Full Steam Ahead with Ava Suri

Episode 24 of the Young Leaders of Tomorrow features Ava Suri's inspiring podcast on the connection between STEM and art.

Instagram: @fullsteamahead.pod

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/69MuLsDrhSXbqAabflLugh?si=0NdIwZRMTUWOS3ImMbP28A&nd=1&dlsi=5d7dbb59077a4403

*The Young Leaders of Tomorrow will be on hiatus until August 15

The Young Leaders of Tomorrow features the amazing tales of young entrepreneurs, innovators, and activists who are defying expectations and making a name for themselves. Hosted by Julia Zucchi and Theo Nguyen, this podcast interviews outstanding young people who are changing the game, taking risks, and breaking boundaries. Each episode, we highlight their achievements, the challenges they've faced, and the unconventional paths they've followed to reach their destinations. We'll also share some of our own experiences and insights on crushing school, staying motivated, and changing what you believe is possible. We make tomorrow’s leaders, today’s stories. A new episode comes every 2 weeks.

Our Website: https://www.the-young-leaders-of-tomorrow.com/

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hey everyone, it's Julia Zuki. On today's episode, we're joined by Ava, the creator and host of Full Steam Ahead, a podcast dedicated to sharing the stories of people living at the fascinating intersection of science and the humanities. Ava launched Full Steam Ahead in the fall of 2025 as a way to explore the incredible work of creative scientists, researchers, and innovators whose stories inspire curiosity and challenge the way we see the world. From interviewing a conservationist who used the legend of Bigfoot to teach local ecology, to speaking with a mixed media artist who has joined researchers aboard submarine expeditions, Ava has built a podcast that celebrates the unexpected connections between art, science, and discovery. In today's episode, we dive into Ava's journey of starting a podcast as a high school student, how she finds such unique guests, what she's learned from interviewing people with extraordinary careers, and why curiosity may be one of the most valuable skills our generation can develop. So without further ado, let's get started, and please welcome Ava. Hello. Okay, sweet. Um, every great project has an origin story. Before Full Steam Ahead existed, what was the moment or series of moments that made you realize I have to start this podcast?

SPEAKER_00 1:29

That's a good question, and I've been reflecting on that a lot. Um so before I started Full Steam Ahead, I was really thinking about my interests in science but also art, and they felt a little bit disjointed, meaning like I kind of felt like in school I had to like enjoy art as like a separate thing, and then a science as a separate thing. And in my sophomore year of high school, I'm a rising senior, but in my sophomore year of high school, I started Crochet Club, which is a really great way for me to connect with other people through art and fiber arts. And I also just really love teaching people and learning more about them while learning about this craft. And at the same time, my sophomore year, I was preparing to do scientific research over the summer. So my school offers a scientific research program where we basically learn about what it means to write papers, what it means to develop experiments, stuff like that. And I was inside this project, but I needed to learn a little more about like data analysis, and to do so, I needed to learn how to code in this programming language called R, which is very specific to like data analysis in science. And while I was doing that, I personally like had no experience in compsi. But as I was learning it, and I was like, how can I make this more enjoyable? Because I hate like just doing something without a purpose. I always have to trick my brain into enjoying it in order to like actually continue doing it. And so while I was doing it, I was like, wow, this is really similar to reading crochet patterns. And if you ever look at like code, and if you ever have looked at crochet patterns, it's all kind of just like this totally different language, and you just really need to know like how to work with a system to build something. And I was like, wow, coding and crocheting are so similar because you're following these set instructions, you have to like people who make crochet patterns literally have to learn this like coding language to make something beautiful out of it, and that is essentially what CompSci is. And so I was like, wow, bringing purpose to STEM through the arts is so powerful, and so I was like, wow, maybe I should make a series where I'm like doing things like that. I haven't done a crochet episode specifically, but I definitely want to do that in the future. I think that was a pivotal moment for me, and so after reflecting on that and noticing how much I enjoyed science and scientific research, I was like, let's just launch it. And so I've been connecting with a lot of different people over the past couple months, almost a year, which is really exciting, and just like learning about how people are integrating the arts into STEM and vice versa.

SPEAKER_01 4:33

Okay, I love that. Um your mission is to tell stories from people living on the edge of science and the humanities, which is a really unique idea. But why do you think the most interesting breakthroughs happen when completely different worlds collide?

SPEAKER_00 4:50

Yeah, this is also one of my like core beliefs as someone who really wants to do research in the future. I've grown up in a family that is really STEM-heavy, so a lot of my family members are physicians, and so I've had the privilege of being able to like go to conferences. So my dad's a cardiothoracic surgeon, and so I've gone to like different heart and vascular conferences, and sometimes at these conferences, basically, it's just like a bunch of physicians from the same like set of hospitals get together, present their own research, their own case studies, so like cases they've seen in the clinic that are really unique and they want to bring it to the attention of others. And so during these case studies, the most impactful case studies that people would present were the ones where they would have to collaborate with other fields, with other physicians in like not in heart and vascular, maybe it's neurology or orthopedics. And so when those two worlds connect, they are able to make breakthroughs in like these really interesting case studies where they would otherwise could not have done. And so I think working with others and like learning to collaborate across fields is the thing that helps push science forward, and I think like we're starting to see that a lot in research too nowadays, where people are talking about like interdisciplinary working with other people, and I'm just thinking like we already knew this, it's just now it's just coming to the attention of popular science that people who are just stuck in their hole of their specific niche and who don't branch out will never discover anything new in the gap between. So, yeah, that's a big reason why I really am fascinated with interdisciplinary collaborations with one person or with a network of people.

SPEAKER_01 6:52

Okay, now one of your guests, like we said before, used the legend of Bigfoot to teach ecology and another combined art with deep sea scientific research. And these aren't stories most people hear every day to say the least, but what have these conversations taught you about finding wonder in places other people often overlook?

SPEAKER_00 7:12

Ugh, those are like probably gonna be my favorite episodes this season, maybe even this year. So I'll talk about John Hickenbottom. He is a real interesting guy, and I encourage you to check out his work. He also hosts a podcast. He's a naturalist in Southeast Ohio. I'm in Cleveland, Ohio. And so this is a really fun story. So I took a class where basically investigates monsters and why we make monsters and cultural practices, stuff like that. And so we visited his natural center, it's like an ecology center, essentially, in this very rural part of Ohio in the middle of nowhere. And he was talking about how he was teaching basically local ecology to people, not just tourists, but to the local community, which is so important through the legend of Bigfoot, and he made it interesting to kids to connect, like, oh, why is it important that we preserve our natural habitat? Because legends like Bigfoot wouldn't have existed if it was just all urban community. So I thought that was super impactful, and like he himself doesn't necessarily believe in Bigfoot, but he uses it as a tool to like spark imagination, make it matter to people who maybe it would otherwise not have mattered to. She's an abstract mixed media artist, and she basically went on artist residencies with like institutions that would host artists to collaborate with researchers, and she had a very similar mission in making that research matter to the public. She would go with researchers on submarines, and she would take notes, like she would learn about the basic science of it, and like learn about what they were discovering, and then basically translate that into art later on. I think John and Sarah had very similar missions in like taking science and taking something that seems super far out of reach for people who are in like the STEM area, like for local communities, or just people like wanting to get interested in STEM, and they made it matter through art and through storytelling. I think that's so powerful um not only to educate but to spark wonder in kids and make it matter to them because if you just hand like a kid uh like a PubMed article, like they're not gonna care, and they'll probably like avoid things like that in the future. But if you like serve it to them like as a story or as a as an interactive activity or like something that makes them like ask why or ask questions, that's what science is all about. It's about learning more, it's not about like teaching you why this does that, like blah blah blah, like the really specific stuff, it's about just like the mindset of asking why. And so that's why I really love those stories. But yeah, that's my long-winded answer.

SPEAKER_01 10:32

Um after interviewing so many fascinating people, have you noticed a personality trait that almost all innovators seem to share? If someone listening wanted to become a change maker themselves, what's one quality you think they'd need to develop?

SPEAKER_00 10:51

Yeah. Initially I went into this podcast thinking like, oh, this is just gonna be me like learning about different careers and like different things one person can do. But in the end, I learned that it's really about the mindset you employ. No career is linear or maybe even should be linear, especially in today's ever-changing world. And what I mean by that is just like it's not necessarily about what they're doing, it's about the mindset these people employ to guide them through life. As someone who like wants to go out to STEM, I want to be able to navigate that through a mindset of like curiosity, creativity, asking why, problem solving, which are all qualities of an artist, but if you navigate a world that is just like maybe one personality type tends to dominate or something, like you don't have to be a whiz, you just have to be open to ask why. And so I think for listeners, I would say that it's not necessarily the goal, isn't to become a surgeon or become the CEO of Nvidia. It's about finding what matters to you, find what makes you angry, what guides you, what mindset you employ, and letting that guide you through life. Being able to be curious, be a problem solver, really care about stuff. Don't be guided by like external things. Be guided by your own like your interests, what is interesting to you right now, and how can you work to be the absolute best at it? What can you do to bridge gaps together between whether that's like public health and surgery, or like humanities and science, which is like what I do? But letting those things, like your internal interests, guide you as opposed to an external goal.

SPEAKER_01 12:53

Okay, that's a good segue into our next question, which is everyone talks about following your passion, but your guests often have careers that didn't even exist 20 years ago. Do you think it's more important to follow your passion or to follow your curiosity?

SPEAKER_00 13:09

Yeah, I think curiosity leads to passion once you like once you invest time in it. Like for me, I get excited about everything, hence the podcast, and also I'm someone who just like I will go on a rabbit hole if you let me. Like, you cannot let me do an inquiry-based like essay because I will just like go insane. I'll be like, no, everything's interesting to me. I can't focus on one thing. So I think like letting your curiosity guide you, and then like being able to just stick with it and then go really deep can lead to passion. I think sometimes if you try and like think like, oh, what am I really passionate about? You you don't really know because like you haven't experienced the world yet. You haven't like had curiosity guide you in the first place. So I think like starting with curiosity, asking questions is so so important, just like observing, and that's a scientific process too. You observe and then you evaluate and then you start to like problem solve. So start with curiosity, then lock in on one thing, because like you can be good at anything you do, honestly. Lock in on one thing, and then dive really deep into it, and then I think passion can help you branch out from there. But yeah, that's what I would say.

SPEAKER_01 14:36

Okay, sweet. Um, every conversation changes us a little. Is there one interview or just like one moment specifically that like in your creation of the podcast that genuinely shifted the way you think about life, success, or your own future, and what made that conversation so impactful?

SPEAKER_00 14:56

Yeah. I'm just gonna think because I know this is I think all the conversations that I had were like really beautiful and like had their own merits. I will say that I really liked talking with Sarah, the artist who went on like submarine residencies and stuff, because her mission to like translate science and like really complex science into art is just like really cool, and that's something that for a long time I wanted to emulate somehow. I think her mission to like translate that into art and like making it something beautiful is like really interesting to me. My conversation with her was really fascinating, and also an artist's career is never linear, and so I think like blending that with STEM really gave me some clarity. Like, sometimes it's not just A to B to C, sometimes it's like A to completely tangent, tangential thing, and then like just keep going like in such an organic way, and yeah, that gave me clarity, also gave me some hope that literally you can build any kind of career you want. All you have to do is just like have the right mindset, be curious, and like really be able to lock in on one thing at a time.

SPEAKER_01 16:29

Okay, so we always like to end our meetings with like a little bit of advice. So if you could just give like a short little advice blurm, um that would be great. But imagine there's a 14-year-old or just like a young teenager listening who has a really big idea, but keeps thinking I'm too young, or nobody will take me seriously because of my age. But based on everything you've learned through your podcast, what would you want to tell that person?

SPEAKER_00 16:56

Yeah. So to this 14-year-old anonymous person, you're probably listening to this, and you're probably a very ambitious person, someone with really big goals, someone who's hardworking, and so I'm not gonna tell you to work hard or be ambitious because like I know you're already doing that. I'd say you can be good at anything you put your mind to. It's really just about like where you put that energy. For me, I'm someone who's like interested in everything. And if I spread myself too thin, like it's all about intersections, but if I spread myself too thin, then I get nothing done. And so I'd say just choose one thing that you're that something that gets you angry or gets you excited or want you makes you want to cry or like has this visceral effect on you, and just dive right into it, even if it's something that maybe your parents don't agree with or something that the world tells you is impossible. Yet, like, why does everyone think science is so complicated? Like, let me translate that into art. If that's what you want to dive into, just go head first and let your curiosity guide you. Passion comes later, but it's just all about just like really digging into one or two things that really interest you. And you have your whole life ahead of you, so just you always have time to explore other things. So just start with one thing and just learn to build those skills and that mindset and then see who goes from there.

SPEAKER_01 18:26

Okay, sweet. Thank you so much, Ava, for joining us today and for sharing your journey. Your curiosity, creativity, and willingness to connect people from completely different worlds is incredibly inspiring. To everyone tuning in, thank you so much for listening to the Young Leaders of Tomorrow. And if you enjoyed today's conversation, be sure be sure to check out Ava's podcast, Full Steam Ahead, on Spotify and support her work. We'll have all of her links in the description below. Thank you so much for listening, and we'll see you in the next episode.