Dr. Kaylin Ratner (photo courtesy of Dr. Ratner)



In today’s show, we speak with a scientist whose research was upended by the COVID-19 pandemic. We also talk with a researcher who is using social media as outreach for scientists and the public who would like to learn more about microbial biology.



First, Jeff Pea interviews Dr. Kaylin Ratner, a recent PhD graduate in the Cornell College of Human Ecology. They discuss her study following a cohort of Cornell undergraduates that began their studies in 2016. She planned to survey the cohort at the end of their senior year, but these plans were altered after Cornell closed its campus due to the COVID-19 shutdown. One of her published studies can be found here https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2167702619829748.



Dr. Ana Maria Porras (photo courtesy of Dr. Porras)



Later in the show, you’ll hear Smaranda Sandu’s interview of Dr. Ana Maria Porras. Dr. Porras is a Cornell Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow, and a researcher in Dr. Ilana Brito’s laboratory in the Cornell Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering.



In the interview, Dr. Ana Maria Porras discusses her research on the gut microbiome. She also speaks about her use of social media as a way to promote science. Porras serves as a AAAS If/Then ambassador, which is a program that encourages young women to enter STEM fields (https://ifthen.aaas.org/).



This interview initially aired on Sandu’s podcast, “Tidbits of Research” (https://tidbitsofresearch.podbean.com/).







Producer: Liz Mahood



Interview of Dr. Kaylin Ratner: Jeff Pea



Interview of Dr. Ana Maria Porras: Smaranda Sandu



Music: Joe Lewis, Blue Dot Sessions