<description>&lt;p&gt;Hosts Rory Rohlfs and Emilia Huerta-Sanchez chat with Dr. Mary Jo Ondrechen, a leading computational chemist known for her work on predicting protein functions and designing machine learning software. They talk about her contributions to helping Indigenous scientists, her love for science from an early age, and the mentors who made a difference in her career. Dr. Ondrechen also shares what it’s like being an openly gay, two-spirit scientist and reflects on her career journey, the importance of mentorship, and her work to make science more inclusive for future generations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;EPISODE CHAPTERS:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;00:29 Meet Dr. Mary Jo Ondrechen&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;03:26 High School Chemistry Adventures&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;05:33 College and Career Beginnings&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;07:55 Graduate School and Beyond&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;15:50 Faculty Life and Sabbaticals&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;20:13 Transition to Biological Research&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;22:58 COVID-19 Research Efforts&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;26:28 Gender and Sexuality in Science&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;32:37 Revise and Resubmit: Career Reflections&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;CREDITS: &lt;/strong&gt;This episode is produced and edited by Maribel Quezada Smith. Sound Engineering by Keagan Stromberg. Production Coordinator, Marissa Alcantar. A Diferente Creative Production. Special thanks to Dr. Mary Jo Ondrechen.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Science Wise

Rori Rohlfs

From Childhood Curiosity to Bioinformatics Breakthroughs with Dr. Mary Jo Ondrechen

MAR 25, 202534 MIN
Science Wise

From Childhood Curiosity to Bioinformatics Breakthroughs with Dr. Mary Jo Ondrechen

MAR 25, 202534 MIN

Description

Hosts Rory Rohlfs and Emilia Huerta-Sanchez chat with Dr. Mary Jo Ondrechen, a leading computational chemist known for her work on predicting protein functions and designing machine learning software. They talk about her contributions to helping Indigenous scientists, her love for science from an early age, and the mentors who made a difference in her career. Dr. Ondrechen also shares what it’s like being an openly gay, two-spirit scientist and reflects on her career journey, the importance of mentorship, and her work to make science more inclusive for future generations.

EPISODE CHAPTERS:

00:29 Meet Dr. Mary Jo Ondrechen

03:26 High School Chemistry Adventures

05:33 College and Career Beginnings

07:55 Graduate School and Beyond

15:50 Faculty Life and Sabbaticals

20:13 Transition to Biological Research

22:58 COVID-19 Research Efforts

26:28 Gender and Sexuality in Science

32:37 Revise and Resubmit: Career Reflections

CREDITS: This episode is produced and edited by Maribel Quezada Smith. Sound Engineering by Keagan Stromberg. Production Coordinator, Marissa Alcantar. A Diferente Creative Production. Special thanks to Dr. Mary Jo Ondrechen.