Episode 58 - From a Nurse to neuroscientist (with Estherina Trachtenberg)

Hi and welcome back to the podcast “What are You going to do with THAT?". I am Ido Rosenzweig, and for the past three seasons I was the producer and editor of the podcast. If you have followed our previous seasons, you might have known that our usual host – Danni Reches, has decided to take some time off from the podcast in order to focus on her PhD. So, for the time being, I am going to replace her as the host of the show. So welcome to season 4 of our podcast! Today’s episode – which is of course the opening episode of season 4 is going to be a special episode for several reasons. For example, for the first time the episode wasn’t recorded and edited in advance, but it was actually recorded live on twitter through twitter spaces. Another reason is that this episode is actually a book launch event in which I discusses with Prof. Betty Lai about her new book “The Grant Writing Guide – a road map for scholars”.  Last reason is that the discussion was held under the auspices of the @PhD_Genie account which is, as I will explain a little bit in the opening of the episode itself, a by product of this podcast which has grown up and gained a life of its own on twitter.So I hope that you will enjoy the episode, and as always we invite you to follow us on social media – just look with what2dowiththat in one word where the 2 is spelled with the number 2, and also check out the @phd_genie on twitter and say hi to me directly.Enjoy the episode!You can follow Betty:Twitter: @BettySLaiWebsite: https://bettylai.comHost: Ido Rosenzweig (@IdoRosenzweig) aka @PhD_Genie and @What2DoWithTHAT on twitter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The final episode of season 3 presents our host (Danni) and producer (Ido) gathering together to talk about some of the highlights of the season. Danni and Ido talk about their favorite moments from season 3, congratulate Ido who has (finally) finished his PhD, and say goodbye to Danni who decided to dedicate her focus on her PhD in order to finish it as well.Host: Danni Reches (@DanniReches)Producer and Editor: Ido Rosenzweig (@IdoRosenzweig)Contact us:On Twitter: @What2DoWithTHATOn Facebook: @What2DoWithTHATOn Instagram: @What2DoWithTHATSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelOur website: www.what2dowiththat.comEnjoy the episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet Dr. Mariana Rocha de Souza, a marine biologist who studies the symbiotic relationship of algae with jellyfish and corals. Mariana talks about her journey, which started in Brazil, and how she moved to France for her masters, where she started researching the fascinating symbiotic relationship between jellyfish and algae. Her next stop was in Hawaii for her Ph.D. where she researched another algae symbiotic relationship - this time with corals. Mariana talks about the finding of her research relating to the importance of origin of the coral in order to better understand how to save this important maritime resource from global warming.  After finishing her Ph.D., Mariana is spending a year working with NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration at the United States Department of Commerce), where she gets to learn about the executive side of science, and how policy is decided. Mariana also talks about the challenges and values of studying abroad and getting exposed to different cultures, and the provides some tips on how to obtain funding to survive such expensive endeavors. Mariana talks about the importance of science communication and science education and her volunteering activity with the "Skype a Scientist" program.In this episode Danni drank her Amaretto and Mariana drank coffee.You can follow Mariana:Twitter: @MRochadeSouzaInstagram: @_marirsouza_LinkedInContact us:Host: Danni Reches (@DanniReches)Producer and Editor: Ido Rosenzweig (@IdoRosenzweig)Contact us:On Twitter: @What2DoWithTHATOn Facebook: @What2DoWithTHATOn Instagram: @What2DoWithTHATSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelOur website: www.what2dowiththat.comEnjoy the episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Estherina Trachtenberg started her way in nursing just because it was the easiest degree to get into and she was always curious about science. Growing up in ultra-orthodox community her educational and academic starting point wasn't very strong. However, her undying thirst for knowledge kept her moving forward and nowadays she is doing a PhD at the Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University.Join us for this episode and listen to Estherina's inspiring story about overcoming challenges and following her passion and dreams. Estherina talks about the importance of volunteering to her life. For example She volunteered in the most rural areas in Nepal and continues to volunteer with Ukrainian refugees in Israel, as well as helping others who, just like her, have left the ultra-orthodox world, in order to provide them an easier transition.Estherina also talks about her research topic in neuroscience and the value of learning about the social abilities of rats and humans, as well as the importance of such social support to the immune system.In this episode Danni drank her Italian Amaretto and Estherina drank wine.You can follow Estherina:Twitter: @estherina_tContact us:Host: Danni Reches (@DanniReches)Producer and Editor: Ido Rosenzweig (@IdoRosenzweig)Contact us:On Twitter: @What2DoWithTHATOn Facebook: @What2DoWithTHATOn Instagram: @What2DoWithTHATSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelOur website: www.what2dowiththat.comEnjoy the episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Agi Wittich got introduced to Yoga in her early teen years and never looked back. After traveling to India in her early 20s she decided to study Yoga within Academia and did her BA, MA and PhD at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Her groundbreaking research resulted in a number of prizes and scholarships for her work.In this episode Agi talks about her own interesting journey, about the connection of women and yoga in general and in Iyengar yoga in particular, including the adjustments that the Iyengar tradition has been going through for that purpose. Agi explains about the Thirumanthiram text of the Yogi Thirumular, and about her PhD research on the complexities of Women-Oriented contemporary yoga practices in the global Iyengar tradition.In this episode Danni drank her Amaretto and Agi drank Chai Tea.You can follow Agi on her LinkedIn pageContact us:Host: Danni Reches (@DanniReches)Producer and Editor: Ido Rosenzweig (@IdoRosenzweig)Contact us:On Twitter: @What2DoWithTHATOn Facebook: @What2DoWithTHATOn Instagram: @What2DoWithTHATSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelOur website: www.what2dowiththat.comEnjoy the episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does a Kantian philosopher have to do with kinky sex and dominatrix fantasies? Eli Benjamin Israel, a PhD candidate at Temple University in Philadelphia takes a deeper look at the concept of autonomy in the context of the kink community, and especially with regard to rape fantasy role-play. In this episode he explains the philosophical outlook of such interaction.Eli chats with Danni about why and how he got into philosophy, when he actually enrolled for a business degree for his undergraduate studies. He also talks about his decision to move with his wife and two kids to the United States for his advanced studies, and how he has used his entrepreneur's mindset to establish the "Philosophy 360" project.In this episode Danni drank her Amaretto and Eli drank his new favorite rye whisky.You can follow Eli:Twitter: @BadKantianLinkedIn PageWebsiteContact us:Host: Danni Reches (@DanniReches)Producer and Editor: Ido Rosenzweig (@IdoRosenzweig)Contact us:On Twitter: @What2DoWithTHATOn Facebook: @What2DoWithTHATOn Instagram: @What2DoWithTHATSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelOur website: www.what2dowiththat.comEnjoy the episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jaroslava (Jara) Barbieri has researched the "De-sovereignisation as an instrument of Russia’s coercive diplomacy in the context of post-Soviet de facto states" before the current Russian aggression against Ukraine. Has the current conflict affected her research? Can she separate her Ukrainian advocacy and activities against fake news from her academic research?In this episode Danni chats with Jara, a PhD candidate at University of Birmingham's School of Government, about her academic journey, which includes doing three (3) Masters. Jara talks about her identity development as an Italian from Ukrainian origin and how she discovered her active Ukrainian identity, and how her decision to study in the UK was based on "Braveheart". Jara also chats about her practitioner side, working as a researcher in different think tanks such as the Zinc Network and Arena Programme at Johns Hopkins University.In this episode Danni drank her Italian Amaretto and Jara drank an Italian wine in a handmade Ukrainian mug.You can follow Jara:Twitter: @jarabarbieriLinkedIn PageBirmingham PageContact us:Host: Danni Reches (@DanniReches)Producer and Editor: Ido Rosenzweig (@IdoRosenzweig)Contact us:On Twitter: @What2DoWithTHATOn Facebook: @What2DoWithTHATOn Instagram: @What2DoWithTHATSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelOur website: www.what2dowiththat.comEnjoy the episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Netta Schramm is doing her PhD on a unique topic - her research employs performance theory and narratology to read audio-visual archival materials of modern and contemporary Jewish thinkers, and specifically Irving (Yitz) Greenberg, Yeshayahu Leibowitz and Ovadia Yosef. Netta is an advanced PhD candidate focused on modern Jewish Thought at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Netta conducted her doctoral research as a Minvera Fellow at Ludwig Maximillians Universität in Munich. She is the founder and current head of an interdisciplinary research group at the Hebrew University titled "I'm Not a Text".In this episode Netta chats with Danni about the pros and cons of being an interdisciplinary researcher who combines a few fields of research. She also shares with Danni about the challenges of being an early career researcher who moves from country to country alongside her career and the parallel academic career of her husband together with their young children. In this episode Danni drank her amaretto and Netta drank a small Italian cappuccino. You can follow Netta:Twitter: @NettaSchrammNetta's websiteLinkedIn PageContact us:Host: Danni Reches (@DanniReches)Producer and Editor: Ido Rosenzweig (@IdoRosenzweig)Contact us:On Twitter: @What2DoWithTHATOn Facebook: @What2DoWithTHATOn Instagram: @What2DoWithTHATSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelOur website: www.what2dowiththat.comEnjoy the episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"I submitted my official withdrawal from my PhD program today." This is how Kamryn Gooden announced on her twitter account 4 months ago about her decision to leave her PhD program after one year. Her viral post was the inspiration for this episode on the untold story of those who have left their PhD unfinished, and decided to withdraw from it.In this episode, Danni chats with Kamryn about her academic journey from undergrad in San-Diego, starting a PhD in political theory in Boston, her decision to withdraw, and her life after... Kamryn talks about the struggle of starting a PhD in a new place (moving from California to Boston), without the ability to makes new friends due to Covid-19, her struggles with her high expectations from herself vs. the stress and discomfort she was feeling at the time.In this very interesting episode, Danni drank her amaretto, and Kamryn drank peppermint tea in a "Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf" mug.You can follow Kamryn:Twitter: @kamryngoodenLinkedIn profileContact us:Host: Danni Reches (@DanniReches)Producer and Editor: Ido Rosenzweig (@IdoRosenzweig)Contact us:On Twitter: @What2DoWithTHATOn Facebook: @What2DoWithTHATOn Instagram: @What2DoWithTHATSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelOur website: www.what2dowiththat.comEnjoy the episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hollie McDonnell researches the fairytale of "The Beauty and the Beast" from a feminist perspective. She focuses on the notions of "beauty" and "happily ever after" in several different adaptations of the fairytale, including 2 Disney movies, South-Korean and Japanese dramas, and an erotic story. In this episode she talks about her research as well as about her academic journey that has been done completely at one place: Mary Immaculate College in Ireland. Hollie and Danni chat about the importance of doing things at your own time and pace, and not rush into any dictated requirement of "achieving a PhD before 30". Hollie also explains about her interest of the different adaptations to "The Beauty and the Beast", and how each adaptation looks at the story from a local perspective.In this episode Danni drank her Amaretto and Hollie drank tea in an Irish Guinness mug.Thesis title: Betraying the Beholder: The Beauty, the Beast, and the Deconstruction You can follow Hollie on:Twitter: @HollieCMcDLinkedInContact us:Host: Danni Reches (@DanniReches)Producer and Editor: Ido Rosenzweig (@IdoRosenzweig)Contact us:On Twitter: @What2DoWithTHATOn Facebook: @What2DoWithTHATOn Instagram: @What2DoWithTHATSubscribe to our YouTube ChannelOur website: www.what2dowiththat.comEnjoy the episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.