Libsyn Directory

Jennifer DiStefano and Jared Mondschein on the transition from the bench to the policy office

Release Date: 09/13/2023

C&EN Uncovered: Turning tides for endotoxin testing

Stereo Chemistry

The drug industry may finally phase out using horseshoe crab blood. What took so long? In this episode of C&EN Uncovered, host Craig Bettenhausen speaks with C&EN assistant editor Laurel Oldach about the use of horseshoe crab blood in pharmaceutical endotoxin testing, the challenges of transitioning to synthetic alternatives, and the regulatory hurdles involved. Stereo Chemistry offers a deeper look at subjects from recent stories pulled from the pages of Chemical & Engineering News. Check out Laurel’s story on the fight over horseshoe crab blood at . Subscribe...

Bonus episode: Introducing Inflection Point

Stereo Chemistry

The new podcast Inflection Point leans on C&EN’s 100-year archive to trace headline topics in science today back to their disparate and surprising roots. In each episode, we explore three lesser-known moments in science history that ultimately led us to current-day breakthroughs. With help from expert C&EN reporters, this new show examines how discoveries from our past have shaped our present and will change our future. In our first episode, hosts David Anderson and Gina Vitale travel back in time to relive three events that ultimately led to the development of green...

C&EN Uncovered: Indoor air monitoring goes to school

Stereo Chemistry

The COVID-19 pandemic put the importance of indoor air quality in stark relief. The air in schools was of particular concern, and that concern spurred collaboration between researchers and school staff to find interventions to improve air quality to safeguard the health of students and staff. Data from indoor air monitors revealed that filter-based portable air cleaners were effective at removing airborne particulates. Ongoing research and monitoring will determine whether this effort is making a beneficial health impact and will be used to decide how to manage indoor air quality going...

Stereo Chemistry: How the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was won

Stereo Chemistry

On Oct. 9, the 2024 Nobel Prize for Chemistry was awarded to David Baker, Demis Hassabis, and John M. Jumper for their work in prediction and design of protein structures. C&EN’s executive editor for life sciences, Laura Howes, joins a special episode of Stereo Chemistry to discuss why the trio won, the significance of their work around proteins, and how she accurately predicted the win in C&EN’s annual “Who Will Win?” webinar. Stereo Chemistry offers a deeper look at subjects from recent stories pulled from the pages of Chemical & Engineering News. Check out Laura’s...

C&EN Uncovered: PhD to CEO, how chemistry entrepreneurs are making the jump

Stereo Chemistry

In the 20th century, corporate powerhouses like Bell Labs and DuPont Central Research funded R&D from their balance sheets, creating a clear path for postdoctoral scientists to innovate beyond their university research. In 2024, with the decay of corporate laboratories, graduates are taking the commercial start-up route more and more. C&EN, business reporter Matt Blois discusses several such start-ups, exploring how the founders are making the transition from PhD to CEO and mapping the various routes they've taken to secure funding to continue their research. C&EN Uncovered, a...

C&EN Uncovered: Solvent Waste Levels, EPA Regulations, and Disposal

Stereo Chemistry

On average, from 2011 to 2021, academic labs generated around 4,300 metric tons of hazardous waste each year. One of the largest lab-used solvents discarded is dichloromethane and more than half of that waste ends up burned. In today’s episode, policy reporters Krystal Vasquez and Leigh Krietsch Boerner dive into the processes academic labs use to dispose of said waste, the consequences of new EPA regulations around dichloromethane, and what solutions academic institutions are coming up with to accommodate these new rules. C&EN Uncovered, a project from C&EN’s podcast, Stereo...

C&EN Uncovered: Ongoing tragedies in Flint and East Palestine

Stereo Chemistry

Tragedies in the communities of Flint, Michigan, and East Palestine, Ohio, continue to affect residents 10 years and 1 year on, respectively, from the initial events. Residents of both cities continue to rebound and rebuild despite ongoing issues revolving around the toxic chemicals that were introduced to their towns through human decisions. C&EN physical sciences reporter Priyanka Runwal traveled to both Flint and East Palestine to speak with residents about how they are recovering, how the actions of their representatives have fallen short, and their hopes to return to something of a...

C&EN Uncovered: Can ‘forever chemicals’ be destroyed?

Stereo Chemistry

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a class of chemicals known as PFAS, are often called “forever chemicals” because of how long they persist in the environment. They are prevalent in drinking water and have been linked to negative health outcomes. A slew of cleantech start-ups are cropping up with the aim of breaking down and destroying PFAS molecules. In this episode of C&EN Uncovered, reporter Britt Erickson explores the technologies behind these companies and the competition among them. C&EN Uncovered, a project from C&EN’s podcast, Stereo Chemistry, offers a deeper look...

C&EN Uncovered: The small-molecule drug renaissance

Stereo Chemistry

As the science of drug discovery has grown in scale and gotten more complicated, so have the drug molecules themselves. But there’s a promising class of drugs made of just a handful of atoms that punch above their weight by leveraging the natural chemistry of the cell. Recent discoveries have opened up a new era of pharmaceutical chemistry that some people are calling a golden age. In this episode of C&EN Uncovered, reporter Laura Howes explains this exciting field of research and its implications for the drugs of the future. C&EN Uncovered, a...

C&EN Uncovered: The ocean floor is littered with valuable minerals. Should we go get them?

Stereo Chemistry

Resting on the bottom of the ocean are potato-sized nodules of valuable minerals that are more or less up for grabs. Multiple corporations and some nations are racing to build deep-sea drones that can withstand the extreme conditions at the seafloor and bring these 1-20 cm nodules to eager buyers on the surface. Many of the metals in these nodules are critical for green technologies like batteries. But these nodules are also an important part of ecosystems we are just beginning to understand. In this episode, C&EN reporter Priyanka Runwal chats with host Craig Bettenhausen about...

More Episodes

Early-career scientists are increasingly gravitating toward science policy, but the transition from the research bench to the policy office can be a tricky one. What can that path look like, and how can chemistry knowledge translate into a successful science policy career? In this bonus episode of C&EN’s Bonding Time, Mark Feuer DiTusa sits down with recent science PhD graduates and science policy professionals Jennifer DiStefano and Jared Mondschein to hear about their intertwined journeys, what science policy looks like for them, and how they think policy is shaping the direction of chemistry in the US.

You can find the episode where we spoke with six chemists about their yearlong science policy fellowships in Washington, DC, at http://cenm.ag/lessons.

You can connect with Jennifer DiStefano and Jared Mondschein at their LinkedIn pages.

A transcript of this episode can be found at http://cenm.ag/scipolicy

Credits

Executive producer: Gina Vitale

Writer: Mark Feuer DiTusa

Audio editor: Mark Feuer DiTusa, Brian Gutierrez

Story editor: Ariana Remmel

Copyeditor: Sabrina Ashwell, Michael McCoy

Show logo design: William A. Ludwig

Episode artwork: William A. Ludwig

Music (in order of appearance): “The Beat Detector” by Novembers, "Sugar Cubes" by Avner Kelmer

Contact Stereo Chemistry: Tweet at us at @cenmag or email [email protected].

TOPICS