice in Education. Funded by the Institute of Education Sciences, PURPOSE is dedicated to increasing diversity in the doctorate of education.

For Show Notes and further resources, visit our Home Page.

Research in Movement: Running, Directing, and Funding a World-Class Dance Company

Episode Five

Special Guest: Jawole Willa Jo Zollar

Jawole Willa Jo Zollar is in the profession of creating. Inspired by jazz from an early age, she embraces a methodology based on collaboration, strength, and finding the shared genius in the room. In Episode Five, Jawole shares how she has navigated the administrative side of running a performance company and persevered in her pursuit of arts funding, all while remaining true to her artistic vision.

Zollar is the Nancy Smith Fichter Professor of Dance at Florida State University, and in 2011 she received FSU's prestigious Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor Award. She earned her B.A in dance from the University of Missouri at Kansas City and later her M.F.A. in dance from Florida State University. After moving to New York City to study with Dianne McIntyre from Sounds in Motion, Zollar founded Urban Bush Women in 1984. The UBW was founded as a performance ensemble dedicated to exploring the use of cultural expression as a catalyst for social change. Along with creating 34 works for UBW, Jawole has also directed pieces for several dance companies including the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Philadanco, and University Maryland. UBW is among only 20 companies to be honored by the Ford Foundation as one of America's Cultural Treasures.

Teaming Up for the Long Haul: How to Build a Strong Research Team that Lasts

Episode Four

Special Guest: Neil Charness

What makes a strong research team? And what makes it last? 

Dr. Neil Charness joined the CREATE research team in 1999, and that team has been continuously funded for 20 years and counting. 

In Episode Four, Neil shares his perspective on team formation and team longevity. He also shares how games and happy accidents led him to the field of gerontechnology and to interdisciplinary research.

Dr. Charness is the William G. Chase Professor of Psychology and the Director of the Institute for Successful Longevity at Florida State University. He received his BA from McGill University followed by his Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University in Psychology. Dr. Charness also serves as the Associate Director for the University Transportation Center (ASAP) and the Associate of the Pepper Institute on Aging and Public Policy. His current research focus is on aging and technology use from a Human Factors Perspective, Older Driver and Pedestrian Safety, and Aging and Exert Performance.

“Dusty Hills” by Ketsa is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. 

Try, Try Again: Lessons Learned as an NSF Panelist

Episode Three

Special Guest: David Whalley

In Episode Three, Computer Science professor David Whalley shares the lessons he learned on his journey to obtain funding from the National Science Foundation, and how he persevered through rejection and made every proposal count.

Before becoming a professor at Florida State University, David Whalley earned his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Virginia. He has received various awards since, including the E.P. Miles professorship for the Computer Science Department, ACM Distinguished Membership, the Florida State University Distinguished Research Professor award, and most recently a fellowship with IEEE. Dr Whalley’s current research interests include optimizing compilers, compilation tools, embedded systems, computer architecture, performance evaluation, WCET Prediction, and energy-efficient processors. Dr. Whalley’s current research is supported by the National Science Foundation. 

Data and Discoveries: Becoming a Maverick in Your Research

Episode Two

Special Guest: Sharon E. Nicholson

Episode Two follows Dr. Sharon E. Nicholson to the West African Sahel. To the desert. Nicholson started her journey as a curious young researcher, unafraid to question her superiors and became an internationally-recognized research powerhouse, who successfully turned a paradigm on its head and changed how climatologists think about the desert.

The 2020 - 21 Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor, Dr. Sharon E. Nicholson is a world-renowned climatologist and professor of Meteorology for the Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Science at Florida State University. She has garnered several awards, including the Humboldt Research Award, which she received for her work on the effects of climate on dry environments in Africa. Her research has had a major impact not only her area of expertise, but on the fields of hydrology, physical geography, remote sensing, arid land studies, and paleoclimatology.