Learning With Lowell

Abigail Harrison, a.k.a. Astronaut Abby, is a senior at Wellesley College. She is studying Astro-Biology and Russian and working toward becoming a scientist with a goal to try to become a NASA astronaut. Five years ago, Abby began sharing her dream of becoming one of the first astronauts to Mars online and today she has built a community of more than one million followers and fans who support her dream and the dreams of many other amazing young people. To expand this community of support, Abby established a worldwide outreach initiative to engage students across the world about space, STEM and reaching for one’s dreams. She turned this outreach program into The Mars Generation (themarsgeneration.org) – a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a goal to serve as a catalyst to identify students with an interest in these areas and nurture their study in STEM education. Abby is recognized as a leader in the space community, working as a space ambassador herself with a focus on educating and exciting people around the world about the importance of space exploration to the future of humankind. To find Abby, visit her website at www.AstronautAbby.com. About this podcast The Learning with Lowell; Science, deep tech, biotech, startup, and news podcast has new episodes every Tuesday. It is hosted by Lowell Thompson who started the podcast after suffering through e genetic illness that almost almost saw him die on a number of occasions, but now is managed and doesn’t cause too many problems. Lowell’s goal is to educate people on the different paths you can take to get into a science, deep tech, biotech, or startup related venture as a founder or member of the team. Additionally, Lowell wants to show you who these founders and experts are like as they answer questions about their work, passions, and interest. Subscribe today: http://www.learningwithlowell.com/subscribe-here/ Subscribe to our Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChstfGtxlrNK6lfmvk4cBpA?view_as=subscriber Join the newsletter:http://www.learningwithlowell.com/5-point-monday-email-subscription/ Like and share on Twitter: https://twitter.com/lowellwashere Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LearningWithLowell/ and Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lowell-thompson-2227b074/ Abby Links: Homepage1 https://www.facebook.com/AstronautAbby/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abigail_Harrison https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCabX4I5PLAu0I05gN0ZgrKw https://twitter.com/AstronautAbby?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor   Lowell Links Tweets by lowellwashere New Home

Patty is the co-founder of Starlight, which is based out in Florida. She is passionate about startups that actually solve problems, and she has the track record to prove it. In under 18 months, she and her team at Starlight have invested in some of the best companies out there. In this episode. we get into founding Starlight, what she looks for, problems she wants to solve, and more. About Starlight “Accelerating advances in computing, AI, genetics and synthetic biology are converging to make possible what we used to consider science fiction. Reusable rockets, bio-fabricated meat, cancer cures before birth, autonomous personal assistants, quantum computers; these are all things that seemed fantastic until only recently but are a reality today. At the same time, humanity is facing massive challenges: feeding 9 billion people without destroying our habitats, preventing and curing the diseases of the world’s growing and aging population, fixing climate change, and creating new consensus mechanisms to replace our malfunctioning political and judicial systems. The choices we make today will determine how the future actually unfolds. We want to be active contributors to building the society and planet we desire. Progress has been accelerating for generations, and we believe the compounded effect will result in massive change during our lifetime unlike anything we have ever seen. And where there is massive change, there is massive opportunity. Many venture capitalists resist investing in high-risk, long-term projects. This is a result of the wave of innovations, from PCs to smartphones, which provided plenty of opportunities for outsized returns on low capital intensity and relatively short-term investments. This era of “low- hanging fruit” is coming to an end. Software and mobility will continue transforming industries, but the innovation in this space is well understood and therefore no longer the most fertile ground for venture capital. More significantly, most entrepreneurs and investors have been distracted from addressing the most important problems and possibilities facing humankind. The good news is one doesn’t have to be solely altruistic to focus on what really matters. We believe meaningful and sustainable equity returns will come from solving our biggest challenges, and that’s why we partner with the scientists, entrepreneurs and creators addressing them. We provide early stage capital to companies leveraging breakthrough technologies to further push the boundaries of possibility and solve humanity’s biggest challenges. We’re focused on the solutions to some questions that keep us up at night (and get us out of bed in the morning): * How do we feed 9 billion people without destroying the planet? Areas of interest: ag-tech, bio-fabrication, new foods, bio-tech, genetics, genomics. * How do we increase healthy lifespan and cure or even prevent major diseases? Areas of interest: health span, longevity, therapeutics, genetics, genomics. * How do we upgrade our archaic political and judicial systems by building better consensus mechanisms that enable society to thrive? Areas of interest: blockchains, smart contracts, decentralized networks. * How do we augment human capabilities with a better understanding of the brain? Areas of interest: neuraltech, AI. * How do we improve our lives by exploring outer space? Areas of interest: space infrastructure, space exploration, geo-engineering. * How do we develop the building blocks to make all the above happen? Areas of interest: machine learning/Big Data, AI, quantum computing, nanotechnology. If you are thinking of the world as we are, have best in class domain expertise, and are building a viable business model to address any of these challenges, we would love to get to know you and find out how we can help.” Links

Fireside chat with Jim about racing, keys to being a great entrepreneur, USSR vs NASA, Platinum highway vs new silk road, and much more. About Jim: Jim Cantrell is a well-known entrepreneur and expert in space systems and has 30 years of experience in the aerospace and high technology industries. Jim was part of the SpaceX founding team and served as the company’s first Vice President of Business Development. Jim founded two other successful aerospace and automotive engineering companies and has held CEO positions in aerospace and biometric software companies. Jim also played key roles in the development of Skybox Imaging (now Terra Bella) and has had developmental roles in numerous venture funded space efforts including Rocket Lab, Planet, Black Sky and Spaceflight. About Vector: Vector was founded by several members of the original SpaceX team and is a disruptive innovator that connects space startups with affordable and frequent launch and platforms to enable space capabilities at a speed and price point never before possible. Vector has a big vision to reshape the 400 billion dollar space market by combining dedicated low-cost micro satellite launch and software defined satellites (Galactic Sky) to dramatically increase access and speed to orbit. Space need not be the realm of the elite, and privileged few any longer. Vector was founded to break down those barriers by developing a platform to provide low cost, and reliable access to orbit. Vector allows our customers to focus on space applications and building companies around their technologies in space, and not the underlying launch and space hardware. This innovative boundary breaking approach applied to space will enable startups and cost conscious innovators alike to concentrate on what’s most important, their unique applications. Today innovators may have to wait years to get their products to market and orbit, no longer.   Links: Home https://www.linkedin.com/company/vector-space-systems/ http://www.vintageexotics.net/ http://www.stratspace.net/

Prior to Genomic Expression, she founded Proximity Venture Advisors, an international business consulting company that serves high tech companies within the Life Science sector. She worked with biotech companies securing licensing deals, reference clients and capital. Her deal resume is north of $1 billion. Proximity Venture Advisors’ clients were among the largest biotech and pharma corporations to some medium sized and smaller start-up companies, governmental organizations and universities. Since its inception, Proximity Venture Advisors has worked with companies such as GlaxoSmithKline, Amgen, Genentech, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Wyeth, Novo Nordisk, Danida, Takeda, Aeras TB & Vaccine Foundation, Procter & Gamble, Qiagen, SR-One and Phoenix IP Venture, Hadassah University Hospital. She have been involved in 5 start-up situation, co-founder of 3, and done everything from business plan development to identification investors, negotiation of deal terms. Previously Gitte worked for Novo Nordisk in a number of management positions within R&D and Marketing. Novo Nordisk is one of the largest Biotech Companies in the world and the market leader within areas such as industrial enzymes and insulin for treatment of diabetes. Gitte Pedersen co-authored 8 patents while working in R&D. Gitte graduated from the Danish Technological University with top scores in Biochemical Engineering and she holds a bachelor in International Trade. She speaks English, Danish and German fluently. Specialties: government liaison, mergers and acquisition, venture capital, licensing, drug discovery and development, genomics, medical technology, research & development, business development, Entrepreneurship About Genomic Expression: Genomic Expression is finding the best drug for the patient and the best patient for the drug by sequencing RNA. Analyzing RNA is able to tell if the tumor will respond to the new immune therapies, which is the only kind of therapy that is a potential cure. We entered into a strategic relationship with IBM to provide our analytics in a HIPAA compliment environment. Genomic Expression started as the diagnostic partner in the $32M Danish “Genome Denmark” project, and we have subsequent developed our platform with the goal of improving outcomes for cancer patients. Jesper Zeuthen, CMO worked his whole carrier on curing cancer and he is the co-founder of GenMap, DanDrit (immune therapy) and Topotarget. We attracted Tanya Kanigan, COO, she invented OpenArray™ and brought it into the diagnostic market prior to selling her company to Life Tech, and Morten Middelfart, CIO who played with Big Data his whole life, started his first company at 14 and sold it at 21, Morten Middelfart is building our backend bioinformatics in collaboration with IBM. Morten Pedersen, Co and co-founder with PhD in genetics and inventor of our sample prep technologies. Gitte has advised the Danish Government on attracting investments to Denmark and done +$1B in 6 years, and prior to that she was marketing manager at Novo Nordisk. Today Genomic Expression has HQ in New York and a lab in Boston. Genomic Expression came in #2 in the Women’s Founders Pitch event in LA (http://www.womenfoundersnetwork.com./), was in the top 10 companies to pitch for Sir Richard Branson (Virgin Airlines) Extreme Tech Challenge http://extremetechchallenge.com/ and invited to dinner with Branson on Necker’s Island, and selected into the top 5 diagnostic companies at the Molecular Tri-Conference to present March 9 http://www.triconference.com/Molecular-Diagnostics Links http://www.genomicexpression.com/ Tweets by DNABARCODE https://www.facebook.com/Genomicexpression https://www.facebook.com/LearningWithLowell/ https://www.

Rethinking Climate change with a true innovator. Tito has been working in the Bay area as a CEO/founder for about a decade, and he has been crushing it ever since he started. In this interview, we are a bit on the lighter side, getting a part of his personality and passion that you don’t normally see in interviews with people like Tito. Though there are not many like him, we do get into what he is working on, and where the origin of his thoughts comes from. “Climate change is the biggest financial opportunity civilization has ever seen” “I’m a part of teams that build cool stuff: a prototype for ELON MUSK, a product designed with YVES BEHAR, and a biotech hacker lab visited by founding fathers of synthetic biology, DREW ENDY and GEORGE CHURCH. And one team scooped STEVE JOBS on a secret Apple product back in high school. ” Source Linked “Tito is an entrepreneur and he has been other things: a biohacker, a hardware manufacturer, a medical device designer, a patent infringer, and a sailor. Prior to launching Impossible Labs, he co-founded the BioCurious hackerspace and wrangled startup+corporate partnerships at Runway Incubator. Tito holds a Sc.B in Biomedical Engineering from Brown University.” Source website   Impossible Labs Impossible Labs is an innovation platform for entrepreneurs and Fortune 500 companies pursuing the world’s food, water, and energy opportunities. Our growing network of 226 post-hydrocarbon startups works with Impossible Labs because of our deep experience with corporate partnerships and development. We connect Open Innovation and Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) leaders together with successful startups who have breakthrough technology. Out of these connections come opportunities for R&D pilot programs, investment, or acquisition. This is what people are saying: “Impossible Labs is leading the future of climate action…” Marina Gorbis Executive Director, Institute for the Future “While I have spent a lot of time working on ways to increase investment in responding to our changing climate, I had never thought to do so in the company of artists, poets, VR producers and futurists” Brad Gentry Director, Yale Center for Business and the Environment Learning with Lowell Links Patreon Website Twitter Tito Links Website Twitter  

Investing, success, being humble, how to replicate his feats, how he is building himself to achieve all of his dreams, why he wants to focus on finding amazing companies, how he always gives feedback, founding his VC firm Upheaval Investments, and much more. I could literally go on for 3-4 more sentences about how great Riley is. I love that he has taken his first success, and then took the hard road of finding the meaning in his life, which is building amazing companies that change the world. A lot of people say this, but I think you will agree with me when I say Riley means it. Please send him an email if you have a startup question! Riley Florsheim Principal Investor @ Upheaval Investments “Riley is a founder and principal of Upheaval Investments and Byron Marsh Capital. Previously, he served as the CEO of RF School Tech, LLC, a technology start-up that he also co-founded. Additionally, he worked as an analyst for Levy Family Partners, with a focus on technology investments and worked on the team at Levy Acquisitions Corp. (NASDAQ: LEVY) performing due diligence on dozens of companies.” Upheaval Investments  “Upheaval invests in ambitious founders and companies with transformative technologies that solve big problems, make businesses more efficient, and improve the way people live. We focus on seed, early and growth stage companies with world-class entrepreneurs and help them source the capital, talent, and advisors they need to fuel their growth and avoid wrong turns. We believe that brilliant companies and founders can come from anywhere. To that end, though we love experienced entrepreneurs with proven track records, we are not afraid of backing talent that may not have a traditional pedigree or appearance. When we invest a founding team, they get the passion and commitment of our team as we forge a long-term partnership. Our mission is to help our early- stage portfolio companies not only address immediate needs but also focus on long-term business goals, priorities, and strategies for scaling, capital planning, and exits. “ Source Website Key link(s) Website Linkedin hello@upheavalinv.com Portfolio Companies Example(s) SpaceX, Cleversafe, Chowley inc. Transcription 00:02 tune in every Tuesday to the learning 00:05 with Lowell podcast with me your host 00:06 law to hear world-class scientists 00:08 startup founders CEOs and authors people 00:11 who you wouldn’t normally hear about but 00:12 are making huge waves all the same 00:14 you’ll understand them in their work by 00:16 hearing their passion laughter advice 00:17 and hearing them 00:18 the experts break down what they’re 00:20 working on so that you can learn push 00:22 the boundaries of your knowledge and 00:23 understanding three quick ways to show 00:25 your support and get unique exclusive 00:26 and fun content is by checking out 00:29 learning with Lowell comm website our 00:31 patreon page even if it’s just a bucket

PhD scientist turned startup founder that got her degree from Newcastle University in the UK studying “Epithelial physiologist; specialising in the structure and function of drug and nutrient transporters”. From there she became a research scientists working on “biologically complex diseases whose prevalence rises with age”. Is is from these “humble” beginnings that she started Nuchido, which is aimed at taking the latest in scientific research to affect change in signs and processes of aging! After talking with Nichola, I think she can do it and is on the right path.  Nichola Conlon CEO and Co-founder Nuchido  “I founded Nuchido with the aim to translate the latest scientific advances in ageing research into consumer products that slow, and even reverse, the signs and processes of ageing. Over recent years, rejuvenation has been scientifically proven, but the pace of these discoveries is far ahead of public awareness. Nuchido’s mission is to bring to market science-based anti-ageing products that really work. Our products are designed to promote ‘healthspan’​ – the proportion of a persons life that is lived in good health. The pioneering work of Nuchido Laboratories is supported by an internationally renowned Scientific Advisory Board. ”   Key Links Website www.nuchido.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/nuchido/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/nuchido/ Twitter Tweets by _Nuchido

Space Entrepreneurship, seeking out negative feedback as well as positive, how Flavia got started, how she prioritizes, what mechanisms she has put in place to be successful, advice for founders/startups, and more. All within 50 minutes. Check out the YouTube video as well! Flavia “I am one of the co-founders and the CEO of Fleet. We are on a mission to change Earth from Space creating a digital nervous system that will connect every single device on our planet. We are worthy of humanity’s greatest challenges. We seek them and meet them head on. My real background is rocket science! Some of the more interesting projects I’ve worked on include the development of several innovative micropropulsion systems for CubeSats, the qualification of an igniter for the Ariane 5, the design of space debris removal systems and the development of hypergolic green propellant. Being involved with these projects has not only provided me with invaluable experience, but has led to many rewarding achievements, including two patents and the opportunity to see the innovative systems I helped to develop flying on actual space missions.” Fleet Space Technologies (CEO and co-founder) Fleet is an agile space company connecting the Internet of Things around the world using a massive fleet of small low-cost satellites. We’re making it faster, simpler and cheaper to connect the world’s devices. We provide direct, global access to a secure low-cost low-bandwidth connectivity platform ideal for machine to machine data exchange and deploying IoT sensor networks at scale. With simple device setup and management through a web interface and powerful cognitive analytics built in, the IoT is about to take a giant leap forward.   LaunchBox (CEO and co-founder) Founded in 2014 by a team of scientists and entrepreneurs who want to see the Australian Space Industry thrive, LaunchBox was created to change the way learners understand space science. We aim to move the field from a distant dream to a tangible, tactile experience in the hands of Australian learners. Fleet News * Fleet details 100 nanosat constellation for Internet of Things connectivity * Adelaide’s Fleet Space all set to launch with Elon Musk’s SpaceX * Beer with an Entrepreneur #9 — Flavia Tata Nardini, co-founder of Fleet Space Fleet Launches in the news * It’s Business Time: Rocket Lab mission finally launches from New Zealand “ACMA licensed Fleet to perform satellite telemetry, tracking, and command, and payload data reception across S-band and L-band frequencies. The launches of Proxima I and II will allow Fleet to test longwave and shortwave band frequencies.” * Space unicorn Rocket Lab reaches orbit again in key first commercial launch * Rocket Lab’s Modest Launch Is Giant Leap for Small Rocket Business Links * Crunchbase * Flavia’s Twitter * Fleet Twitter

Space, China, Exploration, and Battlestar Galactica Debates! In this episode, we get into it all. It’s a fun, laid-back discussion with Benjamin, who runs one, if not the best, science and space shows on YouTube or anywhere. I highly recommend checking it out. Remember to comment and vote in. We need to settle whether Baltar was a villain! “Benjamin Higginbotham, Creator and Executive Producer  Ben created TMRO with his wife, Cariann, in 2008 after hosting a popular technology podcast for several years. His objective? Get humanity excited about exploring the cosmos! When Ben moved to California for an aerospace job, TMRO came with him. So did Cariann, thankfully. In 2016, they moved the show to a bona-fide production studio. A huge Disney nerd, Ben goes out of his way to visit Disney parks whenever time allows. He and Cariann actually got married at Walt Disney World in 2001. Recently, Ben helped produce the second largest webcast ever made.” Taken from Website About TMRO “TMRO (pronounced tomorrow, formerly known as Spacevidcast), is a network of live and on-demand HD webcasts about technology, science, space, and human society. TMRO was established as Spacevidcast in 2008 by husband and wife team Benjamin and Cariann Higginbotham. TMRO‘s stated goal is “ …to get the planet excited about living among the stars. ” In contrast to most space-related podcasts, TMRO is produced independently and is not associated with any governmental or private organization, which sets it apart from other shows like NASA Edge or Hubblecast.[1][2] In 2011 the show hosts were hired by SpaceX, however there is no tie between SpaceX and TMRO. In addition to traditional episodes, TMRO also offers some audio and text content as well as content provided through the crowdfunding platform Patreon, including Google Hangouts and early access to TMRO After Dark. There is also a TMRO subreddit for viewers to discuss space and show topics. The program was awarded the Best Presentation of Space award during NewSpace 2010″ Source Wiki   TMRO Key links * Website (check out there next livestream) * Forum * Twitter * Wiki * Youtube * Patreon  What he says about himself on Linkedin “Worked as a director/technical director in national television for a couple of years, then moved in to studio design and integration. TV is in my blood and I love pushing the boundaries of what can be done. Currently I’m deep in to social media and combining live video,

Bestselling science author Sy takes time out of her busy day and travels to talk about her latest book, life as a science writer, nature, advice for new writers, and much more. I love her books, and if you give this episode a try, you’re going to want to read her books too! Try not to love and be inspired by all that Sy has done and written about!

Conservation, getting involved, and how to use your existing skills to change the world are all topics we cover in this episode. Paul goes into a few success stories of conservation X labs, how he got started, how he keeps the spark alive, and a lot of great actionable recommendations for books and resources to learn more! About Paul Bunje Scientist and strategic leader working at the interface of societal change by bridging the gap between technology, science, and solving grand challenges. Experience in exponential tools, technology innovation, policy, research, and business creates a unique blend of communication and strategy skills to catalyze current trends in energy and the environment through the integration of complex scientific, political, economic, and social determiners of change. Specialties: Innovation, scientific research, policy-making, public engagement speaking, clean technology development, environmental education, strategic planning, organizational leadership. Source   About Conservation X Labs “Conservation X Labs is creating a new model for conservation, built on the exponential technologies & connectivity, coupled with financial and behavior change innovations, and scaled through the private sector, partnerships with conservation organizations, and collaborations with governments and intergovernmental entities. By harnessing the democratization of science and technology, we can finally allow conservation to operate at the pace and on the scale necessary to keep up with and even get head of the planet’s most intractable environmental challenges. There is a clear need to accelerate conservation solutions, harness new technologies, and draw upon new solvers and new solutions through new approaches. Importantly, we also know we can work through the private sector to improve the efficacy, impact, sustainability, and scale of conservation efforts while building sustainable income for communities that rely on those resources. Finally, humans are at the center of conservation problems. Any approach to conservation needs to change the incentive structures, both in biodiversity-rich countries, and in those countries that generate the demand for products and goods that put pressure on those systems. We can apply what we know from behavior and psychology, marketing, and social media to shift demand and incentive structures. Much as humans have created the problems, we have the means to solve them.” Source   XPRIZE – Chief scientist and Vice President, Domain impact strategy As the Chief Scientist and VP, I led Domain Impact Strategy for XPRIZE, driving strategy for exponential technology to be applied to solving grand challenges. I led the team working across technical, scientific, and social domains to identify and execute core initiatives that will achieve exponential impact, and marshaling subject matter expertise across all of XPRIZE’s work. Leading these initiatives helped enable XPRIZE to drive radical breakthroughs through strategic roadmap development, prize competitions, and scaling global impact source   Key links Linkedin profile for Paul Linkedin profile for x labs Conservation x lab website Paul’s personal website Paul’s twitter  

Straight from a scientist is a great podcast that I listen to routinely. Connor is the best as well. You basically get the synthesis of two podcasts and hosts while listening to just one episode. Check this one out. It’s fantastic! Connor Taken from Website “Connor is a second year PhD track graduate student in the pharmacology curriculum at UNC Chapel Hill.  As a co-mentored student between the Cohen and Song Labs at UNC, he studies GABAergic neural networks in Alzheimer’s Disease.  His scientific interests include the interactions between the environment, genetics, and behavior in mood disorders and neurodegenerative diseases.  Connor and Julian founded SFS with the idea of connecting people directly with scientists. Outside of the lab, Connor enjoys hobbies such as graphic design, gaming, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, paintball and caring for his bearded dragon and Madagascar Giant Day geckos.  Connor also manages the Cohen lab website and a Giant day Gecko care blog. ”  Education B.S. In Biology and Biochemistry — Chemistry Minor Virginia Tech 2014 Publications * Acetylation-induced TDP-43 pathology is suppressed by an HSF1-dependent chaperone program. * Straight from a Scientist “Science is moving rapidly- almost too rapidly.  New breakthroughs in medicine and the fundamental research behind such breakthroughs seem to emerge every day.   While this should be celebrated, it is often hard to keep up with science news.  In science, it’s also highly imperative that new information is accurat...

Surviving Sepsis, liver transplant, and multiple hospitalizations led Robert to the moment where he had a choice. Would he rise or would he fall? He chose to rise and to create PatchD to help patients with Sepsis lead a normal life and to, hopefully, save lives. This is what Mayo Clinic says about Sepsis: “Sepsis occurs when chemicals released into the bloodstream to fight the infection trigger inflammatory responses throughout the body. This inflammation can trigger a cascade of changes that can damage multiple organ systems, causing them to fail. If sepsis progresses to septic shock, blood pressure drops dramatically, which may lead to death.”  PatchD is about giving patients and doctors a great tool to increase the quality of life for patients and improve the detection of sepsis. Robert Quinn I think he says it best with…”I am a disgustingly passionate person who believes that we each have the power to change the world if we really want to. I dream of using my technological and medical skill-sets to get the world closer to one with equal opportunity. Why should your ability to succeed be negatively impacted by anything other than your willingness to work hard and dream big. I think technology can provide an answer and I want to be a part of the change. I want to allow sick patients to live normal lives, I, after-all, completed my degrees in part from hospital, I want to empower others to do the same.” Source Additionally, on the company website he has this to say: “I am a Liver Transplant Recipient who graduated as a bio-mechatronic engineer going in and out of hospital. Whilst in hospital, I saw first hand the pain and suffering of people around me due to in-adequate monitoring, I realised that I not only could, but had to change it”. Source   PatchD He dreams  “of a world where every patient lives a normal life, that is why I do what I do. We use machine learning to stop sepsis, the number one cause of death in hospital patients.” That’s it in a nutshell. In the episode we get into how his technology is going to do that and why he has such a passion to help patients with Sepsis.      Sepsis Mayo Clinic Source : “Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening complication of an infection. Sepsis occurs when chemicals released into the bloodstream to fight the infection trigger inflammatory responses throughout the body. This inflammation can trigger a cascade of changes that can damage multiple organ systems, causing them to fail. If sepsis progresses to septic shock, blood pressure drops dramatically, which may lead to death. Anyone can develop sepsis, but it’s most common and most dangerous in older adults or those with weakened immune systems. Early treatment of sepsis, usually with antibiotics and large amounts of intravenous fluids, improves chances for survival. Symptoms Many doctors view sepsis as a three-stage syndrome, starting with sepsis and progressing through severe sepsis to septic shock. The goal is to treat sepsis during its early stage, before it becomes more dangerous. Sepsis To be diagnosed with sepsis, you must exhibit at least two of the following symptoms, plus a probable or confirmed infection: * Body temperature above 101 F (38.3 C) or below 96.8 F (36 C) * Heart rate higher than 90 beats a minute * Respiratory rate higher than 20 breaths a minute Severe sepsis Your diagnosis will be upgraded to severe sepsis if you also exhibit at least one of the following signs and symptoms, which indicate an organ may be failing: * Significantly decreased urine output

Microbiology, Pathology, immunology, and biomedical engineering Expert Dr. Dantes trusts his gut and that’s what we get into in this episode – the gut biome, microbiome ecology, and more. On the fun, personal side, we get into his passion for bow-ties, min/maxing micro-brewing, and have great discussions on history, microbiology and even a few book recommendations at the end. This is one of my favorite interviews. You’re going to want to check this out! Please share and tell your friends. Dr. Gautam Dantas Brief Bio (long bio below): Professor of Pathology & Immunology, Biomedical Engineering, and Microbiology, at Washington University in St. Louis. Additionally, a co-founder of Viosera Therapeutics “Dr. Dantas and the Dantas Lab studies the ecology, evolution and transmission dynamics of microbes and their antibiotic resistance genes across multiple habitats, towards building better predictive models of resistance selection and dissemination. He conducts such investigations in both resource-rich and resource-poor settings in the U.S., Central America, South America and Africa, to elucidate the impact of features such as geography, cultural traditions, access to clean water, food and health care, population density, and disease endemicity on the exchange of microbes and their resistance genes between interconnected ecologies. ” “He is also interested in understanding the mechanism of antibiotic-mediated rescue from malnutrition in pediatric populations in extremely low-income countries, towards developing alternative therapies which may achieve the same benefits but without the collateral harm caused by antibiotic use.” Source   The long bio: “My research interests and training lie at the interface of microbial genomics, biochemistry, systems biology, and computational biology. I received my PhD in biochemistry from the University of Washington under the mentorship of David Baker, and post-doctoral training in microbial genomics from Harvard Medical School under the mentorship of George Church. Research in my lab is currently focused (1) on understanding the evolution and exchange of antibiotic resistance amongst diverse microbial communities, (2) on systems-guided design of novel antibiotic and probiotic therapies, and (3) on engineering microbial catalysts to produce value chemicals such as biofuels. My publication record includes 8 papers in Science, Nature, and Cell and 3 patents in biotechnology. I lead an interdisciplinary research and training group of basic scientists, engineers, and clinicians, spanning formal expertise in microbiology, biochemistry, genomics, pathology, infectious diseases, pediatrics, ecology and evolution, systems biology, biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, and computational biology. In addition to my research efforts, I am deeply committed to graduate education and training. I am the co-Director of the Computational & Systems Biology (CSB) graduate program, have served on the steering committee for both the CSB and Molecular Microbiology & Microbial Pathogenesis graduate programs, regularly teach in three graduate-level courses, and serve or have served on over 70 qualifying exam and thesis committees. Over the past nine years, I have mentored ten postdoctoral fellows, twenty graduate students, four research technicians, and over 50 high-school and undergraduate interns. I have graduated nine PhD students, two of whom are now faculty at University of Kansas Medical Center and at Cayetano Heredia University in Peru, three of whom are in post-doctoral training positions in Seattle and St. Louis, and four of whom are working at biotech companies in Boston and in St. Louis. Three of my postdoctoral mentees are faculty members at North Carolina State Univ. (Raleigh),

Nonprofit DIY Biotech Space and Bio Design Challenge created in New York by Daniel Grushkin. In this interview, we get into how being a journalist has impacted his life and how he looks at situations, how/why he started Genspace, what Genspace offers, and where he sees things going. This is a fun, quick interview with Dan who is very passionate about ensuring no one gets left behind with the new biotech space he is creating. See the links to check out Genspace, the competition, and how to get involved!  We also get into some of his favorite books and how to chart your path. Anyone with a project that has been burning a hole in their head trying to get out should reach out to Genspace or Dan. If you’re not in the NYC region, don’t let that stop you! About Dan “Daniel Grushkin is the founder and executive director of the Biodesign Challenge, an international student competition that partners artists, designers, and biologists to envision the future of biotechnology. He is a cofounder and former executive director of Genspace, a nonprofit community laboratory dedicated to promoting citizen science and access to biotechnology. Fast Company ranked Genspace fourth among the top 10 most innovative education companies in the world. Dan was a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars where he researched the field of synthetic biology in 2013-2014. He was an Emerging Leader in Biosecurity at the UPMC Center of Health Security in 2014. As a journalist, he has reported on the intersection of biotechnology, culture, and business for publications including Bloomberg Businessweek, Fast Company, Scientific American and Popular Science.” Source     Genspace NYC “Genspace is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting citizen science and access to biotechnology. Since 2009 we have served the greater New York area by providing educational outreach, cultural events, and a platform for science innovation at the grassroots level. In December 2010 we opened the first-ever community biotechnology laboratory, a Biosafety Level One facility in Brooklyn, New York, where we offer hands-on courses to the public, provide extracurricular experiences for students, and encourage scientific entrepreneurship, particularly in the fields of molecular and synthetic biology. As a community-based lab, we offer members the unique opportunity to work on their own projects and experience the joy and wonder of science firsthand. “ Source     About Biodesign Challenge “The Biodesign Challenge (BDC) is a university competition that offers art and design students the opportunity to envision future applications of biotechnology. Over the course of the spring semester, university classrooms from around the world partner with biologists and subject-matter experts to explore novel uses of biotech and the potential impact of those applications. At the end of the year, each university chooses one team to showcase its project at the BDC Summit at MoMA in New York City. We are looking for a Program Associate to help support 30 incoming universities in 2018. BDC is a program of Genspace, the world’s first community biolab. Genspace is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting science literacy through citizen access to biotechnology. We provide educational outreach, cultural events, and a platform for science innovation at the grassroots level. We value cross-disciplinary practices and understand the significance of creating an environment in which people from all backgrounds can exchange new methodologies and practices, and provide a platform for collaborations, innovations, and critical dialogue. ” Source