When most people hear the word “science”, they think of stuffy, ivory tower institutions. They think of dry papers filled with words they can’t pronounce or comprehend. And they think of middle-aged men.
That’s why I’m extremely excited to introduce you to my brand new podcast, scheduled to come to you in early 2022. With “Science with Milk, No Sugar”, I want to invite listeners into a different world of science – one that’s more casual, accessible, and diverse. Instead of listening to a lecture, they can listen in on a real scientist talking casually about their work over a hot cup of coffee.
It’s incredibly important to me to show my guests how they truly are and to just chat about everyday life behind the curtain of Academia.
My guest’s research is always the focus, but I also want to show the human side of science. What are the struggles of a young woman in science? What happens when you leave Academia and what are the hurdles for mothers who want to pursue a career in science? Is it hard to be a gay man in the science world? Do researchers feel like they are treated differently because of the color of their skin? I want to ask the hard questions.
Behind every young and committed researcher with an exceptional CV lies a long and often difficult path to Higher Education, filled with countless obstacles.
With this new podcast, I want to give doctoral students, postdocs, as well as scientists who left Academia, a platform to tell us their stories.
With “Science with Milk, No Sugar” I also want to make it my mission to explore the situation for women in science and underrepresented groups in research and how it could be improved.
We will find out about their journey to science, their most difficult challenges, their greatest rewards, and their life beyond the lab.
I’m extremely excited about this new adventure, as it gives people the chance to tune in from outside of Berlin, learn about amazing new research happening in the city (and beyond), grab their favorite mug and a hot beverage, and get involved. Most importantly, we will find out how my guests enjoy their coffee along the way.
This month we have an exciting topic, with an even more exciting guest! A hint: You Are, What You Eat!
I'm talkin...
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December 07, 2022
About the Hostess
Franziska Sattler-Morrison, M.Sc, Founder & Host
Soapbox Science Berlin , Community Partner
I’m a vertebrate paleontologist and Evolutionary Biology Master alumna of Freie Universität Berlin, with a strong interest in Education, Women in STEM, Open Access, and International Relations in Higher Education.
I have over 10 years of experience in science communication and educating people in a public space. From organizing and running events for Soapbox Science Berlin and Pint of Science Germany to proposing and running my very own outreach format at Museum für Naturkunde Berlin – I love challenging myself and others.
If you don’t find me tweeting about topics I care about, I’m most likely busy planning my next travel adventure, taking photographs with my camera, or reading a book somewhere in a coffee shop.
Season 3 – Episode 1: Protein Power & Science Stand-Up
In our newest episode, “Protein Power & Science Stand-Up,” I chat with molecular biologist Anita Waltho, who brings a refreshing twist to science communication through her blend of stand-up comedy and improv. Get ready for a fun-filled exploration of the intersection between protein science and humor!
Anita Waltho is a molecular biologist working at the Max Delbrück Centre for Molecular Medicine. She studies proteins – the tiny machines and structures that keep everything working in our cells! In particular, she is researching how proteins are regulated by a complex tagging system. These tags decide a protein’s fate, which can vary from transportation to a different compartment of the cell to their destruction! Protein destruction may sound negative, but actually, it’s vital to ensure quality control, as mutant or incorrectly formed proteins can cause disease. At work, Anita can be found 90% of the time in the lab with a pipette in hand, working with proteins, yeast, or human cells. For the remaining 10% she is analyzing her data on the computer.
In her free time, she pursues her passions of science communication, and comedy. On stage, she regularly performs improv theatre and stand-up comedy and has participated in multiple science slams. Behind the scenes, she has participated in scicomm summer schools and scicomm teacher training and is currently an organizer of Soapbox Science outreach events and teaches lab skills to teenagers at the Gläsernes Labor. Ultimately, what these pursuits have in common are communication, performance, and entertainment, skills that Anita believes can level up future science communication!
Get yourself a nice cup of coffee (or your favorite hot beverage of choice) and join us for this super fun episode!
Season 2 – Episode 6: From Quantum Physics to Pint of Science
For this season finale episode, I had the pleasure to sit down with the wonderful Dr. Sabrina Patsch to talk about all things Physics and Pint of Science!
Are you tired of stuffy lectures and dry academic conferences (I know we are!)? Then you need to check out Pint of Science! Pint of Science is a global festival that brings science out of the lab and into the pub. That’s right, you can enjoy a cold pint while learning about everything from quantum physics to ecology to neuroscience. It’s science education with a twist – and a splash of alcohol! Imagine sitting at your local pub, surrounded by friends, as a scientist explains the latest breakthroughs in genetics. Or sipping on a beer while an astrophysicist tells you about the mysteries of the universe. It’s like having your very own TED Talk, but with a much more relaxed dress code (no tie required!). Pint of Science is all about breaking down barriers and making science accessible to everyone. You don’t need a PhD to attend – just a love of learning and a thirst for knowledge (and maybe a little beer, too).
Sabrina and I will tell you all about this super fun initiative – as we put down our coffee cups (only this time) and grab an ice cold beer. Come and join us!
Season 2 – Episode 5: Shedding Light on the Gut Microbiota & Slamming for Science
This is the episode you’ve all been waiting for!
My guest, Lisa Budzinski, is not only a fantastic person and an overall amazing science communicator – no!
Lisa could brew beer, grow organs in Petri dishes or produce drugs, all with the help of microorganisms. But instead, she decided to “dig” in fecal samples and analyze your intestinal bacteria. She conducts research at the German Rheumatism Research Centre Berlin, where she works on the intestinal microbiome by examining countless stool samples in the laboratory to determine the composition of intestinal bacteria, which varies from person to person, and their influence on chronic inflammation.
All of this usually takes place in the lab during the day, but in the evenings when Lisa kicks it up a notch and takes on the stage.
She’s extremely passionate about communicating in many different forms and Science Slams are right up her alley. In December 2022, she even became the German Science Slam champion!
During this episode, we talk about Lisa’s journey, how she ended up as a biotechnologist, and how Science Slams changed her life. You’ll find out how you could start your science communication adventures, what it takes to be on stage, and tips and tricks on how to find your niche.
So get yourself a hot beverage and enjoy this (guaranteed odorless) dive into intestinal bacteria research and Slamming for Science.
Sponsors for this month’s episode:
This episode was made possible with the support of the German Rheumatism Research Centre Berlin/ Deutschen Rheumaforschungs-Zentrum (DRFZ). Scientists at the DRFZ have been investigating rheumatism since 1988. Today, the DRFZ, an institute of the Leibniz Association, is one of the leading international institutes in the field of immunology, experimental rheumatology, and rheumatism epidemiology. This is not least due to the unique interdisciplinary cooperation of natural scientists, physicians, and sociologists.
Season 2 – Episode 4: Making the Jump from Studying the Brain to Science Journalism
Journalists report news and other information about science to the public which makes Science Journalism an extremely important part of Science Communication. This involves writing accurate, informative, and (if appropriate) entertaining summaries of relevant results, interviewing expert scientists and researchers, and conveying the information in ways that a non-specialist audience can understand.
This is what Diana Kwon knows how to do best. Diana is a Canadian, Berlin-based freelance science journalist covering the life sciences, health, and academic life. Her work has appeared in Scientific American, Nature, The Scientist, and elsewhere. She’s especially interested in the brain, the organ that makes us who we are.
During this episode, we talked about all things writing, from student newspapers to freelance science journalism. Making the jump from full-time research to entering this field can be extremely daunting and challenging. Every field of journalism is extremely competitive, and science reporting is no exception. Diana shared her journey with us gave tips on what it takes to succeed in writing and explained how different journals operate. Get a nice cup of coffee, relax, and join us for this really fun episode!
Season 2 – Episode 3: Microplastics, Surviving Academia & Sustainable Leadership
Happy New Year, friends! We’re starting this year off STRONG, with one of my favorite women and scientists: Dr. Linn Voß. During this podcast, we talk a lot about the negative sides of Academia. Things that are hard and that are putting barriers into researchers’ paths. So for the new year, I’ve decided to also showcase some exciting and super interesting initiatives to improve the lives and mental health of scientists. That is one of the reasons I decided to invite Linn to join me for this January episode – because she’s worked on some pretty amazing things recently: one of which is Sustainable Leadership e.V.
Dr. Voß and her co-founders want to provide leadership on all levels – for yourself and for others. For scientists, leaders, and all those who want to take on social responsibility to shape a better future of work in science. The team is really committed to offering support in order to create a framework in which we can pursue our scientific enthusiasm in the long term. For this, they combined their experience as PostDocs and students, science communicators and lab rats, leadership trainers, and managers. If you ever struggled with a supervisor not really being able to support you or if you don’t know how to find support networks, make sure to listen – we talk about it all!
Season 2 – Episode 2: Life of a Research Group Leader & Animal Testing
In this second episode, we have an exciting topic, with an even more exciting guest! A hint: You Are, What You Eat!
I talked to Dr. Rachel Lippert about her career as an unconventional neuroscientist studying maternal nutrition and fetal brain development. She knows all about how what we eat can influence our (own and) our offspring’s health and growth. We discussed how she ended up in this field of research as a first-generation scientist and how she decided to lead her own lab in Germany. She’ll tell us about the challenges of opening it during a pandemic, what her days look like, what hidden tasks she never expected, and what it’s like to work on mice. In Germany, animal research is primarily carried out in the areas of basic research, medicine, and veterinary medicine – never for cosmetics and detergents! Animal testing can be a hot topic and researchers are often criticized for working on mice. Rachel made it her mission to educate the public on how the process works, how the well-being of the animals is ensured, and why it’s an important step for curing and treating diseases.
Sponsors for this month’s episodes:
NeuroCure is a Cluster of Excellence in Neurosciences funded since 2007 by the German federal & state governments (Excellence Initiative).
The focus of the Cluster is on investigating neurological and psychiatric disorders. By promoting close cooperation between basic science and clinical research, the Cluster aims to more rapidly transfer findings from basic research to clinical application. Learn more.
Season 2 – Episode 1: The Ph.D. Finish Line & Curing Alzheimer’s Disease
Welcome back to Season 2, everybody!
I have the great pleasure of starting this season off with an amazing scientist and science communicator: Kiara Freitag.
Kiara is a neuroscience Ph.D. researcher at the German Centre of Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) in Berlin exploring why people suffer from Alzheimer´s disease and how we might cure it. She is very passionate about brain cells and tries to understand how they change if we start suffering from dementia.
During episode 1, we discuss how to find the perfect supervisor (and lab to work in), what it’s like to do a Ph.D., and how to eventually finish it.
What goes into handing in your work? How do you publish your results in a scientific journal? What do you do, if your experiments fail? All of these questions and more will be answered during this interview. If you’re currently doing a Ph.D. yourself (or if you’re thinking about it) this episode is for you.
Relax, get a cup of coffee, and join Kiara and me for this very candid and funny reflection about the Ph.D. Finish Line!
Sponsors for this month’s episodes:
The Collaborative Research Center 1315 equal opportunity measures support work-life balance, promote women in science and identify resources available to the network as a whole. How does long-term memory work? That is the key question at the heart of the new Collaborative Research Center SFB 1315.
In particular, the SFB 1315 will focus on how memories are consolidated over time. It is hoped this will lead to new treatment methods for disorders that remain virtually untreatable (such as, for instance, Alzheimer’s disease). Learn more.
NeuroCure is a Cluster of Excellence in Neurosciences funded since 2007 by the German federal & state governments (Excellence Initiative).
The focus of the Cluster is on investigating neurological and psychiatric disorders. By promoting close cooperation between basic science and clinical research, the Cluster aims to more rapidly transfer findings from basic research to clinical application. Learn more.
Season 1 – Episode 6: LGBTQ STEM Berlin & Inclusion in Academia
Happy Pride Month! This is our season finale episode – and it’s a great one!
People who identify as LGBTQA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Asexual/ace, and Queer) are leaking out of the scientific pipeline in similar ways to women & those from minority ethnic groups. STEM fields have lagged behind that other previously white male-dominated professions in postindustrial societies.
LGBTQ+ STEM Berlin aims to increase the visibility of LGBTQ+ individuals in STEM & connect the community, starting with Berlin. Their group was born on July 5, 2019, & has been steadily growing ever since. People of all ages, backgrounds, origins, races, colors, sexual orientations, and gender identities are welcome to join them: let us all be out and proud together! They’re a part of the organizing collective behind the LGBTQ+ STEM Day.
During this episode, we discuss how (and why) LGBTQ+ STEM Berlin was founded & why it’s important to have a safe community in academia.
Jovan Dragelj obtained his Bachelor’s & Master’s of Science in Chemistry in Belgrade, Serbia. In 2019, he also finished a Ph.D. in (Computational) Chemistry at Freie Universität Berlin. Currently, he’s working as a postdoc at Technische Universität & as a guest lecturer at Berliner Hochschule für Technik. His scientific focus is on biomolecules, exploring their functions in the virtual setting, and finding possible applications within the excellence cluster UniSySCat. While Jovan enjoys scientific work, LGBTQ+ rights are as important to him. In addition to giving talks on this topic, he founded LGBTQ STEM Berlin in 2019, with a group of likely-minded individuals. They aim to increase the visibility of LGBTQ+ people in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields.
Charly Brinkmann received a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology from the University of St Andrews. Additionally, she completed a Master’s in Food Security at the University of Glasgow in 2018 and started her Ph.D. in 2019 working on plant-pathogen interactions.
Season 1 – Episode 5: (Gender) Identity & Facilitating Change in Academia
There’s a lot more to being male, female, or any gender than the sex assigned at birth. Your biological or assigned sex does not always tell your complete story. Gender is complex: It’s social & legal status, and a set of expectations from society, about behaviors, characteristics, and thoughts.
Each culture has standards about the way that people should behave based on their gender. This is no different when working in a scientific environment, even in biological sciences!
For this episode, I invited Dr. Jasper Grendel (they/them) to talk about assigned sex, gender roles in academia & gender identity. We discuss everything from changing professions, and how we identify as scientists, to how we can make Academia a more inclusive and welcoming environment for ALL scientists.
Jasper is a neuroscientist who, after studying Biomedical Engineering in the Netherlands, moved to Hamburg to start a family & a Ph.D. In the field of neuroscience, Jasper pursues the analysis of large complex datasets in order to find golden nuggets hidden within. The topic to which this applies varies depending on the group being associated with, but curiosity and joy for solving puzzles are always a driving force behind Jasper’s research. Convinced that scientists hold the responsibility to inform the general public about their work, Jasper often speaks in public as much as possible to make science accessible, amongst other reasons to promote a conversation between scientists and non-scientists in order to gain an understanding for each other.
Season 1 – Episode 4: Soapbox Science & Leadership in Academia
Berlin is a hub of knowledge & culture that has hosted very successful Soapbox Science events every year since 2017, with an increasing interest both from the “Berliners” and the different institutions. The diversity of the city is reflected in the different research institutes focusing on a wide range of fields. We want to bring science closer to society & promote gender equality in academia by providing women scientists with a platform for promoting their own work and discipline. Soapbox Science Berlin is integrated by an amazing group of female scientists from all over the world, working in different fields and with a myriad of interests, reflecting the same diversity that Berlin has. All this has translated into a perfect working Team. During this episode, I chat with Dr. Carolina Doran & Marta Alirangues Núñez about how to join a pod in your city, why the representation of women in science is still so important, and why we put so much energy into being trailblazers and advocates for others.
What is Soapbox Science?
Soapbox Science is a novel public outreach platform for promoting women and non-binary scientists and the science they do. Our events transform public areas into an arena for public learning and scientific debate; they follow the format of London Hyde Park’s Speaker’s Corner, which is historically an arena for public debate. With Soapbox Science, we want to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to enjoy, learn from, heckle, question, probe, interact with, and be inspired by some of our leading scientists. No middle man, no PowerPoint slide, no amphitheater – just remarkable women and non-binary scientists who are there to amaze you with their latest discoveries, and to answer the science questions you have been burning to ask. Look out for bat simulators, interactive experiments, or giant pictures of volcanoes. Or simply hear them talk about what fascinates them, and why they think they have the most fantastic job in the world!
Season 1 – Episode 3: Leaving Home & Leaving Academia
In general, an academic considers themselves very lucky if they can find any academic job at all, let alone one in a particular city. Leaving your home country for a job is not uncommon and most academics have either considered it to succeed or have already experienced it themselves firsthand. We leave our families, friends, and sometimes relationships behind us to follow our academic dreams. But do you have to sacrifice everything to work in research? What if one day you decide to leave academia and pursue other goals? Is joining the industry or a 9-5 job better when it comes to building a life and settling down?
I talked to Dr. Diana Alatriste González about our shared love for science, our dislike of competing with others, and how leaving academia has changed our lives (for the better).
Dr. Diana Alatriste González is a Biomedical Scientist who’s seen the world! She was born and raised in Mexico City where she received her bachelor’s degree before she uprooted her life and moved to the Netherlands to pursue a master’s in Biomedical Sciences. The two years Diana spent there had a huge impact on her, both academically and personally. For her Doctoral Studies, she once again left her home to study the transport of proteins within neurons in Berlin.
Now, she pursues a profession outside the academic world as an Immigration expert helping people from all over the world to move to their destination country and promoting a world without borders.
Season 1 – Episode 2: Motherhood in Academia – The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
It’s well known that women are under-represented in careers in science. The academic career path has a long apprenticeship. Typically there is an undergraduate degree, followed by a Ph.D., then some post-doctoral research contracts and research fellowships, and then finally a more stable lectureship or permanent research leader position, with promotion up the ladder to follow. Women publish less, achieve higher positions less frequently, and have more interrupted careers.
Mothers, more than fathers or childless men and women, suffer these disadvantages. Women academics have to deal with the work-family conflict, the participation in both work and family roles are incompatibly demanding. During this episode of “Science With Milk, No Sugar” my guest Florencia and I discuss what challenges mothers in academia are facing and how institutions can support them.
Dr. Florencia Yannelli Lucero is an Argentinean postdoctoral researcher based at Freie Universität Berlin. She works on what makes alien plants successful and how can we ‘fight’ them during ecological restoration. Florencia is committed to making academia a more diverse environment, particularly by increasing women’s representation. As a mom of one, with another one on the way, she has been working towards increasing visibility on the struggles and inequities that academic moms face every day.
This episode is part of the Fast Forward Science 2021/22 competition in the category Audio Special Award www.fastforwardscience.de, Fast Forward Science, Web video-Wettbewerb, Wissenschaft, Science, Wissen, Wissenschaft im Dialog.
