In this episode, Kacie talks with Karen Jialu Bao, a recent graduate of Harvard’s Molecules, Cells, and Organisms (MCO) PhD program and a published young adult science fiction author. Bao shares her journey from childhood bug collecting to studying mosquito brain mechanisms, all while pursuing her love of storytelling. Her latest book, Pangu’s Shadow, features two immigrant female science students solving a murder mystery in space. Bao reflects on bridging science and creativity, the role of scientific literacy for young people, and how fear can limit learning. She highlights that success in science comes in many forms and often requires skills beyond academic performance.