TOPICS & TIMES
- What is BlackAFinSTEM? (3:01)
- BlackAFinSTEM’s objectives (10:05)
- Black Birders Week (17:15)
- Tyler’s background, Taco Bell, & STEM (29:32)
- Bees (34:33)
- What’s next for Tyler? (4:31)
- Best ways to support BLackAFinSTEM (55:12)
Today we are talking about a new organization, BlackAFinSTEM, which was started to encourage and support Black individuals who are working in — or who are just passionate about — the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, and also to encourage, support, and increase the visibility of Black naturalists and Black people who recreate and work outdoors.
Our guest today is Tyler Jones who is a co-organizer of Black Birders Week, and Tyler is also finishing up her master’s degree from Penn State University, where she has been studying bees, so listeners of last week’s Blister podcast and lovers of bees, rejoice.
So I talked to Tyler about all of the above, including the event that served as the catalyst for Black Birders Week; how and when she caught the STEM bug (which may or may not have something to do with Taco Bell); her master’s thesis, which might have my favorite title of any academic paper ever (well, I guess it’s technically the unofficial title, but I am praying that Tyler does the right thing and makes it official); and more. But no spoiler alerts here, so you’ll just need to listen to learn more.
