Host Gillian King-Cargile talks to Dr. Andy Norman, author of Mental Immunity, about how bad ideas spread like viruses and how we can inoculate our minds against them.

Aerospace Engineer Mishaal Ashemimry, the first Saudi woman to work for NASA, and children's author Suzanne Slade discuss their love of STEM and all things space.

Author John Green has chronicled love, loss, and mental illness in his award-winning young adult novels like The Fault in Our Stars, Looking for Alaska, and Turtles All the Way Down. He weaves wonderful stories in his novels and his YouTube series’ like Mental Floss, Crash Course, and the Vlogbrothers videos he exchanges with his brother Hank Green.

In this episode of the STEM Read Podcast, host Gillian King-Cargile (@gkingcargile) gives you an encore excerpt from one of NIU’s Future Telling Webinars. These free events bring together great minds from the worlds of writing and STEM to explore bleeding-edge research and its impact on our society and our sci-fi. Our guests are author S.L. Huang and physicist Rebecca C. Thompson.

On this episode, host Gillian King-Cargile (@gkingcargile) explores the gene editing tool CRISPR, used to create the breakthrough mRNA vaccines for COVID-19. First, she talks with biographer Walter Isaacson (@WalterIsaacson), author of Leonardo da Vinci and Steve Jobs, about his new book The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race. The book chronicles the discoveries surrounding CRISPR and the brilliant scientists racing toward publications, patents, and prizes.

From clever costumed superheroes to persistent little girls, makers come in all shapes and sizes. Host Gillian King-Cargile (@gkingcargile) will highlight new stories that focus on thinking, tinkering, and making. First, she’ll interview Ruth Spiro (@RuthSpiro), author of Made By Maxine and the Baby Loves Science series, about her latest book Maxine and the Greatest Garden Ever. The book explores the friendship between two very different makers who want to build, grow, and make the world a little more functional and fabulous.

It’s a Halloween Bonus! On this episode of the STEM Read Podcast, we’ll explore America’s deep-seated literary tradition of rationalism as it has played out in more than 150 years of pop culture, from the Dime Novels of the 1870s to Scooby-Doo to the horror novels of today. STEM Read Director Gillian King-Cargile (@gkingcargile) talks with authors and experts who explore, update, and upend our traditions of fake ghosts and meddling kids.

In this episode of The STEM Read Podcast, we’re bringing you an excerpt from the Future Telling Webinar series, STEM Read’s collaboration with NIU’s University Libraries.

Some people are complaining that COVID-19 is not the pandemic they signed up for. It was supposed to be Zombies!

On May 30, 2020, The United States launched a manned spacecraft into low-earth orbit for the first time in nine years. SpaceX is now the first private company to launch NASA astronauts into space from US soil. The astronauts are heading to the International Space Station. And how did this happen? With a whole lot of math. As we celebrate this historic flight that could be the next step in human exploration of the Moon and even Mars, we’re highlighting two women whose love of math took them on unexpected journeys of their own.

On this episode of the STEM Read Podcast, we’ve got three perspectives on technology, empathy and e-sports. Host Gillian King-Cargile (@gkingcargile) and Kristin Brynteson (@kbrynteson) interview George Couros, author of The Innovator’s Mindset about creating a positive atmosphere for students by using technology to bring people together. Next, Gillian talks to NFL-kicker-turned-sci-fi-author Chris Kluwe about sports, e-sports, empathy in gaming, and how all of that informed his first novel Otaku. Finally, Gillian talks to Keisha Howard, co-founder of Sugar Gamers, about representation in the video game industry and ways to support girls and women in all aspects of gaming. All of these experts share great advice to help you teach, shelter, and stay positive during these unprecedented times.