Dolphins, Degrees and Dedicated Crab Shoes: Rysheem McGirt
Blue Collar White Coat Podcast
Release Date: 07/24/2025
Fired Fed: A Dream Job Lost, and What the Public Lost Too
Blue Collar White Coat Podcast
When the pandemic hit, Chanapa Tantibanchachai was on the front lines of public health communication at the FDA. Now, months after being laid off, you'll hear how Chanapa has grieved losing her dream job and what she's tackling next. In this episode, Chanapa recounts how being the child of Thai imigrants while growing up with her own rare health condition shaped her commitment to bridging the gap between scientists, journalists, and the public. From explaining complex research to countering misinformation, her work reminds us that trust in science comes down to the people doing the...
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Roll for Initiative: Elaina Mayer on Cybersecurity & Cosplay
Blue Collar White Coat Podcast
What do cybersecurity and Dungeons & Dragons have in common? Elaina Mayer—CISSP, professor, and award-winning cosplayer—reveals how creativity fuels data defense. From AI risks to rolling dice in the classroom, this episode dives into the unpredictable world of cyber threats and the epic quest to protect your data.
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Former teacher helping farmers grow smarter... from space?
Blue Collar White Coat Podcast
Back in the early 2000s, the biggest news in my sleeply little hometown was that our super-tall science teacher, Brian Campbell, was leaving the high school (one of only two in the whole county)… for a job at NASA. To us, it felt like he was blasting off to some screen-filled control room out of a summer blockbuster to push the launch button himself. Fast-forward 25 years — Brian’s now a Senior Earth Science Specialist at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, working on big-deal missions like ICESat-2 (measuring ice sheets, sea ice, and sea level rise) and SMAP (mapping soil moisture for...
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Dolphins, Degrees and Dedicated Crab Shoes: Rysheem McGirt
Blue Collar White Coat Podcast
What do mice, Old Bay Seasoning, and cancer research have in common? Rysheem McGirt. In the very first episode of Blue Collar White Coat Podcast, host Amy Weldon reconnects with her friend and former dolphin training volunteer, now full-time animal welfare project manager. Rysheem's full-time job supports biomedical research outside of their hometown of Baltimore, Maryland and on the side he's doing everything from Door Dash to stand-up comedy. From working two jobs in grade school to earning his MBA before he turned 30, Rysheem's STEM career has been anything but traditional, but that's what...
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Blue Collar White Coat: Meet the People Powering Science
Blue Collar White Coat Podcast
Welcome to Blue Collar White Coat, a podcast about the people who actually make science happen. Host Amy Weldon—a science communicator with 15 years of experience—introduces the show and the folks you’ll meet along the way: welders, wildlife biologists, coders, divers, NASA educators, and all kinds of behind-the-scenes heroes powering science, one essential job at a time. Some episodes feature guest interviews. On others, Amy digs into the state of STEM, how it’s changing, and where it’s headed next. No lectures—just real talk, jobs you maybe never thought could be related to...
info_outlineWhat do mice, Old Bay Seasoning, and cancer research have in common?
Rysheem McGirt.
In the very first episode of Blue Collar White Coat Podcast, host Amy Weldon reconnects with her friend and former dolphin training volunteer, now full-time animal welfare project manager. Rysheem's full-time job supports biomedical research outside of their hometown of Baltimore, Maryland and on the side he's doing everything from Door Dash to stand-up comedy. From working two jobs in grade school to earning his MBA before he turned 30, Rysheem's STEM career has been anything but traditional, but that's what makes him the perfect guest for our first episode!
Hear how his team helps scientists fight cancer and why that means so much to him then stick around for some laughs, side hustle stories, and a little bit of Baltimore accent flair.